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SEA Games 31 increases international reporters’ love for Vietnam
Valuable experiences
Evan Andrawns Latief is perhaps the most special reporter at the SEA Games 31 as he was born with a congenital defect in his right arm. Despite the disability, he has developed a great passion for photography and he is currently working as a freelancer for KamiBijak the first media production of Disability in Indonesia.
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SEA Games 31 increases international reporters’ love for Vietnam. |
At SEA Games 31, he worked at six venues and covered six sports: pencak silat, wushu, taekwondo, basketball, weightlifting, and esports.
While applauding Vietnam’s organisation of the SEA Games 31, he stressed that attending the region’s biggest sporting event is a valuable experience for him.
“I will definitely visit to your beautiful country again,” emphasised the 24-year-old reporter.
As a cameraman for the Singapore’s sports delegation, Justin Garnell, 42, affirmed that working at SEA Games 31 was “a very fresh experience" for himself as well as his colleagues.
He said he was excited to watch the competition between such talented athletes. He was also impressed with the Vietnamese volunteers, who were always ready to support the press as well as the fans to the best of their ability.
Meanwhile, Dolly Rosana of Indonesia’s Antara news agency hailed that host country Vietnam has displayed their enthusiasm in organising the SEA Games 31.
“Our team includes eight reporters, and all of us were “wowed” by Vietnam’s organisation of the Games. Both the opening and closing ceremony were very impressive,” emphasised a 40-year-old female reporter.
Reporter Pongpisit Intaranan from Thailand has worked at seven editions of SEA Games. Even so, he was still very surprised by the enthusiasm and hospitality of Vietnam as the host country.
“Vietnamese people are very passionate about sports. Stadiums are always crowded, even at the events when no Vietnamese athletes competing. Vietnamese fans always try to convey energy to the athletes through songs and chants. This is wonderful,” said the Thai editor.
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International reporters were extremely impressed by the way Vietnamese football fans flooded the streets to celebrate the Vietnam U23’s victory on the night of May 22. |
For his part, Songkane Phanphengdeee, a reporter for the Lao sports delegation, shared that the two weeks of working in Vietnam were a very memorable experience for him, during which he had the opportunity to work with many international journalists and learn many things from them.
“The stands were always full of spectators. The endless cheers made me feel extremely excited,” he said.
A friendly and wonderful Vietnam
In addition to giving big praise for Vietnam’s organisation of SEA Games 31, the international journalists were also extremely impressed with the country and people of Vietnam.
“We saw thousands of Vietnamese people flooding the streets, carrying the Vietnamese national flag to celebrate the victory of the men’s U23 football team. Everyone is so excited that I felt like I were experiencing the celebratory atmosphere in my home country,” said Dolly Rasana.
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Foreign reporters cover badminton event at Bac Giang provincial Gymnasium in Bac Giang province. |
Journalist Justin Garnell was also surprised at the cheerful atmosphere on the night of May 22 in Hanoi, describing the celebration as a scene that he had never seen.
“I think Vietnam is a very wonderful country, especially on the night of May 22 when we witnessed the frenzy in the streets of Hanoi. I can feel the pride and patriotism of Vietnamese people. I love the sporting spirit of Vietnam,” he hailed.
“Spectacular scene” is the way Pongpisit Intaranan recalled the celebration on the night of May 22 in Hanoi. He said that he had only seen such scene on TV. “It is the first time I saw the streets filled with red flags with yellow stars, which made me very excited,” he shared.
During their time in Vietnam, reporters also spent time exploring Hanoi., Justin Granell revealed that he went to Hanoi's Old Quarter to try some delicious dishes such as ‘pho’.
Lao reporter Songkane said that he already missed Vietnam when he was back to Laos, especially Vietnamese dishes such as fried rice, ‘pho’, and seafood.
Pongpisit Intaranan, an editor from Thailand, stated that over the past few days, he took the time to visit Hanoi’s Old Quarter and President Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, and enjoy signature dishes of Hanoi including ‘pho’, coffee and beer.
He bought a Vietnamese national flag T-shirt and a stuffed Sao La, the official mascot of SEA Games 31, for his son. “The biggest gift for me during the past two weeks is the beautiful memories of working at SEA Games 31,” emphasised the reporter from Thailand.
Source: NDO
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