Football fans in colorful wigs, headbands and red t-shirts with the golden star crowd the T2 Terminal in Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport. Most of them have booked one-day tours to the Philippines.

Two women dressed for the final match against Indonesia for the SEA Games gold medal hold up a cutout of South Korean coach Park Hang-seo and a banner with “Viet Nam” emblazoned on it. Travel agency Vietravel has said that around 1,000 of its customers will fly from Hanoi, Saigon and Da Nang City to go today to the Ninoy Aquino Airport in the Philippines today. 

Nguyen Cong Hoan, director of Hanoi RedTours, said around 300 customers would fly on two planes operated by national carrier Vietnam Airlines. All their tours to the Philippines sold out within 12 hours after December 5, he said. Vietnam drew against Thailand in their last group stage match on December 5, securing a spot in the SEA Games men’s football final.

People wait to check in for their flight in Hanoi. Nguyen Viet Hung, 5, (L) and his uncle Bui Tien Dat are among the ones flying to the Philippines to cheer for the national team. They are accompanied by Hung’s mother, Bui Thu Hien. “We couldn’t do anything yesterday as we were too excited about going,” said Hien.

Vu Van Chung, 83, is among the oldest fans, if not the oldest, going to cheer the team in the Philippines. He expects a gold medal for Vietnam, he said.

At Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC, a group of Vietnamese fans pose for a group picture, sporting a banner proclaiming their patriotism and unity.

Two male fans from Saigon hold up replicas of the gold medal they want the national men’s team to win.

A sticker of the Vietnamese flag stuck on a suitcase waiting to be checked in at the airport.

Three women wearing t-shirts with the national flag colors check selfies they have taken on their smartphones while waiting to check in for their flight.

Hundreds of fans wait to check in for their flights to the Philippines. Vietnam will play Indonesia in the final of the SEA Games men’s football tournament in the Philippines today at 7 p.m. (Hanoi time). The match will be reported live.

Cre: VnExpress

Nguyen Xuan Nghia – COMM