Last week, the Vietnam soccer team made it to the finals - first time ever. The city, including my students were talking about the final game on Saturday. We decided to go into the downtown to participate in the soccer fever. As we drove into town, people on scooters, bicycles and cars were waving the Vietnamese flag and on the side of the road or sidewalk you could purchase shirts, flags and stickers.
'Uncle Ho' watching in the background. There were 7 huge screens set up along the large boulevard and people as far as the eye could see.
View from a rooftop bar. Along the small side streets, bars were packed and everyone was watching. The final game was played in China and they were in the midst of a huge blizzard. The field had to be cleared of snow a few times and I wondered how the Vietnamese players were dealing with the cold. The game stayed at 1-1 for most of the time but they lost in the end - 1-2.
It was a subdued crowd for about an hour and then they all decided to go crazy and party like there was no tomorrow. The streets were jammed with hooting and shouting and flags waving and they would drive- sometimes in circles to encourage everyone to join in. Flares were set off and huge sparklers of various sorts. You could not get across any streets. We went for a bite to eat a ways from the main action but by the time we finished things were only
wilder. It took us over an hour to find a way back home. There were no taxis or any other form of transportation to be found.
One of many street corners. But all said, it was a very happy and fun crowd.
