In Vietnam, the dynamic between football and đi bão is not much different from monsoon rain and garden mushrooms.
For 11 days this month, the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) took place in Hanoi, drawing in thousands of athletes and spectators from across the region. The last event of the tournament was the final men's football match between Vietnam and Thailand at Mỹ Đình Stadium, a nail-biting mano-a-mano between two of ASEAN's strongest teams.
A world-class header by forward Nhâm Mạnh Dũng at the 83’ mark drove the entire country into a frenzy as it sealed the fate of Thailand as the tournament's silver medalist. Vietnam eventually won 1-0 and our streets started to rumble with an exuberant stampede of gleeful supporters.
From Hanoi to Saigon, congregations of fans poured into the streets, brandishing vuvuzelas, drums, pots and pans; bringing along children, flags, and even pets to immerse in the raucous display of nationalism that is đi bão.
If you don't follow sports or are someone who deeply values quietude, this celebratory commotion might be hard to understand, especially when it clogs practically every major city artery and fills the night with loud noises.
Yet, for many Saigoneers and Hanoians, the football victory was the perfect occasion to revel in life and bask in one another's resonating joy (and perhaps body odor), especially after two years of anxiety and despair, when mere proximity to another human being could lead to grave consequences.
Saigoneer's photographers were among the bão crowd on the streets of Hanoi and Saigon on Sunday; here's what our lenses captured:
Bão in Hanoi
This truck is on fire-uhhhh.
Vuvuzela were a hot commodity for one night.
An entrepreneurial spirit.
This impromptu production of Les Miserables might not comply with the child labor code.
The sign says "no parking," but does it count if you just stop driving to wave a flag?
There might not be a dress code to đi bão, but we're pretty sure both these cases are under- and overdressed for the night's activities.
It's recommended by doctors to routinely air out your underarm perspiration for every 10 yells of "Việt Nam Vô Địch!"
Bão in Saigon
I spy something yellow.
Look, it's the Saigon Botany Collective in the crowd.
"I am but a hapless feline, living a life constantly subjected to ill-advised ministrations by lowly humans. Put me down or I solemnly swear to embellish your chamber with excrements tonight." (But seriously - please don't take your cat to đi bão.)
It's always good to stay hydrated, even while you're climbing on vehicles in public.
One of the biggest health risks in public crowds is flatulence.
The only flaw in this image is the fact that they didn't color-code the dog. 9/10 good puppy, but lackluster team spirit.
How to keep a flag while zooming down the street on a motorbike.
As long as the color scheme matches, if you wave it fast enough, perhaps no one will notice?
