Vietnam defeated Malaysia 2-1 in the first leg of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup semi-final on Sunday night in Malaysia, earning the national team a VND3 billion (USD143,000) bonus and jamming traffic in Hanoi and HMC City.
Vietnamese players celebrated their victory in Malaysia.
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) will award the team VND2 billion for its victory, while Do Quang Hien, chairman of Hanoi T&T Club, which has several players in the national team, gave the team a VND1 billion bonus.
Hien said he was pleased with the team's performance, especially that of midfielder Van Quyet, who scored the winning goal.
Vietnam trailed by one goal early in the first half, but Van Quyet and Vo Huy Toan were able to level at 34 minutes. Van Quyet drove home the deciding goal, carrying Vietnam further into the AFF Cup.
Previously, the team was awarded VND1 billion after its win against Philippines. Le Hung Dung, chairman of VFF, said they showed an excellence in performance and determination this year and that the money prize would increase along with their success at AFF Cup.
After the victory, broadcast live from Selangor in Malaysia, thousands of football fans in HCM City flocked to the streets to celebrate. Many people carried national flags through the streets of Tran Hung Dao, Nguyen Van Cu, Le Duan and Pham Ngoc Thach.
By 11pm, a huge traffic jam at the corners of Tran Hung Dao and Nguyen Bieu prompted police to order everyone home in the interests of public safety.
Fans flood the streets in HCM City
Fans in Hanoi celebrated the victory yesterday evening. Photos by Laodong