'It's very special': Tickets or not, Vietnam fans in Singapore excited for ASEAN Championship semis with Lions

SINGAPORE: With home tickets for the ASEAN Championship semi-final clash between Singapore and Vietnam snapped up within hours, Vietnamese supporters are preparing for a similar rush when their allocation of seats are made available on Thursday (Dec 26). 

But whether or not they snag the 300 available tickets at the Jalan Besar stadium, the away fans, comprising many from the Vietnamese diaspora here, have already begun drawing up alternatives.

Singapore will face Vietnam in a two legged semi-final on Thursday and Dec 29. The second leg will be played at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho province. 

The other semi-final is between Thailand and Philippines.

For Thursday’s game, the away tickets are priced at S$38 (US$28). They will only be made available for sale on match day from 3pm to 30 minutes prior to the conclusion of the match.

An ardent fan of his home country’s football team, 33-year-old Duc Nguyen was thrilled when he found out that Singapore would go up against Vietnam. 

However, he was disappointed to find out the number of tickets allocated to away fans. 

“We keep asking, why not host it at the National Stadium? Most (Vietnamese fans) are quite disappointed,” the business development manager at an architectural engineering firm here said. 

Nevertheless, should he fail to secure the tickets, he has plans to support the team at a Vietnamese bar or bistro with other fans.

“Some of the fans will gather outside the stadium (and try) peek into the stadium, others will gather with friends at a bar and watch together,” he said. 

“If you watch at a Vietnamese bar, there will be Vietnamese commentary, so it’s more fun.” 

The first leg of the semi-final will kick off at the 6,000-seater Jalan Besar Stadium instead of the 55,000-capacity National Stadium where two of the Lions' group games had been held.

This followed a late tournament schedule change by organisers which meant that the National Stadium was unavailable for this match and the rest of the tournament, having already been booked for concerts during this period.

"EVERY VIETNAMESE LOVES FOOTBALL"

In light of the high demand for tickets amid the thousands of Vietnamese living in Singapore, Ms Jessie Nguyen has taken to updating the community on where to get the tickets. 

She has been regularly updating a facebook group of over 2,000 Vietnamese living in Singapore on how to get the tickets to the game. 

“It’s easy for them to read, and ensures they don’t fall for fake news,” the logistics business owner in her 40s told CNA. 

Agreeing with Mr Duc Nguyen, she added that 300 tickets are not enough for the Vietnamese diaspora here, and this does not include Vietnamese who plan to fly in to watch the match. 

Asked why the game means so much to her, Ms Nguyen said that football is an “integral part of Vietnamese society”. 

Mr Duc Nguyen also said: “I think every Vietnamese loves football and the national team is the pride of our country.

“Whether they do well or don’t do well, we will still support them.” 

"A SECOND HOME"

For Mr Duy Nguyen (no relation to Mr Duc Nguyen or Ms Jessie Nguyen), the match between Singapore and Vietnam is no ordinary one.

The 32-year-old met his wife here, and his children were also born in Singapore.

“It's very special. I have lived in Singapore for five years and Singapore has treated me very well,” he explained.

“So I consider Singapore also like my second home … I still cheer for the Vietnamese team, but I watched the Singapore team in the tournament as well, in my mind cheering for them to go as far as they can.”

A “huge football fan”, Mr Duy Nguyen was in the stands supporting his home nation during the 2021 edition of the tournament, where Vietnam played their group games at the Bishan Stadium.

“We love to experience the atmosphere and have Vietnamese people who live in Singapore around us cheering for the national team,” he explained.

“We have the same feeling this time, because we know that the Vietnamese national team will play Singapore in the semi-final. It’s also very exciting for all the Vietnamese who are living and staying in Singapore.”

While Mr Duy Nguyen won’t be in attendance this time around owing to the recent birth of his twins, he plans to catch the match together with friends.

“For my friends, the Vietnamese working in Singapore, they are very excited to buy tickets and try to watch the match,” he said.

“Vietnamese’ passion for football is very high.”

Dr Anna Pham, who was from Vietnam and is now a naturalised Singaporean, is similarly excited for the match. 

The 49-year-old, who works in healthcare, has lived in Singapore since 2006. Her 10-year-old son supports the Singapore team and so she is okay if the result swings either way. 

She plans to take her family to the match, but is unsure if she can secure tickets as she does not have time to queue for them on Thursday. 

As a last resort, she hopes to secure resale tickets to sit with the local fans and support the Lions with her son. 

Vietnam topped Group A, having remained unbeaten in the group stage of the tournament. 

Kim Sang-sik’s men started the tournament with wins over Laos (4-1) and Indonesia (1-0). But a 1-1 draw with the Philippines raised eyebrows, with a Doan Ngoc Tan equaliser right at the death securing a precious point.

However, the second highest ranked ASEAN side in the FIFA world rankings put Myanmar to the sword 5-0 to move on.

But Mr Duy Nguyen is expecting a close match at the Jalan Besar stadium, where the Lions last faced Vietnam in December 2022. Then, the home side held their opponents to a 0-0 draw.

Singapore held Malaysia to a 0-0 draw on Friday, booking their progress to the semi-finals, the furthest the Lions have reached in the competition since 2021.

“I watched the match versus Malaysia and I think the team had a very good strategy. The players followed the strategy from the coach and they played with the game plan in mind and they knew what to do as well,” he said.

“Coming into the semifinals, I think it’s a fair chance for both teams.”