Nguyen Van Nhiem doesn’t watch football, but a few minutes before bed each night, he switches on Euro 2012 for dozens of his neighbors.

Villagers of Ro Men Commune watch the Euro 2012 game at the house of Nguyen Van Nhiem, Photo: Tuoi Tre

Nhiem, a police officer in a remote village 130 km northwest of Da Lat in Lam Dong Province, lives in a small wooden house that carries the only internet connection for kilometers.

So he opened his doors to local football fans after the third night of the European championship, when viewers turned on their TVs only to see the word “encrypted” on the screen.

While millions of football lovers worldwide can enjoy Euro 2012 at home with the click of a button, those in distant locales like Ro Men Commune of Dam Rong District are not so lucky.

A representative for national TV station VTV said it began encrypting the satellite signal for Euro 2012 “to prevent leaking the broadcasts to territories outside Vietnam, which will violate UEFA copyrights,” referring to the Union of European Football Associations.

That means football aficionados could only tune in using a digital receiver, which is a rare commodity in satellite-dependent villages like Ro Men.

“Some can afford to buy a digital receiver, but even so, they do not know where to buy the equipment,” local resident Le Cong Trong said, adding that without access to pay or cable TV, the only option in his area is VTV.

That is, until Nhiem set up the ad hoc fan zone in his living room.

The officer attached a My TV decoder to his computer, allowing him to stream the football matches happening in Poland and Ukraine.

Now he sets out a bucket of iced tea before each game, rolls out a mat, and places small plastic chairs in front of his house for the 20 to 40 fans to enjoy the 21-inch screen.

As for Nhiem, he goes to bed, awakening only to clean up after the guests have left.
“I’m not a football fan,” he said with a smile. “I just help those who love the game, within my ability.”
 

Although Do Thanh Dung lives not far from Nhiem’s fan zone, he prefers to watch Euro 2012 alone, thanks to a 3G connection on his laptop.

Dung said he bought the secondhand computer for his son, but is temporarily “borrowing” it until the tournament concludes.

“I’m usually distracted when watching football with a crowd,” he said, adding, “It’s not smooth to watch Euro via 3G, but half a loaf is better than no bread.”

Source: tuoi tre