A “huge football fan”, Mr Duy Nguyen was in the stands supporting his home nation during the 2021 edition of the tournament, where Vietnam played their group games at the Bishan Stadium.
“We love to experience the atmosphere and have Vietnamese people who live in Singapore around us cheering for the national team,” he explained.
“We have the same feeling this time, because we know that the Vietnamese national team will play Singapore in the semi-final. It’s also very exciting for all the Vietnamese who are living and staying in Singapore.”
While Mr Duy Nguyen won’t be in attendance this time around owing to the recent birth of his twins, he plans to catch the match together with friends.
“For my friends, the Vietnamese working in Singapore, they are very excited to buy tickets and try to watch the match,” he said.
“Vietnamese’ passion for football is very high.”
Dr Anna Pham, who was from Vietnam and is now a naturalised Singaporean, is similarly excited for the match.
The 49-year-old, who works in healthcare, has lived in Singapore since 2006. Her 10-year-old son supports the Singapore team and so she is okay if the result swings either way.
She plans to take her family to the match, but is unsure if she can secure tickets as she does not have time to queue for them on Thursday.
As a last resort, she hopes to secure resale tickets to sit with the local fans and support the Lions with her son.