Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training has requested an investigation into a fake dispatch asking schools to close this Saturday afternoon so students can cheer for Vietnam against Uzbekistan in the final game of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China.

The bogus document, which went viral on social media on Wednesday, cited permission from the Vietnamese prime minister in requesting that education departments across the country allow students of all levels to skip school on Saturday afternoon for the game.

“Students are to have the afternoon of January 27, 2018 off school to cheer for our national team. Make-up classes are to be arranged for a later date,” the fake dispatch wrote, according to a photo of the document uploaded to Facebook.

The counterfeit dispatch bore the signature of deputy education minister Bui Van Ga, accompanied by the ministry’s official stamp, which allegedly was added to the photo using editing software.

Nguyen Viet Loc, chief of office and spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and Training, confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) on Thursday that the viral document is fake.

The ministry has requested police investigation into the incident as well as issued an urgent dispatch to warn education departments in Vietnam about the fake document, Loc said.

The fake dispatch allowing students in Vietnam to enjoy an afternoon off to watch the final game of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The final game of the 2018 AFC U23 championship will take place in Changzhou, China at 3:00 pm on Saturday between Vietnam and Uzbekistan.

Fans in Vietnam have been on cloud nine this week after their team defied all expectations to march into the final game, having eliminated Iraq and Qatar in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

The team made history as the first-ever in Southeast Asia to make it to the event’s quarterfinals, after a surprising second place finish in the group stage behind South Korea, sending home Australia and Syria.

The final game will be aired live on VTV6 and Fox Sports.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!