About Us
Channel 9's Peter Harvey reports on the Vietnam Swans' 2011 ANZAC Friendship Match, Vung Tau.
For contact details of the Vietnam Swans, please see beneath this section, prior to comments.
The Vietnam Swans Story so far…
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UPDATE 5 Sept 2011:
- 2011 to date – Fundraisers for Queensland flood victims ($45,000 and a thank you letter from the Queensland Premier) and Christchurch earthquake victims ($100,000 raised by the Kiwis), an ANZAC Friendship Match, two separate articles in the AFL’s Footy Record, Channel 9 News, linking up with the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia to raise $25,000 at the Inaugural Swing to Swim Charity Golf Day at Montgomerie Links for local swimming initiatives… it’s been busy. For a pictorial review of what the Vietnam Swans have been doing this year, click onto Swannies – First six months 2011.
- In the lead up to August’s Asian Championships in Bangkok – at which the Swannies reached the semi finals – a two minute video was prepared. Watch it on You Tube now!
- To see Peter Harvey’s report on Channel 9 News about this year’s ANZAC Friendship Match, click here.
- To see other media reports about the Vietnam Swans in 2011, click here.
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[February 2011] 2011 began with a co-organised fundraiser for the victims of the devastating funds in Queensland. An amazing AUD36,116.06 was raised (Ed’s note: a separate fundraiser in Hanoi raised an additional $9,000 to take the total to $45,000).
In March, it’s back to basics with a Heritage Round Match between Hanoi and Saigon in the coastal city of Nha Trang.
In April the national Vietnam Swans will host the ANZAC Friendship Weekend playing the Hong Kong Dragons in a tribute match that is about Honouring lost lives and saving young lives.
The following month it’s a Swing to Swim Charity Golf Day at Montgomerie Links in Hoi An… Then there’s the 12th Asian Championships in Bangkok, the 5th Indochina Cup in Lao…
We are primarily a footy club but we also have a very strong community focus. This recognises the fact that we live and work in Vietnam. We believe that the balance we have struck between footy and community creates a set of positive experiences that would be difficult to obtain as an individual – and therefore, helps us attract new members (playing and non playing). For example, on ANZAC Weekend, we play a footy match on the very same oval as the diggers did back in the late 1960s. Who else has had that experience?
As with the other clubs across Asia, the Swannies are always in a state of continual renewal having to replace a never ending stream of people who leave the country. (You can leave the country but you can’t leave the Swannies – so at least our off shore base grows bigger.)
So please, get involved and email vietnamswans@gmail.com now. We need you! Now!
- 7 minute video of the Swannies after winning our first tournament – the 2010 Indochina Cup in Saigon (Nov, 2010). Click here.
- 1 min 48sec promo video of the former Hanoi Swans (now Vietnam Swans). Click here to watch it on You Tube.
Want to play some Aussie Rules?
The good news is that the Swannies are now based in Hanoi, Hoi An, Saigon and Vung Tau. The other good news is that, given we’re trying to play footy in a sea of soccer, we are genuinely welcoming of anyone who wants to have a crack at it. So, whether you’re from Finland, Vietnam, Holland, America or anywhere else, you will be welcomed with the footy.
Training is much more about having good fun, doing some ball work, having a bit of a run around and meeting new people rather than preparing for the Olympics (or an AFL Grand Final).
2011 Training and other events in Hanoi and Saigon
Click here for the latest details re training and a smorgasbord of other events.
GIVE ME SOME MORE BACKGROUND
Hanoi / Vietnam Swans – A Brief History
The (former) Hanoi Swans Football Club were renowned for their passionate supporter base which split into two camps – the Bloody Army and the famous Swanettes.
“The Bloods” were formed in 1998 under the confusing name of the Hanoi Hawks. In their inaugural game they came out swinging against the Hong Kong Dragons to such an extent that old timers were quoted as saying, “I haven’t seen a battle like that since 1973!”
Disaster Strikes
The next game was a trip down south to Saigon where disaster struck. Not only did we lose the game but we lost all the jumpers which virtually wiped the club from the pages of history. With a 0 – 2 record, support waning and a membership of 3, the new club was in trouble – all in its first year!
Mothballs
The Hanoi Hawks were put on ice, to one day be proud again.
2001 – Pepperonis Pizza Parlour / ABC Asia Pacific TV
The year was 2001, the footy was back on the TV, the beer was cold, we had a home on the roof top, the Pepperonis Pizza oven was on the ground floor – and the people came.
The footy panel began, footy tipping comps mushroomed and we wanted to play.
Andy Wall brought in some jumpers, which happened to be those of the Sydney Swans (SFC is still hunting him). Rick Trewavas, a mad Bloods supporter, seized the day and named the clubrooms after his idol, “Bobby Skilton” (Skilts is still hunting him). The panel was rockin’ and the supporter base was growing. We were away.
New name, new team, new desire, and our only goal was to play in the Asian Champs.
For the next 2 years we practised eating pizza, drinking cold beer and watching footy on the tele.
2003 – Big Bucks, Big Difference
In a coup, the Hanoi Swans Board recruited the Bogor “Kainey” Flyer, a Lifetime Member of the Jakarta Bintangs, to share his secrets about loyalty to one’s team and “the cause”. He instilled in us a discipline for regular training before some of our drinking sessions.
In Q4 2003, we threw caution to the wind and jumped in at the deep end. We launched the Hanoi Swans as a going concern with a double-header against the Thailand Tigers and Hong Kong Dragons.
History recorded the Swans debut as a brave but plucked performance.
2003-2006 Hanoi Swans on the rise – and fall?
Between 2003 and 2006, Hanoi was hosting internationals and travelling to neigbouring countries to get our footy fix. We even managed a few victories. It was all good – but there were worrying signs. With our small pool of players, it was becoming increasingly difficult to get the required number of players to travel. And if we wanted to continue hosting a regular stream of home games, we needed to be returning tours.
2007 – The Swans go National and become the Vietnam Swans
In 2007, the switch was on and Hanoi went to the fat side of the country to court Miss Saigon. And soon thereafter, a new National Club, with a National Committee, was formed which provided us with a bigger player pool and bigger possibilities. Bring it on!
And they did.
It was the 2007 Asian Championships which provided the stage for the debut of the new National Club, the Vietnam Swans. It was a major milestone for the Club. Finally, we were at the Asian Championships. All the big pizzas, bold plotting and pleasant beers at Pepperonis hadn’t been in vain. The Pepperonis’ Panel of Pumper, Bubbles and Potsy were proud that they had inspired us to greatness.
2008 – Current
The move to the National structure has been extremely successful. It has greatly increased the size of our player pool which has enabled us to become a genuinely active member of the Asian footy community.
Now, we can book tours with certainty that we will get the numbers to travel. By touring the region, we also get the teams returning to Vietnam which makes footy a regular feature rather than a rare occurrence.
As the Club has grown, so too has our confidence. Together with the Bali Geckos, for example, in 2009 we played a Black Saturday Bushfire Match and Fundraiser in Saigon. All proceeds were donated to the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League which is where most of the devastation happened. In 2010, we launched the Inaugural ANZAC Friendship Match in Vung Tau (near Saigon) under the banner of “Two black armbands; one bright future”. Vung Tau is where the Australian Logistics Base was located during the Vietnam/American War.
At the ANZAC Friendship Match, the Vietnam Swans played a Heritage Round match between Hanoi and Saigon at the Dog Racing Track. The Dog Racing track was formerly known as the Lord Mayor’s Oval – and that’s where the Australians played during the War back in 1967-68. We are actively developing our relationship with the Vietnam Veterans and in July 2010, the Sydney Swans invited a number of Vietnam Swans and Vietnam Veterans to a pre match function at the MCG. On 23 April, 2011, the Vietnam Swans will play the Hong Kong Dragons in Vung Tau for the Inaugural ANZAC International Friendship Match. A big crowd is expected including many Vietnam Veterans some of whom will have played there during the War.
In Hanoi, the Swannies have run Auskick for three years. In Saigon, we now have players who have children at the age where they are keen to do Auskick, so, at the beginning of 2010, Auskick started in Saigon. It’s also spread to teh KOTO Kids.
In Vietnam, more children die from drowning than road accidents so, the Vietnam Swans are actively supporting local swimming programs. We believe it’s a good fit with our Club. In Australia, swimming is a sport, a recreational/leisure activity and a fitness activity. Just like Aussie Rules in Vietnam.
The Vietnam Swans and Aussie Rules are well and truly taking root in Vietnam. After all, if Vietnamese road users didn’t love the footy, why else would they honk their horns?
For more information on the Vietnam Swans, try www.vietnamswans.com or email vietnamswans@gmail.com
See the attached Swans and Player Profiles for more detail. It was prepared for the Asian Champs.
Contact details of the Vietnam Swans in 2012:
- National President, Phil Johns – click here.
- Saigon President, Sam Conroy – click here.
- Hanoi President, Dan Hopkins, click here.
Sponsors of the Vietnam Swans
Ray Windlow said
Hi Guys
Congratulations on flying the “footy flag” overseas.
Last year I spent 2 weeks in Hanoi attending Nobai Airport each day for work and returning to the hotel each evening with not much to do except fall in love with the local “PHO” served with crusty bread rolls. I managed a side trip out to Chi Linh Star Golf for a quick round where to my amazement, the local pro introduced himself afterwards and had served his apprenticeship not 3 kms from my front door (at that time) in Melbourne.
Had I know you guys were even there I would have endeavoured to come down and watch a game and even offered my services on the weekend as a visiting “ex-VAFA Club 18 Umpire”. YES – A travelling white maggot” who if not for shonky knees would still be blowing his whistle on Saturday afternoons around the grounds of Melbourne.
The AFL should wake up and smell the roses, no-one person, team or body is bigger than this greatest of games which saw it’s beginnings in the paddocks around Melbourne and despite the influx of soccer post world cup successes, is still first and foremost the best game in town.
If I ever make the trip back again I will be certain to get in touch with you guys and catch up with your training, matches or post game celebrations
Best Regards
Ray Windlow
Greenvale Vic 3059
hanoiswans said
Ray, we need your white maggot credentials and a good set of knees to help us out at the Asian Championships next month in Bangkok!
Glad you liked the Pho in Hanoi. It can be pretty good.
I guess the pro you met out at Chi Linh was Lars Holden. He’s a top bloke and he’s been a very generous supporter of the Swans at our Grand Final functions.
Thanks for your best wishes and next time you come back – whether that’s in Hanoi or Saigon, do look us up. Come out for a training session and have a beer afterwards. Or, if you go to another country, look up their local footy team because, despite what “everyone” seems to think back in Australia, footy is very much alive overseas (see http://www.worldfootynews.com).
Spread the word and keep an eye out for the AFL’s Footy Record in the lead up to the Asian Champs on 14 July. After initially claiming that the Champs were outside the “scope” of the Footy Record, they actually reconsidered. So we are getting some publicity (and the Geelong Advertiser wanted to write a story).
Thanks again for your support and the Vietnam Swans hope to see you over here again some day.
Regards
Phil Johns
President
Vietnam Swans
Daniel Tran said
i would be interested to play football over in Vietnam, im a west coast eagles supporter, im vietnamese and i love footy
Vietnam Swans said
Even though you’re a West Coast supporter, you are Vietnamese and you love footy. Therefore, there’s a good chance you may become a superstar of the Swans marketing department!
Tell us when you get here and we’ll even pick you up for your first training session.
The Swannies
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Andrew Nielsen said
Swannies
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Andrew
Hien Dao said
Hi Phil,
Great to hear something about footy again as I miss it so much since I left Melbourne for Hanoi a couple of months ago, after spending 5 years studying and working in Oz. Although here in Hanoi I can watch footy on the Australian channel quite often, I just can’t have the atmostphere of having some 70,000 fans screaming at the MCG. Here in VN, people are crazy about soccer (they call it football though), but know nothing about footy. I was a Western Bulldog fan, anyway. I may come to the training stadium in Hanoi one day.
Cheers,
Hien.
Jo said
Great weekend of footy in Hanoi over the weekend. Good to meet the players from the south and their partners over the two days. Looking forward to the next game and hopefully a win.
Cheers
Jo
Henry Goldstein said
G’day Fellas,
Great to see the club is goin’ so well; I had a ball at the Tri-nations last November! Thanks again to Mick, Daryl and the crew for having my out there.
Cheers,
Henry
Nico said
Hello, i’m Nico, the french guy playing with swans from april to july, i hope you remember me. Thanks to have made me discover football, i’m now playing football in Paris, and i had a few trainings with Peter(2 swans playing in Paris, how strange!!!).
Next saturday, i’ll play footy european championship, and of course i’ll think about you.
Thank you for all, and see you when i come back in Hanoi…
Cheers
Nico
Big Bad JOE said
Nico,
We need your speed and stamina!
When you coming back?
Nico said
Hi, I’ll be in Hanoi for the Tet, from 10th to 18th february i think, I’d like to know if you’re still training in Hoang cau stadium, and which day and what time. Hope to see you for a few kicks…
Vietnam Swans said
Hi Nico
Welcome back to Vietnam!
Being Tet, you will be out of luck for some footy but we’ll try to find someone who is still in town when you are here.
All good!
Fabbo
samuel said
What are the requirement to play in your club? I’m Nigerian based footballer and love to play in your club in vietnam. my phone No: +2348033555727, samuelasouman@yahoo.com.
Maree said
Hi I will be in Vietnam from 2/4/9 to 18/4/09 and am really interested in catching a telecast of any afl games. Where do I go in Hanoi. Hoi An and Saigon? Also do the Vietnam teams play in Hanoi or HCMC during this time frame.
Esther Lloyd-Taylor said
Hi there,
Would the Vietnam Swans be interested in playing a charity match in Darwin in the Dry Season 2010? May – October.
Vietnam Swans said
Hi Esther
With direct flights from HCMC to Darwin with our sponsoring airline, Jetstar, it is a possibility. Could you please provide more details about the proposed match, other teams etc.
Regards
Phil Johns
National President
Vietnam Swans
vietnamswans@gmail.com
Esther Lloyd-Taylor said
Thank you for your prompt reply Phil,
When would the Swans be free to play in Darwin.. they could take in a spot of Barramundi fishing while they are here..
Look forward to continued planning,
Kind regards,
Esther.
Tim O'Shannessy said
Good to see you guys had a win and are well organised and going strongly as a club.
I am in Azerbaijan for 6 months work and there is no “Footy” on the sastelite TV like in SE Asia. What a pain.
Regards, Tim O’Shannessy. (Training coach one hot Saturday November afternoon 2009)
catherine said
Hey I’m an aussie moving to Cambodia next week for a job. I’ll likely be there for at least a year. I’m interested in getting involved in footy in Cambodia – I’m based in Phnom Penh – can you help?
Cheers
Catherine
Vietnam Swans said
Hi Catherine.
Murray Heath is the Cambodian Cobras President and he can be contacted at murray@harleycambodia.com
Regards
Phil Johns, National President, Vietnam Swans
Kerryn said
Hi
I’m going to be in Hanoi on Friday 14 May and was wondering if anyone could tell me some places that will be showing the Pies v’s Dockers match. After 15 years of supporting the Dockers they are finally having a season that is worth watching and I haven’t been in Australia for any of it.
Cheers,
Kerryn
Tim said
How’s it going?
I’m moving to Vietnam in early November for 1 year and I’d love to join up…
I’m from a gaelic football background but I played a bit of footy when I was living in Dublin.
Regards,
Tim
Vietnam Swans said
Hi Tim
Absolutely awesome to have you join the Vietnam Swans. We’ll be extremely pleased to welcome you to the Club.
Gaelic is also played over here, mainly in Hanoi.
Where will you be based in Vietnam?
Regards
Phil Johns
National President
Tim said
I will be based in Ho Chi Minh. Can’t wait….
Dennis Pham said
Hi I’m Dennis.
I’m from Australia and I’m a massive of AFL fan. I’m going to be in Vietnam before xmas for six weeks and I need something to do there during that period.
I’m just wondering if you guys have any training sessions somewhere in Ho Chi Minh City because I’m desperate to play competitive footy. Need a small crumbing forward who is also left-footed??? Then I’m the bloke that you guys may be looking for.
As a West Coast Eagles supporter, I’m not much of much of a Sydney Swans fan (for obvious reasons) but I’ll wear the Vietnam Swans jumper with pride.
Please reply soon
Thanks
PS. Do you guys play gaelic football aswell??? I might give a crack at that as well.
Vietnam Swans said
Hi Dennis
And it’s OK that you barrack for West Coast…
Thanks very much for your comment – but alas, the timing of your arrival is less than awesome. We have just finished the Indochina Cup and are now on our season’s break until the beginning of February.
However, when you’re here, we can certainly catch up for a beer.
With respect to the Gaelic football, they have an active presence in Hanoi. I can hook you up with them if you’re headed to Hanoi.
Regards
Phil Johns
National President
Vietnam Swans
Roo Dog said
Bloody AFL bullshit! Go the mighty Manly Sea Eagles! Roo Dog, Sapper in Vietnam 1969/70, and one eyed Silvertail.
GTphase111 said
lol Roo Dog, Sydney Swans member here.
I’m an AFL convert, I was raised in Manly and played RL/RU in that area until my mid teens. I played rep footy (SG Ball) and state footy with the greats such as Eric Groathe snr. Yes I love my RL and The Mighty Sea Eagles but AFL is a TERRIFIC game as well.
I live in WA these days, have a son who played for West Coast and another who is a successful country footballer. Like all good SPORTSMAN, neither cry down rugby or other sports. Please try to understand that just because you don’t like AFL it doesn’t mean it’s a bad game or that it’s “bullshit”.
btw, good on you cobber for doin’ your bit for your country.
Richard Bolt said
My family is hoping to see one or both prelim finals (late notice I know) in Hoi An. We’d be grateful for any info on whether and where they might be screening.
South Melbourne lives On said
Where is your home club will be visiting Saigon, end of this month and would love to see a game!
Vietnam Swans said
Hi South Melbourne Lives On
11 Oct we have a match against the Australian Navy at RMIT, D7, HCMC.
22 Oct we have a match against the Guangzhou Scorpions at RMIT, D7, HCMC.
When will you be here?
Phil Johns
Vietnam Swans
South Melbourne lives On said
24th of Oct
Hazza said
Hello, I’m harry
Ive been studying in melbourne for quite a while now and i just realised i like the australian rules football however i didnt have many chances to play or watch it due to my busy studying.
Now im spending my 2 month holiday in saigon and would love to learn to how to play it professionally. So is there any training sessions or classes for such an beginner like me or is there any way that i can play this sport in saigon?
Any ideas and information would be very much appreciated.
thank you all:)
Vietnam Swans said
Hi Harry
When will you arrive in Saigon?
We’ve just played the Indochina Cup and now we hang up the boots – until next year. But only until 7 January 2012 when we will be back to play the Southern Dragons from Melbourne.
We also have plenty of events happening during this time as well – in Saigon, Hanoi and Melbourne.
The Swannies look forward to finding out when you’ll arrive.
Regards
Phil Johns
Vietnam Swans