Action, energy, excitement, glamour… just some of the adjectives we can use to describe the Vietnam Swans Grand Final Parties. And so too for our latest sponsor  - the Clipsal 500 Adelaide.

The Clipsal 500 Adelaide, Australia’s largest and most successful domestic motor race event, has very generously sponsored two 4-day passes for the Monster Raffle at the Vietnam Swans 2009 AFL Grand Final Party, Saigon. Bring that right on!

The Clipsal 500 Adelaide is one round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series and, on four occasions, has been selected as the nation’s best major festival or event at the National Tourism Awards. The event has also been titled as ‘the world’s best touring car event’ by none other than international motor racing icon, Murray Walker.

More than a motor race, the Clipsal 500 Adelaide is a four day carnival featuring the best in V8 Supercar racing, the nation’s best feature races, four on circuit concerts free to all ticketed patrons, fashion parades, beachwear parades, an air show, stunt demonstrations, family areas, and the Murray Walker Extreme Machines car display featuring the finest and most expensive automobile exotica from around the world.

The Clipsal 500 Adelaide; 11 - 14 March 2010

The event is conducted on the world’s finest city street circuit (formerly used for the Formula 1 Grand Prix) that now includes a three level temporary pit building for V8 Supercar teams, media, race officials, and corporate guests. In addition, all grandstands are now under shade.

2010 CLIPSAL 500 ADELAIDE EVENT DATE

The 2010 event is scheduled for 11-14 March. This date is subject to ratification by the world motorsport authority, the Federation Nationale d’Automobile (FIA).

As it happens, Jason Allen, the CEO of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide (and a mate of Swannie, Nick Shiells) visited Saigon in June of this year. Jason was so impressed with the Swannies that he has since written to one of his friends in the media saying (see link on this website for full story):

I met a terrific group of expat Australians in Saigon.

The bond to all of these guys was AFL, a Club, having a kick, mateship and above all their love for Australia. I am an avid AFL supporter, however these guys take it to another level. Playing footy in the conditions they do, travelling in between countries for the Asian Cup at their own expense, representing our magnificent game and country and promoting a game that is obviously unfamiliar in this region inspired me.

The Vietnam Swans thank the Clipsal 500 Adelaide very much for their generous support. We also thank them, most sincerely, for reminding all of us non-Crows supporters that good things can come out of Adelaide!

The Vietnam Swans 2009 AFL Grand Final Party and the Clipsal 500 Adelaide – Bring them on!

The Vietnam Swans 2009 AFL Grand Final Party in Saigon is really hotting up!

Today, the New World Hotel in Saigon confirmed that, for our Grand Final Monster Raffle, it would provide:

• 2 vouchers for accommodation for 2 nights, with one breakfast each, at weekends; and
• 2 dinning vouchers for 2, each for dinner, at its Parkview Restaurant.

The Vietnam Swans have exceptionally fond memories of the New World Hotel as that is where we had our photo shoot with Miss Australia herself, Laura Dundovic, last year.

The New World Hotel, Saigon, is located only 20 minutes from the airport, and within walking distance to the main business and commercial district. It has been voted Best Business Hotel for 5 consecutive years. The Hotel is only steps away from the famous Ben Thanh Market and many other cultural attractions, making its location the best in the city.

With 538 guest rooms and suites, the New World Hotel Saigon is the largest International 5 Star Hotel in Vietnam and brings together luxurious accommodations and facilities, with the personalized service of Vietnamese hospitality.

At the New World Hotel Saigon, enter a new world of hospitality where smiles abound, where the service is gracious and your every need is anticipated.

The Vietnam Swans are very grateful for the New World Hotel’s generous support of our 2009 AFL Grand Final Party in Saigon.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd with Kinglake player, Jake

I just wanted to say thanks for your efforts and support post the fires. It means a lot. I wish the Swans a great year and will now visit this website more often in the future to follow the fortunes of your club.

The Lakers have had a great year despite the devastation we suffered in February and are a good chance to take the flag. What a story that would be, eh?

Will let you know how we go.

Take care, Kathy

Last Saturday, the Lakers played their Grand Final in front of Prime Minister Rudd and Melbourne President, Jimmy Stynes. Apparently, the Lakers put in a stoic effort but went down in the last quarter by a solitary goal.

It was an amazing performance by Kinglake given what they had been through earlier in the year. Congratulations to Kinglake – and to Olinda who are the 2009 Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League’s Premiers.

See The Age’s Tears in defeat flow with joys of life for the full story.

The following Asian Champs results are provided courtesy of Graeme Carey on World Footy News:

The Asian Championships played in Kuala Lumpur on 5th September, 2009 were immensely successful in terms of participation with 10 Senior teams, 3 Under 18 Teams, Auskick and over 400 players, seniors and juniors participating. After a day of intense competition, last year’s winners Dubai (UAE) Heat and Jakarta Bulldogs both managed a repeat triumph in the Senior and Junior competitions.

ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS – FULL RESULTS

Results of all matches played are shown below

POOL MATCHES

POOL A MATCHES

Dubai Heat 6.1 (37) d Jakarta Bintangs 2.0 (12)
Hong Kong Dragons 5.2 (32) d Thailand Tigers 1.2 (8)
Malaysian Warriors 3.3 (21) lost to Dubai Heat 5.4 (34)
Jakarta Bintangs 1.1 (7) lost to Hong Kong Dragons 4.5 (29)
Thailand Tigers 6.2 (38) d Malaysian Warriors 3.2 (20)
Dubai Heat 4.4 (28) d Hong Kong Dragons 1.0 (6)
Jakarta Bintangs 4.2 (26) lost to Malaysian Warriors 5.1 (31)
Thailand Tigers 1.1 (7) lost to Dubai Heat 6.4 (40)
Hong Kong Dragons 5.5 (33) d Malaysian Warriors 3.1 (19)
Jakarta Bintangs 6.1(37) d Thailand Tigers 4.3 (27)

POOL B MATCHES

Singapore Wombats 5.4 (34) d Laos Elephants 0.0 (0)
Bali Geckos 3.5 (23) d China Reds 3.3 (21)
Vietnam Swans 4.4 (28) lost to Singapore Wombats 6.5 (41)
Laos Elephants 1.3 (9) lost to Bali Geckos 6.3 (39)
China Reds 6.7 (43) d Vietnam Swans 0.2 (2)
Singapore Wombats 4.5 (29) d Bali Geckos 2.2 (14)
Laos Elephants 3.4 (22) d Vietnam Swans 0.2 (2)
China Reds 2.2 (14) lost to Singapore Wombats 3.5 (23)
Laos Elephants 2.5 (17) lost to China Reds 4.3 (27)
Bali Geckos 10.2 (62) d Vietnam Swans 1.1 (7)

FINALS

Semi Finals

Dubai Heat 9.5 (59) d Bali Geckos 2.1 (13)
Singapore Wombats 7.1 (43) d Hong Kong 0.8 (8)

Grand Final

Dubai Heat 6.7 (43) d Singapore 3.3 (21)

POOL MATCHES – JUNIOR (U/18)

Malaysian Warriors 1 6.5 (41) d Malaysian Warriors 2 0.1 (1)
Jakarta 8.6 (54) d Malaysian Warriors 1 1.1 (7)
Malaysian Warriors 2 0.0 (0) lost to Jakarta 6.5 (41)

U/18 Final

Jakarta Bulldogs 9.5 (59) d Malaysian Warriors 1 0.1 (1)

In addition to the football, an innovation this year was the introduction of a 100m Sprint, the event being held during the lunch break. In the great tradition of the AFL Grand Final Sprint, each team provided one player, and the Senior Sprint was won by Nathan Flax of Bali Geckos, with the Junior Sprint won by Ashraf of Malaysian Warriors.

At the conclusion of the Championships the best 20 players were named as the Asian Lions, the Asian all-star team. The players named were:-

Player of the Tournament – Damien Hoo (Thailand Tigers)

Seniors Player of the Final – Andrew Bereza (Dubai Heat)

U18′s Player of the Final – Lewis White (Jakarta Bulldogs)

ASIAN ALL-STARS SQUAD

The Vietnam Swans kick a goal at Kuala Lumpur's Asian Champs

Thanks to Bill Crang, we have some photos of the 2009 Asian Champs in Kuala Lumpur last weekend.

To view a selection of them, please click onto the Vietnam Swans Web Album.

The netballing Hanoi Oi's

The netballers of Hanoi, the Hanoi  Oi’s, welcome back everyone to another season of netball!! Special welcome to those who have registered interest and are coming out to give the Oi’s a go!

Trainings start this Wednesday evening (9^th September) at the Australian Embassy at 6:30pm sharp!!

Not only do we have a fun training in store for you, but the Club is putting on beer and pizza for everyone afterwards! We’d love to catch up with you and if you’re new, it will be a great chance to meet you!

Please take note of the following:

The Hanoi Oi’s Netball Club is run by 3 Australians: Helen, Kylie and Katherine

Helen (AKA: The Terminator) is our extraordinary Fitness GURU! Helen starts our sessions with warm ups, cardio, fun (and not so fun) fitness drills and some pretty awesome ball activities! Rest assured knowing that Helen is a qualified Personal Fitness Trainer and will always love to help you out by answering any questions you have about getting the most out of our sessions or if you have any injuries. Helen has an amazing way of encouraging each person to absolutely push themselves to their individual level in a team environment, so please feel great about coming out at whatever fitness level you’re at!

Kylie and Katherine (K1 and K2) organize the netball side of things – from ball skills, to drills, to uniforms, to games, to tours and the admin side of things – and most importantly, the beer and pizza!

The September – December Season

This season we will continue shaking up trainings by having X-Training (in place of netball training) on the first Wednesday of each month at the Embassy. During these sessions, Helen runs a fabulous session which works the entire body! Sometimes it’s Boxercise, sometimes it’s circuit training, water aerobics, sandbags, tyres, logs…. You name it, we’re doing it! LOADS of fun and you can always bring out your non-netballer friends!

In November we are planning on hosting an international tournament with teams from the SE Asian region!! People who wish to be part of the touring team(s) should be aiming to come to trainings each week to form a real friendship and playing bond with others.

Now for the most exciting news for all our single ladies out there… the Vietnam Swans (AFL footballers – well, so they say) would like to have the occasional fitness session with us (I mean, who wouldn’t!!) Perhaps we can even train them in a few netball skills and have some mixed games too! Basically, they want to show us how macho they are and how much beer and pizza they can consume… they’ve got nothing girls!

So… we’re in store for a great season – especially considering that the weather can only get cooler as the season goes along!

One final word

The Hanoi Oi’s are all about having fun, learning and improving netball, enjoying taking our fitness to the next level and forming friendships! We don’t care if you haven’t played for 10 years, or at all! We’d love to see you out at trainings so we can enjoy all these things!!

Any questions at all, please just email back to hanoinetball@gmail.com or call Katherine on 0946 884 340.
–
Hanoi Ois Netball Club

(Training Wednesday evenings, 6.30pm to 8.00pm at the Australian Embassy in Hanoi)

Justin Mott's 3 minute video of the recent Tribute Match

As the Swannies lick their wounds after a tough weekend where we were unable to record a victory, a bit of therapy is in order.

Bring on the 3 minute video of the recent Tribute Match against the Lao Elephants. The video, prepared by Justin Mott even includes footage of us singing our Club Song! Nearly unheard of.

Some photos of the Asian Champs are available via the Malaysian Warriors website.

The Dubai Heat, Asian Premiers 2009

Yesterday, at the 10th Asian Championships, we had a repeat of last year’s Grand Final between the Singapore Wombats and the Dubai Heat. Just like last year, Dubai was too strong for Singapore and picked up its second consecutive Asian Champs Premiership.

The Vietnam Swans started well out of the blocks at the beginning of the day going into the main break against Singapore in our first match convincingly in front. Alas, it was not to be our day.

While we were win-less for the day, we had plenty to give us hope in the future. Lucas Skelton, Dukes and Brett all debuted for the Swans and all will figure prominently in future campaigns.

More to follow.

The Hoi An Triathlon last weekend

Last weekend the Hoi An annual triathlon was held.

Hard core Nicko was there wearing his Swannies jumper (he says everyone else there was wearing “aerodynamic crap”), Richie from the Hanoi Backpackers Hostel (who kicked the winning goal against Laos) was also there as was Micky Francis (the Swannies Pied Piper of Hanoi) and Max (devoted Swannies fan). Then, out of the dark blue ocean appeared the irrepressible iron man, Gus. Apparently Chris Robinson was also there but no one was quick enough with the cameras to catch him.

Congratulations to all of the Swannies who participated and finished.

When Nicko was asked, when coming last, why he was running along with his arms in the air acting like he had won the race, he retorted, “I had a bloody rash under my armpits”.

Apparently, seasoned hands apply vaseline before triathlons to avoid chafing.

Nick, loves his "very berry" shake, his footy and his new footy boots

Yesterday, Nicko received a new and special pair of adidas footy boots.

While enjoying a Very Berry Shake at Highlands Coffee, Nicko slipped out his brand spankin’ new boots and slipped into them.

For the next two hours at Highlands, Nicko beamed proudly. “Look at me. Look at my boots”.

Nicko only removed his treasured boots when it was time to leave.

It seems that Nick’s love for footy will now have to be shared with his footy boots.

To next catch Nick in his new boots outside of Highlands Coffee, you will have to come with us to Kuala Lumpur on Saturday for the Asian Championships.

Given the choice, would you prefer to look at a banker holding a Commonwealth Bank bag in front of HCMC's CBA branch? Or would you prefer to look at a couple of Commonwealth Bankettes holding a Vietnam Swans bag, wearing ao doai's - with one blowing in the breeze?

On Monday night, Danny Armstrong, Swans National Treasurer and General Director Vietnam for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, handed out Commonwealth Bank / Vietnam Swans travel bags to each of the Vietnam Swans travelling to this weekend’s Asian Champs in KL.

For added colour and controversy, each bag carries the player’s nickname (and in several instances, nicknames were discovered for the first time during the presentation ceremony!). Interestingly, while “Sleepy” and “Dopey” received guernseys, none of the other Seven Dwarfs were represented. In the fashion stakes, it was all about strides with “Mr Pants” and “Harry High Pants” figuring prominently. Some nicknames, like “Danny” (for Danny Armstrong) became controversial just because they weren’t controversial!

The Commonwealth Bank is Australia’s largest and most reputable financial institution.  We have more than 96 years of experience in financial services and are a strong and trusted foreign bank operating in the Vietnam market, with an international Standard and Poors “AA” credit rating.

We opened our first full branch of the Commonwealth Bank in Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City in August 2008.  The Bank provides a wide range of products and services including multi-currency personal and business transaction and investment accounts; foreign currency exchange; 24 hour x 7 days a week ATMs; remittances; consumer, home and business loans; international trade facilities; and wholesale foreign exchange and money market services.  With our experienced and friendly team, Commonwealth Bank offers the great service you would expect from a leading foreign bank, including multi-lingual customer service specialists.

Leading our team in Vietnam is Danny Armstrong.  He is responsible for banking operations in Ho Chi Minh City, our representative office in Hanoi and banking strategy for the Commonwealth Bank Group in Vietnam.

The Vietnam Swans are proud to be sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank here in Vietnam.