Tickets for an under-23 friendly between Vietnam and Myanmar, held in the northern Vietnamese province of Phu Tho today, June 7, are being scalped at prices nearly ten times the original.

While tickets were released at price tiers of VND100,000, VND150,000, and VND200,000, scalpers are now pushing resale values up to VND1 million a ticket. (US$1 = 23,256)

Ahead of the match, scalpers patrolled the area in front of the 17,000-seat Viet Tri Stadium, where the game will take place at 8:00 pm, searching for fans in need of a ticket. This is the first time an international match is being held in Phu Tho.

While the VND1 million price sounds unreasonably high for an U-23 friendly against a regional team, resellers say they are confident Vietnam’s football-hungry fans will gladly hand over their hard-earned dong to watch the match live.

Ticket sales officially began on June 3 and all 8,000 tickets were sold that day.

The going rate for a VIP ticket is now at VND1.1 million while tickets originally priced at VND100,000 and VND150,000 are selling for VND500,000 and 750,000, respectively, a ticket broker told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Thursday.

Resellers are so confident they will easily sell out of their stash that they are also hoping to scoop up more tickets from fans who have second thoughts or are unable to attend the match.

The game itself is not expected to be particularly exciting, as Vietnam fan favorites Duc Chinh, Quang Hai, and Van Hau will not be playing tonight. 

Additionally, the U23 team will not be led by South Korean coach Park Hang Seo, who is currently in Thailand managing the national team at the 2019 King’s Cup.

The friendly with Myanmar was arranged by the Vietnam Football Federation as preparations for the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines set for November.

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