'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