I am not a football follower, I have never been into football. But I have always wanted to go to a football match for the atmosphere. In hindsight, maybe Vietnam v Arsenal was not the best match to get a good atmosphere because Vietnamese people are so reserved! However, I had a great time and am so glad that I went. It’s one of the highlights of my time in Vietnam!
I was in ignorant bliss to the way a football match should feel and so thoroughly enjoyed the match, however Connor was going mental about how “dead” the crowd was compared to the UK. Apparently when you first kick off there’s usually a massive cheer and the crowds go crazy, but I just heard Connor saying “Jesus, was that the kick off cheer?!” He was not impressed!
About five minutes in, a Mexican wave was started, which went around the whole stadium and was a good buzz, I found myself enjoying myself and joining in but Connor just said “There’s 40,000 people who don’t give a crap about this game!” which to be fair, was probably true. The Arsenal players were 3-0 up about ten minutes in, and scored their first goal within two minutes! It was not going well for the Vietnamese players, however, they were all at least half the size of the Arsenal players to be fair!
However, considering Arsenal are meant to be one of the best teams in the world, they were very messy, even I, knowing nothing about football, could tell they weren’t great goals.
At one point we became more interested in the Mexican wave failing half way around the pitch than the actual match. There was a section of the stadium that were really buzzed up and having a great time, and another section that was very reserved and refused to join in with the Mexican wave so it kept failing half way round, but occasionally there would be enough stragglers to get it through, and it would reach the rowdy (or less reserved) section of the crowd again. It was amusing to watch. I have a suspicion that Mexican waves during a match is not common practise in UK matches!
However, right near the end, Vietnam scored and the whole stadium exploded! It was an amazing feeling and what I had been hoping for. Everyone was stamping their feet, cheering and whooping and the vibe was electric. Five minutes after that the Heaven’s opened and we couldn’t even see the pitch, so most people, including ourselves, left the pitch before the end of the match. I don’t think we missed too much but I’m so glad I went. It was definitely an unforgettable experience!
