That’s the result of a survey conducted by Cimigo, a famous market research firm, in Vietnam during the FIFA World Cup 2010.

Cimigo executive manager Joe Wheller said this is the first time his firm has conducted a survey related to the World Cup in Vietnam. Accordingly, up to 55 percent of Vietnamese like watching the tournament. Of them, 98 percent like watching football at home.

VietNamNet provides an interview with Wheller from Tuoi Tre newspaper:

Q: What do you think about the above figures?

Wheller: We were quite surprised to see such a huge number of people like football in Vietnam. One should note that Vietnam doesn’t attend the World Cup. It is amazing to reach that rate of viewers. The survey shows that 55 percent of interviewees said they like World Cup, 20 percent dislike and 25 percent being neutral.

Q: What is the goal of this survey?

Wheller: We want to know which teams and which players Vietnamese people like and whether sponsoring football events can help business activities in Vietnam. The survey can help our business clients make the best choices and implement their marketing campaigns related to football in the most effective way.

Q: How was the survey performed?

Wheller: Our survey focused in HCM City and Hanoi through phone interviews. The survey was conducted within three consecutive weeks. The first interviews were made when the World Cup opened. After three weeks, we compared the results of each week to examine any changes.

Q: Which teams do Vietnamese people like the most, according to the survey?

Wheller: The top teams in Vietnam are Brazil, Argentina, Britain and Germany. In Hanoi, 50 percent of interviewees liked Brazil, while the number is 43 percent in HCM City.

Though Britain was rejected early, 19 percent of people in Hanoi favored this team compared to 14 percent in HCM City.

Argentina and Germany are at the same level, with 19 percent in Hanoi and 14 percent in HCM City.

Q: How about the top players?

Wheller: The top is Lionel Messi (Argentina,) followed by Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Kaka (Brazil), Rooney (UK), Tevez (Argentina), Lampard (UK) and Torres (Spain).

Q: Do they like practical or beautiful football?

Wheller: We didn’t ask them this question, but it may be the question for next week.

Q: Which team will be the champion of World Cup 2010 according to Vietnamese fans?

Wheller: Vietnamese had the wrong answer just like most people in the world (smile). Brazil ranked first on the list, followed by Argentina, Germany, Spain, Britain, Portugal, Uruguay and the Netherlands. However, two of the eight top candidates for the championships in the eyes of Vietnamese people have entered the finale.

Q: What are the TV channels and newspapers chosen by Vietnamese people to follow news about the World Cup?

Wheller: VTV2, HTV2, VTV3, VTV6, HTV4, HTV9, VTV1, Bóng Đá (Football), Thể Thao Ngày Nay (Sports Today), Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) and Thanh Niên (Young People) newspaper.

Source: Tuoi Tre