Students join World Cup party

“Go,go, go! Ale!Ale!Ale!” …is the sound of nearly 1,000 students from Ha Noi Teachers” Training College when Arjen Robben scored for the Netherlands in their match against Serbia&Montenegro on Sunday night.

The match started at 8pm Vietnamese time, but the students started preparing for their football party in the hostel yard at 3pm.

It can definitely be called World Cup Fever with temperatures in the capital city keeping most people indoors and students rushing to finish their last examinations before the holiday.

Since the World Cup only graces us once every four years, the college”s Youth Union, in collaboration with Viet Nam Students Association, decided to organise a programme Getting Excited with the World Cup which is showing students 14 football matches live at the college, beginning last Saturday.

The programme also strives to give stressed-out students a proper break before their exams.

“It”s final examination time for students at the college, so we show football matches at the hostel for them. It will help them relax after long nights of study,” said Tran Minh Hau, a member of Arts and Culture Centre with the Viet Nam Students Association.

“Most students listen on the radio or watch TV at pubs and cafes around the college, which waste their time and money,” Hau added.

In order to keep students there for the whole match, the organisers invited singers and commentators or former footballers to engage and entertain students before the match starts and during breaks.

Former national player Nguyen Hong Son also took part in the football party here on Sunday night.

“I was thrilled to exchange views with students during the World Cup for the first time. Since I”ve always been playing football, I never got the chance before,” Son said.

Son retired from football two years ago and is now the coach of the U-15 football team The Cong, or the Army.

During the match, fans join in a contest to guess the result, which could help them pocket a special gift for the winner.

Organisers also serve students free Lipton tea to cool them in hot weather.

A large 300-inch screen provides a vivid picture of the match with surround sound, which can barely be heard above the 1,000 fans cheering their teams on.

Vu Van Khu, an 18-year-old student of informatics and a fan of Brazil, started a friendly clash with his classmate Nguyen Thu Thuy, who is supporting England”s team. Most of the students are looking for a way to relieve the stress, and watching the games in big groups gives them that opportunity.

“We are preparing for our final exams, so we are all very tired and sometimes cranky. But the World Cup is the perfect way for us to scream and dance and let it all out before going back to our studies,” said Khu.

Thuy also said that betting has become common among students looking to make the stakes a bit more interesting.

In other places, vendors are making a killing off students by saying they can watch the match for free, but charge high prices for drinks.

Students from commerce, finance and transport colleges watched the match at My Dinh Stadium, where a 450-inch screen on the pitch with surround sound made them feel like they were there in Germany. However, they have to pay VND10,000 for a ticket and a parking fee for motorbikes.

Outside of stadiums, some vendors set up 29-inch TVs to attract people to watch the match for free, but viewers have to pay a higher price for tea or sugar-cane juice.

It is only at the college that students will really be able to enjoy a cool free break from their studies during the World Cup.

VNS