Football

HÀ NỘI — Thousands of Vietnamese supporters have landed in Changshu, China, to support the Vietnamese U23 team who will face Uzbekistan in the Asian championship final on Saturday.

More than 2,000 people are expected to fly directly from Việt Nam to Changshu on Saturday itself.

Thousands of people already left for China on Friday morning via the Hữu Nghị International Border Gate in Lạng Sơn Province. They will travel by local planes and coaches to join others from Việt Nam.

Vietnamese people and students who live and study in China are also flocking to the Changshu Olympic Sport Centre to support the national squad.

Tickets to Changshu sold out

According to Vietravel, one of Việt Nam’s leading travel agents, tickets to Changshu were all sold out within hours of Việt Nam’s semi-final win on Tuesday.

So far, Vietravel has booked tickets for more than 1,000 customers. The price for a three-day and two-night tour had doubled compared to normal.

Saigontourist announced it had 400 customers, while PanvinTours welcomed 500 tourists.

Other travel agents such as HanoiRedtours, Hanoi Tourists, Transviet, Vietrantour and Bến Thành Tourist are also offering packages for Changshu.

Vietnam Airlines have set up three flights, one more than what was initially planned, while Vietjet Air has also scheduled two charter flights on Saturday morning, which will return to Việt Nam in the evening.

Vietnamese football supporters at the Hữu Nghị International Border Gate. They will arrive Changshu to encourage the Việt Nam U23 squad in the final of the Asian Championship on Saturday. — Photo vietnamnet.vn

Việt Nam’s supporters rally 

The Việt Nam U23 team’s victory is not a craze for Vietnamese people alone but has also created a “fever” in Asia.

Supporters from Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, China and Japan have sent congratulatory messages and words of encouragement to the team.

Malaysians and Thais, whose teams were eliminated from the tournament, have put their belief in Việt Nam as the representative of Southeast Asia.

South Korea and Japan, meanwhile, hope Việt Nam beat Uzbekistan, which was responsible for their defeat in the tournament.

Another reason for the affinity of South Korea to Việt Nam is that Vietnamese coach Park Hang-seo is a South Korean.

On the fan page of the confederation, Agus Tri Maulidyanto from Indonesia wrote: “Not only Vietnamese fans, but ASEAN countries also support ‘Nguyen’ land. ASEAN is one country now and we will show the world that we have class players.”

Thailand’s Piywat Chartpitak wrote: “Việt Nam, we always support you. You are ASEAN’s hope and dream. Good luck and bring the trophy back. All the best for you from Thailand.”

From India, Varun Shekar posted: “I’ll be rooting for Việt Nam in the final. You guys are the best example for every lower-ranked team. Hope my Indian team will learn from you. Support from India.”

Even an Uzbek fan who supports Việt Nam wrote: “I’m Uzbek but I want Việt Nam to be the champion because they will celebrate it with the whole country and it will be the first ever fantastic cup in history. It will be a tough match for you, but you guys can do it.”

Lee Ji Ho from South Korea wrote: “In my opinion, most people will think Uzbek will win. But Việt Nam have grown strong in a short time. Although they won games (against Irag and Qatar) by penalty shootouts, they have the ability, and coach Park is from our country, so I can’t wait for the championship final.”

According to the organisers, the stadium will open two hours before the final’s kick-off time to welcome supporters.

Vietnamese at home can watch the match live on VTV2, VTV6 and Fox Sport channels. — VNS