Indonesian football fans shoot fireworks at Vietnam team's hotel

An Indonesian football social media page posted a video of fans launching fireworks with loud sound towards Le Meridien Jakarta Hotel. A member of the Vietnam national team confirmed the incident.

"Fireworks were fired outside the hotel, from around 3 a.m. to 4 a.m.," this member told VnExpress. "However, this didn't affect the team. The players said they were sleeping well at that time and didn't know about this incident."

Besides some comments encouraging the act, the majority of Indonesian fans expressed discontent with the actions of their compatriots. According to them, it's unsportsmanlike to disrupt the sleep of the opponent’s team.

Le Meridien Jakarta Hotel where Vietnam national team stay in Indonesia for the 2026 World Cup qualifying match. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Thoa

Le Meridien Jakarta Hotel is located at the corner of a road junction, convenient for travel but difficult to control the outside area.

In return, security in the hotel is very tight. All vehicles are checked and inspected to prevent explosives, guns and bullets. Before entering, all guests are searched, with bags and personal belongings must go through detectors.

To ensure safety, most Vietnam players stayed on a separate floor. The coaching staff members are on another floor as there were not enough rooms.

Vietnam will play host Indonesia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Central Jakarta at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, in the first leg of the 2026 World Cup second qualifying round. The second leg will take place on March 26 at My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi.

Vietnam are second in group F with three points, while Indonesia are last with one point like the Philippines.

Vietnam won eight, drew 10 and lost nine against Indonesia in previous matches. Vietnam were undefeated against Indonesia for eight years until losing 0-1 in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup last January.