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From: Vsg [mailto:vsg-bounces@mailman11.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Dutton, George
Sent: Saturday, January 27, 2018 9:07 AM
To: vsg@u.washington.edu
Subject: [Vsg] Saigon street celebrations - Under 23 soccer
Dear VSG,
Despite a heartbreaking loss in the last minute to Uzbekistan, Vietnamese young people here are holding noisy street celebrations, waving flags, beating drums, honking horns, and clogging Dong Khoi and other streets. We’ve been watching the chaos in front of the Opera House and down the street from our balcony at the Hotel Continental (Graham Greene’s old room!). Earlier had the surreal experience of standing on Nguyen Hue where at least 9 giant video screens had been set up for the crowds, and watching the Vietnamese team play in a driving snowstorm while we sweltered in 90 degree heat. The video went out right before Vietnam scored on a penalty kick, but the crowd took it remarkably well. The overall scene has been one of exuberance and youth out in decked in every manner of red and gold starred shirts, banners, flags, headbands, stickers, etc. Amazing to witness, and even the loss seems only to have temporarily delayed the subsequent street parades, which have been very loud and doing everything to make traffic congestion even worse than normal. Sometimes crowds are deliberately halting cars to wave flags in front of them, but then eventually letting them pass at a snail’s pace. Great to witness so many Vietnamese spontaneously celebrating in a manner of their own choosing.
George Dutton
UCLA
On Sat, Jan 27, 2018 at 10:54 PM, Susan Hammond <shammond@warlegacies.org> wrote:
Some video of the celebrations
https://news.zing.vn/flycam-canh-nguoi-ham-mo-nhuom-do-pho-di-bo-nguyen-hue-post815439.html
https://news.zing.vn/video-nguoi-ham-mo-van-xuong-duong-va-hat-ve-niem-tu-hao-u23-vn-post815511.html
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Chuck Searcy <chuckusvn@gmail.com>
To: Susan Hammond <shammond@warlegacies.org>
Cc: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Bcc:
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2018 18:43:36 +0000
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Saigon street celebrations - Under 23 soccer
I jumped into the first available taxi away from the Opera House in Ha Noi where a disappointed crowd of thousands was absorbing the narrow loss they had just witnessed on giant TV screens. My taxi driver said, "At least there will not be traffic jams tonight." He assumed, as I did, that the crowds would dissipate because there was no victory to celebrate.
Not so! The critical mass held, the Vietnamese apparently refusing to abandon this near taste of victory and focusing immediately on the next opportunity to win, whenever that might be be.
With indefatigable enthusiasm and renewed faith and hope, the crowds surged throughout Ha Noi. There were plenty of traffic jams, for the simple reason that people just stopped their cards and climbed on top, waving flags and chanting "Việt Nam vô địch!" The car and motorbike horns, noisemakers including tin cans pulled behind motorbikes, and serious decibel sound systems that pulsated from Mercedeses and BMWs covered areas of town with a cacophonic blanket.
I was impressed that the traffic police actually managed to untangle one paralyzed intersection by selectively forcing certain cars and motorbikes to start moving, and within a few minutes the situation was unjammed. (That critical mass may have simply surged forward to another convenient place to stop and stage an impromptu rally and street disco show.)
The Vietnamese never pass up any opportunity to party, and they were obviously not about to let the disappointing loss in today's soccer match put a damper on their determination to celebrate something -- hope for a championship win next time? -- well into the night.
CHUCK SEARCY
================================
CHUCK SEARCY
Vice President, VFP Chapter 160
International Advisor, Project RENEW
Co-chair, Agent Orange Working Group
71 Trần Quốc Toản
Hà Nội, Việt Nam
Email chuckusvn@gmail.com
Skype chucksearcy
Cell VN +8 490 342 0769
Cell US +1 404 740 0653
Web www.landmines.org.vn
================================
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Quynh Le Tran <lequynh78@gmail.com>
To:
Cc: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Bcc:
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2018 13:09:06 +0000
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Saigon street celebrations - Under 23 soccer
The celebration today was overshadowed, at least on Facebook, by Vietjet stunt:
https://www.facebook.com/hoang.n.vu.58/posts/10203949071763443
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=626630094335029&id=100009641314161
Quynh Le
BBC World Service, London
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mark Ashwill <markashwill@hotmail.com>
To: Quynh Le Tran <lequynh78@gmail.com>
Cc: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Bcc:
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2018 14:54:21 +0000
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Saigon street celebrations - Under 23 soccer
The "VietJet stunt" was only a sideshow. It's an exaggeration to say that it overshadowed the celebration, on- or offline, which continues in the Mỹ Đình National Stadium on a very chilly evening (12C).
https://vnexpress.net/tuong-thuat/thoi-su/dong-nguoi-dai-30km-chao-don-doi-u23-viet-nam-3705074.html
MAA
International Educator
Hanoi
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