Vietnam’s U-22 men’s football team just won their first-ever SEA Games gold medal.
The Vietnamese men’s team dominated possession and ultimately thrashed Indonesia 3-0 in a match they never seemed at risk of losing. A first-half goal from Van Hau brought confidence, before second-half goals from Hung Dung and yet another from Van Hau secured the victory.
The men's team went through to the finals after demolishing Cambodia 4-0 on Saturday. Their victory tonight will surely produce bedlam on the streets of Vietnam. An entire night of revelry is expected, with the entire country breaking out into cheers and tears of joy.
Thus begins an all-nighter for fans nationwide, who will pour into the streets to đi bão. Public spaces like Saigon’s Nguyen Hue Walking Street and Hanoi’s Ho Guom area will be packed with fans waving flags, dancing, chanting, lighting fireworks and singing patriotic songs.
The victory follows a gold medal for Vietnam's women’s team on Sunday. Tuoi Tre reported that the squad took down their Thai rivals 1-0 in Manila in a match that went 120 minutes due to extra time. The Vietnamese women already won the 2019 AFF Women's Championship and took home gold at the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia.
This is this latest in a long line of SEA Games success for the Vietnamese women's team, which has now won six gold medals in the regional competition: 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2017 and this year.
Vietnam's men's team finished second at the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship and sealed the fourth position at the 2018 Asian Games. They also memorably won the 2018 AFF Cup and advanced to the 2019 Asian Cup quarterfinals. In April this year, the men’s team was valued at $1.9m.
