NHA TRANG , Vietnam -- Editor 's note : Football fans Daniel and Clinton Rowling were in Vietnam late December when the country won a major tournament for the first time . The event sparked wild celebrations in the South East Asian nation but joy soon turned to carnage as five people died and dozens were injured in the celebrations . They share their story . Celebration time : Five people were killed on Vietnamese roads as football joy got out of control . After spending a month in Vietnam we can safely say that the Vietnamese are passionate about three things : Ho Chi Minh , or Uncle Ho as the locals call him ; football ; and the tourist dollar . Everywhere you look you see football . The locals proudly sport imitation merchandise of their favorite European team anywhere and everywhere they can . Other than on your person , the next best place to show your allegiance is on your motorbike through stickers . Some local football teams even play in the strips of their favorite club . While we were in Vietnam the ASEAN cup was contested . It is the premier football contest in South East Asia . Every second year the countries of the region do battle for the crown . Up until 2008 , the only winners of the cup had been Singapore and Thailand with three titles each ( Indonesia has been the bridesmaid three times ) . After pool play , the best of two finals series was played out between Thailand and Vietnam . Thanks to the close proximity , and some historical conflict , there is a strong rivalry between these two countries . The Thais played host to the Vietnamese in the first leg , where the visiting underdogs were winners , stunning the home crowd by winning the match 2-1 . The reverse leg was played in Hanoi , the capital city of Vietnam . After unexpectedly winning the first final , local interest was even higher than normal . We watched the game in the coastal city of Nha Trang . The locals flocked to their TV sets and the beer flowed freely . Each TV was like a magnet for thirsty football fans . Do you have a great football tale to tell ? Send us your story and you could be featured on Football Fanzone ! We quickly realized there was a pecking order and that the most hardcore fans had the best seats , whilst the `` fair weather supporters '' were relegated to the back benches . As foreigners we were at the very bottom of the pecking order . We were resigned to watching the match from the street kerb on small plastic seats half in the rain which refused to dampen the crowds ' spirits . Predictably Thailand took the lead and were up 1-0 ( making it 2-2 on aggregate ) and time was ticking away . Vietnam 's tactic of playing breakaway `` Kung fu '' style football was looking largely ineffective against the more structured , controlled and dominant Thai approach . Still , the Vietnamese were doing enough to create the odd opportunity to gives the locals hope . Still tied up on aggregate , and with the end of regular time looming , the Vietnamese were awarded a free kick . The unexpected happened . The kick came in and a Vietnamese player managed to find it with the crown of his head sending the ball to the back of the net and the locals through the roof . Everyone jumped to their feet , there were hugs , high fives and toasts . As outsiders we sat stunned and could only watch the spectacle unfolding . With the game effectively over , the victors were overcome with emotion whilst the fans were overcome with energy . The locals were eager to include us in celebrations , with the nominated English speaker communicating with us in his limited vocabulary . We replied with our full Vietnamese vocabulary of smiles , nods and numerous thumbs up . The older men who had been doing the majority of the drinking were content sitting and enjoying each other 's company , while the younger and more boisterous sections of the crowd had their own form of celebration and they swiftly brought the streets alive with a massive motorcycle posse . Led by the rider with the biggest Vietnamese flag , they proceeded to lap the town honking their horns and generally getting excited . With the roads slick from a weeks worth of rain and the drivers impaired from a cocktail of excitement and alcohol , we wisely watched from the sidelines . After finding out that dozens of people were injured and there were even a few deaths -- it seems we made a good choice to keep out of it . But while we did watch on , we were left wondering : How do the passengers stay on the bikes when they jump up and down ? How can anyone see where they are going with all the flags ? And , where were the traffic police ? We 're offering a reward to anyone that can tell us what the Vietnamese supported before cable television brought top flight football to the masses . Whatever it was , we suspect it died a very quick death .
Daniel and Clinton Rowling in Vietnam when the country wins ASEAN Cup . Recommend0 Syed Ahmed Jun 09, 2014 03:43pm In the post-match celebrations five people were killed and dozens injured .