Vietnamese fans in the Philippines cut their leave and changed their shifts to cheer for the national team.
(Baonghean.vn) - Tonight (November 16), thousands of Vietnamese fans will come to the stadium to cheer for coach Philippe Troussier and his team. This is not just a football match, but a festival for Vietnamese expatriates in the Philippines.
Love of football and national pride
In recent days, the Vietnamese community in the Philippines has been bustling and eagerly awaiting the match of the Vietnamese team in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. Many people have cut their leave and changed their shifts to be able to go to the stadium to cheer for coach Philippe Troussier and his team. Banners reading "Vietnam Victory", red shirts with yellow stars and national flags are all ready for a big day for the Vietnamese people studying and working in the Philippines.
It is not just a football match, but the solidarity of Vietnamese people living abroad. No matter how far away, they always turn to their homeland, with a national spirit and always devote themselves to the flag and colors.
Close the shop, give employees time off to cheer for the Vietnamese team
Ms. Thao Linh, who has lived in the Philippines for 5 years, is currently the owner of the Manila Vietnamese Grocery Store and a Vietnamese restaurant there. Since most of her employees are Vietnamese, she decided to close the store and give her employees time off to come to the field to "light the fire" for the coaches and students.
Talking about this decision, she said: ''Since 2019, the Vietnamese team has competed in the Philippines again, and people here are very excited. Personally, I have also planned and arranged my work many days in advance to cheer for the Vietnamese team. In addition to preparing the national flag and red shirts with yellow stars, I also printed banners and prepared mineral water to give out for free to everyone.
came to the field to cheer up coach Philippe Troussier and his team. Photo: Hai Hoang
When asked what made her take such meaningful actions, Ms. Linh shared: "Once when I returned to my hometown, I was lucky to watch the Vietnamese team compete at Lach Tray Stadium (Hai Phong). Seeing the entire stadium lit up in red when the National Anthem played, I was truly moved. That motivated me to always be ready and do my best to help people if I can."
Change shifts, take leave to cheer for hometown team
Mr. Quoc Vu is from Vinh city, Nghe An. When he was in Vietnam, he also spent many years cheering for his hometown football team (Song Lam Nghe An). But then, because of life, he traveled to this side to work as a chef. Although he was far from home, he always kept up to date with the football situation in his country. Knowing that the Vietnam team would come here to compete since the draw results were out, he was very excited, arranged his work, prepared red shirts with yellow stars to cheer for the Vietnam team.
Mr. Vu shared: "The achievements of the Vietnamese team under the coach have not been as expected, however, overseas Vietnamese here still do not place much importance on technical factors, everyone here comes to the stadium like a hometown meeting, being able to blend in with the red color and sing the National Anthem is happiness." Mr. Vu also added that many people have changed shifts and taken leave to come to the stadium to cheer on coach Philippe Troussier and his team.
Special Filipino fan
Among the thousands of fans who came to the stadium to cheer for the Vietnamese team, there was a very special fan - Jefferson Fernandez, a Filipino who works for a Vietnamese grocery store.
Jefferson Fernandez shared: "I work with a lot of Vietnamese people, and I have Vietnamese friends, so today I took a day off to go watch football. In the past few days, I have seen the excitement of many Vietnamese people here. So, this afternoon I will go to the stadium and watch and cheer for both teams."
Mr. Jefferson Fernandez also said that Filipinos do not like football but only care about basketball, so tomorrow the number of Vietnamese fans will definitely overwhelm the home team. "I know the Vietnamese team has many good players, and in the Philippines basketball is the strong sport, so many Vietnamese people have definitely bought tickets, so there will be a lot of fans supporting the other team."
When asked about his prediction for the score of this match, Mr. Jefferson Fernandez happily said: "Vietnam will win".
Today, the Vietnamese team will not be alone, when they are fueled by thousands of Vietnamese fans in the Philippines. With this spiritual support, the Vietnamese players will certainly compete enthusiastically and achieve the best results in the opening match of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
The match between the Philippines and Vietnam will take place at 6 p.m. (Vietnam time) on November 16, at Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila./.