V is for Victorious Vietnam!

So Vietnam made it to the final of the South East Asian Cup (football/soccer for the unaware) and in the first of the two matches, they beat Thailand 2-1 in Bangkok. Believe me, that was a big deal, in and of itself.

Sunday 28th of December 7pm, was the second final, this time in Hanoi. Although away goals didn't count for more, Vietnam only needed a draw to take the cup. So Jordi and Nisha (2 Hanoi based AYADS) and I decided to take in the final with the locals at a coffee shop on my street.










We arrived just prior to kick off and had to pay the lady in the restaurant next door to rent her plastic chairs. We had to sit on the footpath but still had a pretty good view. People would drive up on motorbikes and park at the shops along the street and take in the game. I have honestly never seen the streets of Da Nang so quiet before!! We were kitted out in our Viet Nam Vu Dich (Vietnam Champions) headbands and Vietnamese flags and the locals were loving it.

Vietnam were down 1-0 for most of the match until scoring an equaliser in the last play of the game, I think it was around the 93rd minute. The whole place went nuts and everyone literally just jumped on their motorbikes with flags, saucepan lids, drums and took to the streets. Nisha and I followed the crowd on foot and these videos are really the only way to do justice to the noise and the atmosphere.


This is the moment Vietnam scored, in the coffee shop on my street. Notice the crowds and our headbands!!

This next video if just further down my road. We were kind of following the crowd.

Then we hit the streets proper and watched more people than I though lived in Da Nang do a loop around the city. The noise and the crowd had to be seen to be believed but I hope this video conveys it.

Up next my trip to Phu Quoc Island and HCMC in 2 parts because there is so much to tell.