SEA Games 29 before G-hour: Very close and... very far

Except for a few small banners hanging on the main roads, or at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the SEA Games atmosphere seems very strange to the local people. But on the contrary, for U22 Vietnam, the race to the gold dream is very close...

1. Returning to Malaysia on a late rainy afternoon, Kuala Lumpur International Airport was still as busy as it had been a few years ago.

The priority security check area for the SEA Games was hidden in a corner, and was extremely... empty, so even if there was only one female staff member, she wouldn't be too busy when I was the only one going through immigration procedures.

On the way back to Kuala Lumpur, the taxi driver kept complaining about traffic jams, and asked if it was the same in Ho Chi Minh City when he knew I had just come from Vietnam.

The capital Kuala Lumpur is quite quiet even though the SEA Games are only a week away from opening. Photo: Song Ngu

Getting to know each other and starting a conversation, but it seems that the largest regional sports event that our country hosts has no impact, or at least has... any value to Zulhafiz Bin Che'him, even though it is the king sport with U22 Malaysia trying to take the gold medal from Thailand.

The capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, is still not much different from many years ago when I arrived here, with a mix of green, modernity and the old in the Chinese neighborhoods, and shopping. And just like when I arrived at the airport, the SEA Games had not... appeared here yet.

On the streets, banners about this sporting event are only hung in a limited way, and a few competition venues are being hurriedly edited and decorated a week before the opening ceremony...

Just like Zulhafiz Bin Che'him, the SEA Games are not really clear to the locals when asked... Even the tour guide for the U22 Vietnam team often gets lost and confused when he cannot determine the training ground for Huu Thang and his team, for example.

2. In contrast to the calm atmosphere of the host country of the 29th SEA Games, for U22 Vietnam, everything is more urgent than ever, when in just a few days they will enter the congress with matches that are predicted to not be easy for Huu Thang and his team.

U22 Vietnam is in the final stage. Photo: Song Ngu

The SEA Games are approaching, so it's no surprise that for over a month, coach Huu Thang and his team have had almost no rest and have been working hard on the training ground.

It is understandable, because U22 Vietnam is not only aiming for glory for themselves, but they also carry on their shoulders the hopes of millions of fans at home in the upcoming tournament.

Coach Huu Thang is rushing to realize his dream of winning gold at SEA Games 29. Photo: Song Ngu

Whether coach Huu Thang and his team can realize their aspirations and goals remains to be seen. But looking at U22 Vietnam at this time, it seems that everything is ready with the highest determination for a brilliant success of the SEA Games.

For Malaysia, the SEA Games are still far away. But for U22 Vietnam, the SEA Games are very close...

According to VNN