With Song Lam never turn back

(Baonghean) - I used to study and work in Saigon, thousands of kilometers away from my hometown, but I never felt lost in a foreign land. Because there, the image of my hometown Nghe An is always present, through the voice, through the singing, through the times wearing yellow shirts to cheer for the Song Lam football team….

People often compare love for one’s homeland to a smoldering fire burning in the heart of each person, and then when the opportunity arises, that feeling will rise again, overflowing and burning. Perhaps that is true for me… Like many other friends of the same age, my childhood grew up through afternoons of herding buffalo, flying kites, and catching balls. My hometown was still poor at that time, the children’s soccer fields were simply dry rice fields that had passed the harvest season, flat mounds of earth located next to the village hall, a few corn stalks and bricks erected to make a goal frame.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Hien - Member of the Board of Directors of the SLNA Supporters Association in the Southern region (holding the flag on the car) with former model Huynh Trang Nhi in a parade to cheer for the Song Lam Nghe An team. (photo provided by the character).

After graduating from high school, I left my family and went to Saigon to study. The hustle and bustle of the bustling city made me feel strange and always homesick. Knowing that I was sad, one afternoon, a friend from my hometown invited me to Go Dau Stadium (Binh Duong) to cheer for the Song Lam Nghe An football team. When I got there, I was really surprised and amazed by the enthusiasm of the fans of my hometown team. They sang, shouted and "covered" the stands with familiar yellow shirts. The melodies of Vi, Giam, and familiar folk songs of my hometown resounded, full of enthusiasm. Everyone, from old to young, from workers, doctors to students, hugged each other's shoulders and danced to the lyrics "mo te rang rua" with the strong Nghe An accent, enjoying the great football moves. There were also times when I felt quiet and sad when the home team's net was down.

SLNA fans contribute to "keeping the fire burning" in their hometown team's matches (Internet photo)

The times I followed the team to Thong Nhat, Cao Lanh, Long Xuyen, Tan An stadiums, etc., participating in cheering parades, offline activities, and activities organized by the association helped me relieve my homesickness. From there, I opened up new opportunities for me with friends, brothers, and sisters - who were my strong spiritual support whenever I encountered difficulties. After that, I learned about the Song Lam Nghe An fan forum in the South and with my enthusiasm and passion, I was elected as a member of the Board of Directors. The fate that connected me to the Song Lam Nghe An fan club began from there.

6 years have passed, that is not a very long time but enough for me to clearly feel the deep love for the homeland of the people of Nghe An. Accompanying them, sharing joys and sorrows with each rolling ball, I realized that love for the homeland is not only limited to the love of football but also in many other intangible things that are worth cherishing. Therefore, even in the glorious moments of intoxication in victory or when the team cannot maintain its old form, that feeling remains unchanged.

SLNA fans are famous nationwide for their spirit of solidarity of Nghe people (Internet photo)

The stories I witnessed were as simple and rustic as the people of Nghe An. That was the image of two students, Dang Van Xuan and Hoang Phi Hung, who are studying electronics and telecommunications at the Vietnam Aviation Academy, cycling nearly 600 km round trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Kien Giang to cheer for the Song Lam Nghe An football team on July 21, 2012. I remember, when reporters surrounded and asked about the journey, Xuan and Hung just smiled and said: "Through this trip, we want to affirm to fans nationwide that, no matter how difficult the Song Lam Nghe An football team faces, Nghe An fans will never turn their backs on the team."

"Never turn your back on your hometown team" is the statement of SLNA fans (Internet photo)

Another memorable event was that of the President of the Song Lam Nghe An Fans' Association in Binh Duong - Nguyen Trong Manh and his wife. The wedding day was set, everything was ready from booking a restaurant table to printing invitations with the team logo, but ironically the happy day coincided with the match schedule of Song Lam Nghe An and Dong Thap. After thinking it over, the couple decided to ask their families for permission to postpone the wedding date by 1 week to support the team. Not disappointing the fans' expectations, that day Song Lam Nghe An won against Dong Thap team. So the joy of Manh's wedding day was multiplied by the blessings of family and friends.

Many people think that Nghe An is the place with the most passionate football fans in Vietnam, but perhaps they cannot imagine that the reason for these "strange" actions is simply the love for football and the homeland. Even more proud, that love does not create barriers to distinguish regions but also goes beyond the Nghe people, has a great influence, creating an inherent connection in the community. It is not difficult to find in the Song Lam Nghe An fan club people with Northern and Southern accents, they come from different hometowns but all carry within them the enthusiasm and love for Nghe An.

The person who impressed me the most was former model Huynh Trang Nhi - Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of EEC Media - Event Organization Joint Stock Company. This Singaporean woman got her start in Nghe An when she sponsored the program "Miss Song Lam Nghe An FC" in April 2013. At that time, millions of Nghe An people were immersed in the victory with the team's peak performance, so many people thought that she came to Song Lam Nghe An to promote her own name. But those doubts were answered over time. She always stood by the team, the Song Lam Nghe An Supporters Association in the Southern region regardless of success or failure. She organized and participated in almost all of the association's charity programs. In 2013, when the historic flood caused a lot of damage to the Central region, she initiated the "For the Community" fund to call for support from friends, relatives and benefactors who all turned to Nghe An. After a short time, the amount of donations reached 500 million VND. She and the members of the Executive Committee of the Southern Song Lam Nghe An Supporters Association were present in Nghe An - Ha Tinh to give gifts and cash to families in need. That was the first time she set foot in Nghe An - a land she has long had a special affection for but only vaguely imagined through the love of her homeland of those who live far away from home.

To us, she is not only the "community ambassador of Song Lam Nghe An" but also a sister and a close friend. She often tells us that through her volunteer trips, she hopes to change some of the negative prejudices about Song Lam Nghe An fans. To her, the love of the Nghe people for their homeland and the purpose of the association are always worthy of respect. As for me, the memories of her, of all my brothers and friends from Nghe An, who are passionately playing outside the field, will always be the most beautiful memories of my life...

Phuong Thao

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(Recorded according to the story of Mr. Nguyen Huu Hien - member of the Board of Directors of the SLNA Supporters Association in the Southern region).