Football fans show the national flag of Vietnam in China (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Consular Desk at the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam announced on January 24 that the embassy will open a booth dedicated exclusively to processing visa applications from Vietnamese football fans who want to travel to China for the final match of the AFC U23 Championship.
Besides the regular working hours from 8:30am to 11am, the booth is also open from 3pm to 4:30pm on January 24-26.
On January 23, the U23 Vietnam team beat Qatar 4-3 in the penalty shootout to win a place in the final of the AFC U23 Championship, which is being held in Changzhou, China.
Vietnam will play against Uzbekistan in the final match on January 27.
Also on January 24, Director of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department Nguyen Minh Vu handed over a dispatch to representatives from the Chinese Embassy, requesting China to allow the flights of Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air carrying Vietnamese football fans to Changzhou city for the match between Vietnam’s U23 team and Uzbekistan on January 27.
The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry also asked the Vietnamese Embassy in China and the Consulate General in Shanghai to work with China’s offices to accelerate the process of granting flight permission and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese football fans to travel to China to cheer on the home team.
After the victory of Vietnam against Qatar in the semi-finals on January 23, travel agencies are quick to catch up with local fans’ wish to watch the home team play in the final match. Many companies immediately offered attractive tours to Changzhou departing on January 25-26. Prestigious agencies such as Vietrantour, Hanoi Redtours and Vietravel reported that tours to Changzhou are selling like hot cake.
[Photos: Fans go wild as Vietnam advances to AFC U23 championship final]
Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air are working with Chinese partners to open charter flights to the Chinese city.
Vietnam Airlines plans to add two return flights between Hanoi and HCM City and Changzhou city, Jiangsu province, China, on January 27.
The airline said it will offer free buses to take Vietnamese fans from the Changzhou Benniu airport to the Changzhou Olympic Stadium where the match will take place.
Earlier, the national carrier announced that it will cover all travelling and accommodation expenses for two relatives of each player of the U23 Vietnam team to go to Changzhou from January 26 – 28.-VNA
VNA
