Passion for some, full time employment for others, and a Saturday’s afternoon activity for billions of TV watchers all around the globe. Football is a phenomenon. And it doesn’t matter whether we speak about European or American football. Football s the most popular sport in Vietnam and is being played by thousands of Vietnamese on a daily basis. An empty space and a kickable round item easily evokes the local excitement and leads to a football match.

Vietnam National Football Team is one of the most successful teams in South East Asia along with Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. Winning the ASEAN Football Championship was the most remarkable achievement of Vietnam National Football Team. For professional player, the V-League is the top football league in Vietnam. Interestingly, it is allowed that each team can have five foreign players and can use three foreigners on the field each games. In fact, half of V-League foreign players are Brazilian. Football is an important part of the national identity in Vietnam. Although having a long history, modern Vietnamese football was developed very late than the rest, which only established at 1990s after the end of Sino-Vietnamese War and international isolation. Since 1990s, football has become extremely important for the society in Vietnam, regardless the rich or the poor. Despite ups and downs, football still plays a role on the rise of Vietnamese national identity, and often ties with its successes. Vietnam has some of the most passionate supporters in the world, often attend in large number anytime Vietnam plays in a major tournament. This has been witnessed in 2019 AFC Asian Cup, which its fans cooked traditional Vietnamese foods and even smuggled foods to the hotel to support its players.