About Us
Miss Australia 2008, Laura Dundovic, wears the Vietnam Swans jumper in Saigon, 21 June 2008
The Reunification Express – the Vietnam Swans
2007 will be remembered as a big year for Australian Rules Football in Vietnam. It’s the year that both Hanoi and Saigon combined to form Vietnam’s first ever National Footy team, the Vietnam Swans.
On 14 July 2007, the Vietnam Swans debuted at the 8th Annual Asian Championships held in Bangkok. While we didn’t win the Championship – which boasted teams from the United Arab Emirates, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Jakarta and Bali – we did have 44 tourers from Hanoi, Saigon, Quang Ngai, Tianjin, Laos, Cambodia, Vientiane, Singapore, Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne!
To see a 1 min 48sec promo video of the former Hanoi Swans (now Vietnam Swans) that has been professionally cut, click here to watch it on You Tube.
Want to play some Aussie Rules?
The good news is that footy is up and running in both Hanoi and Saigon. 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).
Training
Hanoi – Training is held from midday – 1.30pm on Saturdays on an island in the middle of the Red River, next to the Long Bien railway bridge. Awesome. Phone Micky Johnston on 0904 408 193. See the attached map.
Saigon – Training is held from 2.30pm – 4.00pm on Saturday afternoons at RMIT University’s campus in Phu My Hung, District 7. Phone Gus McEwin on 0904 181 781. Click on the Saigon training slide for all the details.
Apart from the Asian Champs, do you play anyone else?
Have we got a smorgasboard of confirmed delights coming up in 2009!
- 28 March, Saigon – The Bushfire Bash; Vietnam Swans Vs Bali Geckos. All funds raised to go to bushfire victims. DONE!
- 25 April, Kanchanaburi, Thailand – Thailand Tigers Vs Vietnam Swans (ANZAC Day match). DONE!
- 23 May, Hanoi – Vietnam Swans Vs Jakarta Bintangs. DONE!
- 25 July, Saigon – Vietnam Swans Vs Hong Kong Dragons
- 8 August, Hanoi – Vietnam Swans Vs Lao Elephants
- 5 September, Kuala Lumpur – 10th Annual Asian Championships
- 24 September, Hanoi – 4th Annual Vietnam Swans Grand Final Cyclo Parade
- 26 September, Hanoi & Saigon – The Vietnam Swans 2009 AFL Grand Final Party
- 31 October, Manila – The Philippine Eagles Vs Vietnam Swans (tent.)
- 28 November, Bangkok – 3rd Annual Indochina Cup
Other proposed matches include November in Vung Tau at a Vietnam Veterans reunion; and trips to Cambodia, Jakarta and Hong Kong.
In addition, in the past 12 months, we have put on stalls at the Big Day Out in Hanoi and Australian Education International/Australian Consulate’s Experience Australia Day in HCMC. We’ve designed and made a new Vietnam Swans national jumper – which was worn by Miss Australia in June 2008 when she was here for the Mss Universe Pageant.
Give me some background
In 1991, Hanoi had the Hanoi Hawks but then things went quiet to the point that they became extinct. They were reborn in 2003 as the Hanoi Swans with a double header against the Thailand Tigers and Hong Kong Dragons. The Swans have battled away diligently since with matches against Malaysia, Jakarta and Thailand but the numbers have remained a continuing battle.
The Saigon Saints once upon a time used to play football as well. However things also went quiet with them to the point that they nearly became extinct. They were survived by hosting the annual Saigon Saints AFL Grand Final Brunch which just continues to grow in popularity each year.
The way forward was to have a combined team from both Hanoi and Saigon. So, in September 2006 and April 2007, Hanoi traveled to Saigon to try and stir up some interest… and, now the history books show that the Vietnam Swans debuted at the Asian Champs on 14 July 2007 in Bangkok.
See the attached Swans and Player Profiles for more detail. It was prepared for the Asian Champs.
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
Julia Waugh said
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Andrew Nielsen said
Swannies
We apply team and individual photos, logos and text to sports balls including AFL balls. They mane great trophies and memorabilia of special events and tours. They also make great thank you gifts for sponsors coaches and players. Have a look at our website and tell us what you think. If we can help let us know. http://www.memoraballimages.com.au
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
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.