WORLD CUP 2014: The low notes

(Baonghen) -In addition to the inappropriate time frame, the 2014 World Cup was also affected by the economic crisis, so the atmosphere of Vinh City people towards this event was quite dull. The coffee shops were empty, and there was no longer the scene of the whole block and neighborhood gathering to watch football at the cultural house. The 2014 World Cup was confined to each family, so there were very few behind-the-scenes stories...

Pawn shop World Cup season.

Four years ago, when the World Cup took place in South Africa, Vinh City was one of the most vibrant localities. In addition to the cafes hanging banners everywhere with accompanying services, many cultural centers or community activity places also invested in high-quality screens and many other facilities to serve the people. The football atmosphere therefore penetrated every corner.

This World Cup is different, not many people in Vinh City are really interested in football. Partly because the match schedule is not suitable for Vietnam, partly because of life concerns, people mostly choose to watch at home and rest to stay healthy. For young people who are passionate about football, this is also the time when they are on summer vacation or studying for exams, so near universities and colleges, the World Cup atmosphere is also very boring. Some businesses are equipped with large screens but the number of customers is also very limited. Around Vinh University, the atmosphere of the 2014 World Cup is not much different from normal days, even less crowded than the evenings with English Premier League football.

At Pho Do Coffee Shop on Nguyen Van Cu Street, one of the familiar gathering places for fans in Vinh City, the number of customers is also very modest. An employee at this coffee shop said that initially, the shop planned to open for all matches at night, but after 1-2 days, there were too few customers, so they only opened to welcome guests for matches at 11 p.m. As for the later matches, they did not serve. Similarly, some sidewalk coffee shops, although very hopeful about the World Cup season, were eventually "disillusioned". The number of customers was sparse, so many people bought projectors and left them there, not serving much for business.

Some players from Nghe An such as Tien Hoai, Dinh The, Duc Cuong… opened coffee shops to do business on the occasion of the World Cup but the results were not very good. The reason was because the matches took place in the middle of the night, next to the newly opened shop so not many people knew about it so it was called a World Cup coffee shop but when the matches in Brazil (at 11pm) took place, the shop… closed for the day.

The World Cup in Vinh City therefore had many low notes, less exciting but sadly, betting still had a "fever". Because football betting is becoming more and more sophisticated, it is very easy for someone to want to bet. Of course, where there is supply, there is demand, so pawn shops sprang up like mushrooms. Around 11pm, walking on Dinh Cong Trang, Le Hong Phong, Nguyen Van Cu streets..., the pawn shops were still operating with their lights on.

Vinh Liem