Thousands line up for Vietnam-Afghanistan football match tickets

The ticket counter was to open at 9 a.m., but thousands were there as early as 6 a.m. to buy tickets for the match. It will be played June 1 at the Thong Nhat Stadium, as part of a preparations for the AFF Cup 2022 that will take place at the end of this year.

The long line snaked its way from Dao Duy Tu and Tan Phuoc streets to the main gate of Thong Nhat Stadium on Nguyen Kim street.

Despite the hot weather, the fans waited patiently.

People were anxious to get tickets before they ran out pushed hard to get inside.

To ensure security, organizers were not selling tickets at the counter in front of the stadium, but at a ticket desk inside. There was some jostling and pushing when the gates were opened for people to enter.

Once inside, people formed a more orderly line to purchase tickets.

An individual could buy a maximum of four tickets at a time. Tickets cost VND300,000 ($12.93) for stands A4, A5, and B, and VND150,000 for stands C and D.

Some people bought tickets in order to resell them for a profit.
They resell them for a profit of VND100,000-200,000, but many fans were wary, not sure if the tickets sold were genuine or not.

A woman sits by a tree with one hand covering her eye, hurt when she was shoved by others.

"When I saw so many people queuing up, I was afraid there wouldn’t be any left when my turn comes, but now that I have them in hand. I'm very happy," said Le Anh Thu, a District 7 resident.
"I love our team. Though the ticket price is a bit high and the line was long, it was worth it since I will be able to come and cheer for the home team."

"My daughter is a big fan of the team, so she tries to get there early to buy tickets in order to watch the match live, " said To Thi Phuong Thao, a District 8 resident.
Vietnam and Afghanistan are currently ranked 96th and 150th in the FIFA latest rankings.