Many Americans living in Vietnam gathered at some spots in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday to watch the 2020 U.S. presidential election coverage and results live.
A group of around 20 Americans showed up at a restaurant in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City at 7:30 am Wednesday to wait for the first voting results.
Most Americans at this restaurant had voted for Joe Biden and were expecting a victory for the Democratic Party.
Joining a watch party with her family, Heather McLellan said all her family members were supporting Biden.
“This is my first live watch party, especially since I am in Vietnam,” McLellan said.
“My family and I voted for Joe Biden via email.
“We’re very anxious.
“My family is for Joe Biden as President Trump is a shame.”
At 9:00 am, Samantha and her friends arrived at a restaurant in Thao Dien in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City.
She sent her vote at the end of September, her first vote from abroad.
As a travel blogger, Samantha arrived in Vietnam in March for a one-month vacation but she has been stranded here due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 28-year-old voter met some difficulties voting at first due to some regulations in her home state of Pennsylvania.
However, she managed to send her vote thanks to the support of the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.
Samantha also shared her mail-in voting experience on her Instagram with over 40,000 followers.
Ed Wade, a lecturer at RMIT University, came to Song Hong club in Tay Ho District, Hanoi in the early morning to watch the election results.
Along with some other guests, he followed CNN reports on a small TV set hung on the wall.
“I hope the new administration will launch practical measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Wade, who sent his vote early October.
At a live watch party in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Timothy Ericsson, who has been living in Vietnam for a year, showed his support for President Donald Trump.
“If Trump wins, I hope he will continue what he is doing and keeping tariffs low. The economy had been developing strongly before the COVID-19 outbreak,” Ericsson said, expressing his joy for joining a watch party with friends in Vietnam while many countries are undergoing social distancing.
This article was originally published in Tuoitrenews