Expats staying up all night for Vietnam’s World Cup craze

The 33-year-old Frenchman came there to watch his national team play against Iraq in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup on June 23. Many foreigners at the cafe weren’t even French. They had gathered simply out of a shared passion for football.

Since the 2026 tournament kicked off, expat community forums across Vietnam have been flooded with posts seeking the best spots to catch the games. Inquiries like “Which cafes open at 5 a.m.?” or “Finding fellow countrymen to watch the national team’s matches” regularly attract hundreds of comments.

Courageux noted that in France, fans typically take to the streets to celebrate only if their national team win crucial knockout matches from the semi-finals onward. However, since moving to Vietnam, his football habits have changed.

“Whether it’s the group stage or the final, football is always an excuse to get together, and I’ve picked up this culture from the Vietnamese.”

He even finds himself staying up for matches that don’t involve the France national team.

“For the first few days, my body felt quite sluggish due to lack of sleep, so I had to switch to working mainly in the afternoon. But the feeling of cheering with the crowd excited me,” added Courageux who works as an education specialist at an international high school in Hanoi.

At 2 a.m. on June 20, Marquez Ryan, a 36-year-old American, and his friends opted for a sports bar in Ho Chi Minh City’s An Khanh Ward to watch the U.S. national team. Ryan admitted that back in the U.S., football isn’t as universally followed as basketball or American football, and he would usually just catch the goal highlights the next morning.

“Living here, I was surprised to see that everyone from the taxi driver to the security guard at my apartment building knew the names of the U.S. national team players,” Ryan said. “The enthusiastic interest of the locals gave me the energy to stay up all night to cheer with them.”

Marquez Ryan (L) cheers on the U.S. national team during the World Cup match on June 20, 2026. Photo courtesy of Marquez Ryan

Businesses adapt to time difference

To meet the demands of World Cup fans, many food and beverage establishments in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have changed their operation.

Dao Xuan Truong, manager of Puku Cafe & Sports Bar in Hanoi, explained that this year’s customer traffic is split into two distinct time slots due to the time zones. Foreign customers, including tourists and expat families, primarily gather for the morning matches taking place between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. Depending on the matchup and the popularity of the teams, crowds can range from 50 to 250 people.

“Due to the significant time difference, we have had to increase our staff for night and early morning shifts,” Truong said. “All staff use English to assist international customers with menu and technical screen requests.”

The bar also upgraded its projector systems and cable TV connections to guarantee high quality and prevent lag during the screening.

In HCMC, Jaime Tuckwell, a 47-year-old Australian bar owner, also had to arrange double shifts for his staff and extend opening hours into the early morning. His customers consist mainly of British, Australian and Dutch expats.

Having lived in Vietnam for 11 years, Tuckwell has observed a stark contrast in football cultures of the two countries. In Australia, fans generally flock to established pubs regardless of the kickoff time. In Vietnam, the viewing environment is more flexible, from big bars to tiny sidewalk cafes.

“Vietnamese fans tend to favor individual stars like Ronaldo or Messi and cheer for the team that has that star,” Tuckwell added. “In my country, people are loyal to the colors of their nation or region, regardless of whether the team has a star player or not.”

Fans gather to watch a World Cup match at a cafe in Hanoi on June 22, 2026. Photo by Puku Cafe & Sports Bar

Blending into the culture

Besides the traditional sports bars, many foreigners are choosing to embrace the casual, community-driven lifestyle of the locals. Jack Wilson, a 33-year-old British national living in Da Nang, frequently visits a tiny coffee shop at the end of his alleyway early in the morning, when neighborhood residents bring their personal TVs out into a shared courtyard to watch the games together.

Wilson pulls up a plastic chair, sips a morning latte, and occasionally drops a few Vietnamese words to comment on a play with his neighbors.

“In England, to get a seat to watch a World Cup match, especially one involving your national team, you usually have to book a table weeks in advance because it’s always full,” Wilson said. “But in Vietnam, I can easily watch football anywhere. The hospitality of the people makes foreigners like me not feel out of place.”

Sophie Bernard, a 29-year-old French expat in Hanoi, opted for a late-night street food stall to catch the action.

“The feeling of eating a hot bowl of pho at 2 a.m., chatting with the owner and other customers at the stall, and shouting whenever my home team score is something I’ve never experienced in my homeland,” she said.

From an academic perspective, Associate Professor Pham Ngoc Trung, former head of the department of cultural development at the Academy of Journalism and Communication, observed that the locals’ enthusiasm when cheering for another international team creates a sense of welcome and belonging for the expat community here.

He noted that the sight of a British citizen sitting on a plastic stool watching football on the sidewalk, or a French citizen enjoying early morning coffee while cheering on a match, perfectly illustrates the strong appeal and inclusive nature of Vietnamese street culture.

“They’re not just watching a game,” Trung said. “They’re actively adapting and blending into the lifestyle of the land they’ve chosen to settle in.”