SEA Games 31: Fan support at Thien Truong Stadium stuns foreign friends

Spectators at the Laos-Singapore match at Thien Truong Stadium (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi – Matches of men’s football at the ongoing SEA Games 31 are drawing large crowds of spectators, even in the absence of the home team Vietnam in some games.

ASEAN Football page recently published photos of Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dinh province on May 7 when it hosted two games of Group B - while Vietnam are in Group A.

“What an atmosphere! 30,000 fans in Thien Truong Stadium tonight!” it wrote.

The site stated this is the new record for the match with the most spectators at a neutral venue in SEA Games history.

In the comment section, Facebook user Nat Nattapon stated: “Awesome, I want to see more audiences like this in every game. no matter who you are cheering for but it was an exciting atmosphere. Thank you for your support.”

Another user Ravi Raman wrote that Vietnam fans are ‘real football supporters’.

Although Thailand is the defeated side on its opening day, the country's media still praise the passionate atmosphere at Thien Truong.

“The first series of matches in the group stage of SEA Games men’s soccer went in spectacular fashion. Vietnamese football fans cheered loudly at Thien Truong Stadium,” Siam Sport newspaper wrote.

The Thai sports daily reported that Malaysian fans also praise the great atmosphere at Thien Truong Stadium.

Previously, the Lao Football Federation official Facebook page posted a picture of Vietnamese fans cheering for Laos.

On May 9, Laos will play Cambodia while Thailand face Singapore at Thien Truong.

SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, is being held in Hanoi and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities from May 12 to 23.

Featuring 40 sports with 523 events, it is expected to attract around 10,000 participants. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.