Nghe An people abroad are enthusiastic about the Vietnam U23 team.

Buses carrying fellow countrymen from Nghe An in particular and Vietnamese people in general to Changzhou City (Jiangsu, China). Photo: Dinh Thanh

In China, where the U23 Asian tournament took place, Nghe An compatriots have accompanied the Vietnamese community since the early days in cheering for the Vietnam U23 team.

Every time a match takes place, Nghe An people in particular and Vietnamese people in general in all provinces and cities of China such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Hangzhou... take time off from work and school, eagerly flock to stadiums in Jiangsu to show the Vietnamese spirit and cheer for their home team.

In Shanghai alone, the Vietnamese fan club is mainly young people and international students. In the first match of U23 Vietnam, the club had only a few dozen people, but by the semi-final match on January 23, it had grown to hundreds of people, including many from Nghe An. This is the main fan club that follows U23 Vietnam at the stadiums. In addition to cheering for the matches, they also participate in welcoming and guiding Vietnamese people from within the country to Pudong Airport.

Vietnamese pride at Changzhou Stadium (China). Photo: Dinh Thanh

Nguyen Dinh Thanh, a student at Shanghai Military Medical University, from Thanh Chuong district, said: “About 175 km from Changzhou, we rented a car, bought shirts, and bought flags to "warm up" our national team. The entrance ticket to stand A is equivalent to 350,000 VND. Although the weather was quite cold, about 2 degrees, we students still only wore red-star-yellow-flag T-shirts and shouted loudly, "heating up" the whole stadium.”

Sharing the joy of the victory of U23 Vietnam, Thanh added: “We always believe in the strength and courage of our national team. When the match ended, everyone felt happy, emotions overflowing with indescribable joy. Everyone sang the song “Like having Uncle Ho on the great victory day” and held the national flag and ran on the field.”

For Nghe An compatriots in Macau, they are mainly laborers working in restaurants and serving their families. During the match yesterday afternoon, many people asked for leave to stay home, or gathered in their rented rooms to watch and cheer for U23 Vietnam. Ms. Tran Thi Que - former President of the Nghe An Compatriots Association in Macau shared: "Although I could not watch the match continuously, at the last minute, when Vietnam won, I felt extremely happy and suddenly burst into tears of joy and pride."

Nghe An compatriots have accompanied the Vietnamese community since the early days in cheering for the Vietnam U23 team. Photo: Dinh Thanh

In Taiwan and Japan, at the time of the semi-final match between Vietnam and Qatar, most of Nghe An workers were at work, but many still watched the match on their computers or mobile phones at work. Some compatriots "boldly" took time off work to stay home and watch football. Most of the brothers and sisters gathered in their rented rooms to watch football and have fun.

After Vietnam's victory, without the opportunity to "show off" with flags, flowers, drums, and trumpets like in the country, many groups of young people took buses to restaurants to sing traditional songs.

Nguyen Van Trung (from Do Luong) who is working in Chiba province (Japan) said: “I am in the same commune as Cong Phuong. In yesterday's match, I really wanted him to score, but Phuong had to leave in the first half. It's okay, because U23 Vietnam had a great match, there's nothing more fun than that. We were so happy, we hugged each other and danced in the room.”

In Kiev city - Ukraine, Nghe Tinh compatriots mainly do business between markets. When the semi-final match took place, depending on the working conditions of each family, people watched the match through different channels. Mr. Ho Sy Truc, from Quynh Luu district shared: "There is nothing more to say with the ultimate sublimation of emotions, other than happiness and pride before the unprecedented historic victory of Vietnamese football. Our team has grown through each match, with the victory over Qatar, U23 Vietnam has confidently entered the final in the admiration of international friends. Hopefully Vietnam will be the champion".

It can be said that Nghe An people all over the world have been sharing in the joy of the victory of the Vietnamese team at the U23 Asian Cup. Although that sentiment is expressed in many different forms, depending on the specific conditions in the host countries, it truly reflects the spirit of solidarity, love of football and national pride of Nghe An people far from home.

Huy Thu