The Australian International School (AIS) in Saigon will sponsor the Vietnam Swans in 2012.

National President, Phil Johns, sends out the following great news!

Dear Swannies, Sponsors and Supporters

I am delighted to confirm that will sponsor the Vietnam Swans, Vietnam’s Australian Rules Football Club, in 2012.

AIS is based in Saigon where it has three excellent, high class schools, namely:

• Xi Early Childhood Centre, 190 Nguyen Van Huong Street, Thao Dien Ward, D2
• Early Childhood & Primary School, APSC Compound, 36 Thao Dien Road, D2
• Middle & Senior School (Head Office), East-West Highway, An Phu Ward, D2

AIS Principal, Peter O’Sullivan, says that, “For a parent, selecting a school for (their) child requires careful consideration. It needs to be a school that supports (their) family’s values and provides a rigorous academic foundation during the important school years… What is important to (the parents) is important to us, as we partner together in educating (their) child.”

AIS aims to encourage students to:

• think well with flexibility and reflection
• listen with understanding and empathy
• communicate with clarity and sensitivity
• become knowledgeable and capable learners
• strive for excellence and their personal best
• develop values that are necessary for a rewarding and fulfilling life

AIS speaks of “Connectedness in our Community” and this is entirely consistent with the Vietnam Swans’ passion for “Connecting Communities” through our various initiatives. Of particular interest to AIS is the Swannies’ commitment to support swimming programs that teach children to, not only survive but, thrive in Vietnam’s extensive network of internal water ways and coastline.

AIS also believes that its message can be communicated to a different segment of the market through the Swannies’ developing and influential network as well as this website which is now attracting 10,000 hits per month.

A number of the Vietnam Swans already send their children to AIS.

The Vietnam Swans fully appreciate that selecting a school for your child is a deeply personal decision. We simply request that, as part of your decision making process, you visit AIS for a full briefing so that you can make an informed decision as to which school most closely meets your needs.

AIS have actually just released a three minute, insightful, introductory video which can be viewed on

AIS, Leading to a Bright Future.

Further information:

Former Hanoi President, Willy, has always been a great admirer of Miss Australia 2008, Laura Dundovic, who visited Saigon in 2008 as part of the Miss Universe competition.

Willy has always argued passionately that Laura should appear more often on this website.

It was therefore no surprise that when Laura appeared in yesterday’s Dedicated photo album of Swannies’ Classic Shots, Willy wrote:

There is completely, absolutely, no doubt whatsoever, that the most significant moment of the Vietnam Swans’ history was when Laura donn’d the Swannies’ top.

At last, editor, you have given this site and all its users, something extremely worthy of pay’n attention to!!

Miss Australia when are you com’n back to Vietnam?? pleeeeeeease…..

Go you Swannies!!

Laura found out about an hour ago of Willy’s comment and by 3.56pm, Vietnam time, on 31 May, she had emailed the Vietnam Swans with:

Thanks for the comment Willy.

Still wearing my Swannies’ jersey with pride boys! Hope to be in Vietnam sometime soon!

Love, Former Miss Aus and forever Miss Swannies, Laura Dundovic, xx.

Wow! The Swannies’ now have our very own “Miss Swannies” forever!

How mega awesome is that? Go you Miss Swannies!

Related item:

To see the news media coverage given to Miss Australia when she wore our Swannies’ jumper, click onto 

Last weekend, Saigon kicked off its Reds Vs Whites internal competition which will be played weekly in the lead up to the Asian Champs in Bangkok on 11 August 2012.

This week, the Swannies’ website has invited Supercoach Sensation, Dave O’Shea, to provide some in depth analysis of what happened in the match.

If anyone should know what happened, O’Shea Should. Two weeks ago we reported that he was sitting in 83rd place out of 352,000 entrants on Supercoach. This week he’s climbed the Supercoach tables to find himself in 17th place.

Over to the Supercoach…

Congratulations to all the boys who played in Saturday’s match at RMIT. The game was a close one from start to finish, with the White team just getting over the line by a couple of goals. The depth of the club was truly evident on the weekend, with a couple of the gun players sidelined with minor injuries, we were still able to play out an exciting and skillful match with plenty of players.

The day started with a warm up of running, push ups, sit ups and squats. Then the teams broke up into Reds Vs Whites with the Whites wearing their Swannies jerseys inside out. Nat (Shinboner of the Century) Payne led the Reds’ warm up, whilst Nicko (big time) Shiells led the warm up for the Whites.

The scoring was opened by Pete playing for the Whites who made a great lead, took a screamer and finished the job by kicking truly straight over the “hey diddle diddle” of the soccer goal posts. The rest of the quarter was a real battle with some solid defence from both teams. By the end of the first quarter, the scores were very close with only a couple of points separating the two teams.

The second quarter was under way and the Whites were unable to capitalize on some great ruck work from new recruit, Luke. The Reds were doing a great job of shutting down the dangerous Whites’ mid fielders. Nathan (Reds) managed to find some space and was creating havoc from the half back line. He would need to be shut down in order for the Whites to get back in the match. At half time, again the scores were close with only a few points separating both teams.

The third quarter, which is commonly known as the premiership quarter, finally saw the Whites edge their nose in front. Phil Ghasseb from (Whites) was solid as usual in defence and put on some great hits, one absolute bell ringer on Ryan Evans. Maybe Phil was upset with one of Evo’s songs? Also Trav the Butcher was letting nothing through the goals and was finding targets from the back line. The Whites finished the quarter in front by a couple of goals.

The fourth quarter saw a dogged fight from the Reds, led by captain Nat Payne who was setting up play from the back. They were able to claw their way back a little, but a couple of goals from big man Kyle Hackenberg was enough for the Whites to finish on top.

The Whites now lead the series 1 game to 0, however, the Reds had some key personnel missing and will welcome those players back next game. What a rivalry this is turning out to be when the Whites will take on the Reds!

Interestingly, below is an extract from the AFL’s website:

The new Krakouer brothers

OFTEN great combinations are found within good teams.

The most famous pair of all was Greg Williams and Gerard Healy who wreaked havoc with the Sydney Swans in the ’80s. Could the Vietnam Swans’ David O’Shea and Phil Ghasseb be on the way to becoming another super duo?

The signs are promising.

The statistics show that when Ghasseb gets the ball opponents in the vicinity of O’Shea should get nervous. On 19 occasions Ghasseb has passed to O’Shea by hand or foot, the third most common link in a chain of possession this season. When Ghasseb has the ball, O’Shea is often sweeping past like he’s driving a getaway car.

The Vietnam Swans are very pleased to announce that we now have a dedicated web album of : Swannies hats (and sometimes shirts) in the most amazing places around the world.

There are classic shots in Antarctica, outback Australia, sailing the world’s oceans and stationary star jumps under the same oceans. We’re on top of the world – whether that be at the Everest Base Camp in Nepal or on top of Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest.

The Swannies’ hats can be seen at major sporting events such as the AFL Grand Final and the 2011 Asian (Soccer) Cup Final in Qatar. The Shinboner himself, Natty Payne has managed to squeeze himself between a Swannies training top and another Wonder of the World, the Taj Mahal.

We have met some fascinating people such as Alex  Jesaulenko and Miss Australia. Pago even bumped into the Sydney Swans Mascot at the SCG back in 2007. There’s even stories of Swannies’ hats winning fashion competitions!

Now, you can view all of these incredible shots by tuning into one location – .

Do you have a Swannies’ Classic Shot?

We love receiving Swannies’ Classic Shots from exotic locations around the world, big sporting events, unusual places and situations, artistic or memorable moments etc. The only limitation should be your imagination – and that a Swannies hat, jumper or shirt is visible.

with a brief description. Do it now!

You will also be in the running to win an, as yet, undefined prize for the most unusual/best Swannies Classic Shot of 2012.

It was all happening on the “Le Fruit” triathlon in Phan Thiet on the weekend says Swannie, John McFarlane:

Here are some photos of Trent Mears, Matt Natalotto and myself at the in Phan Thiet over the weekend.

Trent (a seasoned triathlete) smashed it, coming in 3rd in the Stamina course (750m open water swim, 40km mountain bike, 8km off beach run) – behind the guy who has won it for the last four years.

Matt Nattalotto also dominated in the Stamina course and I was stoked to finish the Sprint course (300m open water swim, 20km mountain bike and 4km off beach run).

We are hoping that results will be posted on the .

Congratulations from all the Swannies to Trenter, Matty and John on your outstanding results!

Update from Matt Natalotto:

Trent 3rd – Could have won or gone second not for cramping in the last 1km! (I taught him everything he knows you know!).

I got 6th for second year running – although beat my time of last year by 10 minutes! (everyone else getting faster I guess).

Trent – start training like the top two guys do and you will have them on toast!

Hanoi coach, Adrian “Ado” Enright reports on the departures in Hanoi of Phil Harman and Dave Diviny:

Yesterday saw two of our Hanoi-based Swans depart for big things outside of Vietnam. Dave Diviny and his partner, Jane, will head back to Melbourne after more than a year with the Club. Dave was instrumental not only in his on-field work for the club, but showed his great enthusiasm and commitment by immediately putting his hand up to help with the Club’s finances and organisation of charity events.

Phil has been a long term Swannie, and will pack his boots and head over to Jakarta with the family. Phil has been a consistent performer with the Swans, and was part of the team that achieved its most successful result in the Asian Championships in 2011. Phil has also always been there to support the Club off the field and will be much missed by us all – especially the guys who have played alongside of Phil over the last few years.

Whilst Dave and Phil both leave Vietnam, they will always be a Swannie and we look forward to keeping in touch, and hopefully seeing Phil play with the Jakarta Bintangs in his new home.

Both Dave and Phil received “You can leave the country. But you can’t leave the Club. Honk!” trophies designed by .

All the best guys, from all of the Swans.

On Thursday, Ron and Ailsa Vernon returned to Australia after a few hectic months in Vietnam.

Not only did they bring just under 20 of their friends to the ANZAC Friendship Match, we also had Ron, a 1967 premiership player in the Vietnam Football League, present the ANZAC Friendship Shield to the winning team (the Swannies). In addition, Ron and Ailsa did loads of tireless work to support the Centre for the Protection of Children in Vung Tau and Long Hai.

During the week, the Swannies presented Ron and Ailsa a “You can leave the country. But you can’t leave the Club. Honk!” trophy designed by .

Ron and Ailsa thanked the Swannies for our friendship and for welcoming them into the Club. They spoke of the ANZAC Friendship Match bringing a freshness to, and a reinvigoration of, the ANZAC weekend. They projected that the match will grow significantly each year and that they will definitely return next year with even more friends.

The Vernons have played a major role in our last two ANZAC Friendship Matches and their presence is a key reason for the momentum that the match is generating. And, with their selfless work for the Centre for Protection of Children – which they continue back in Australia by raising awareness and funds – they are an absolutely awesome and legendary couple.

The Swannies can’t wait to see the Vernons again next year!

Last weekend, the South Asian Gaelic Football Championships were held in Pattaya, Thailand and a contingent of Swannies from the north and the south were there.

Swannie, John Shoulder from Hanoi, reports on what happened with the round Gaelic ball.

Similar to great Renaissance men of all ages, or those who excel and prove their worth in a variety of fields, a true Swannie is sure to become the master of any endeavor he undertakes.

This certainly proved to be the case last weekend at the South Asian Gaelic Championships in Pattaya, where two Vietnamese sides, heavy with Swan ties, the Saigon Gaels and the Hanoi Viet Celts showed extremely well for themselves and took significant steps towards developing Gaelic football in Vietnam.

Perhaps, particularly impressive was the showing of the Saigon Gaels, a club that had more or less been left for dead leading up to the tournament, but was resurrected in the final week largely through the efforts of John Redmond and his compatriot, Irish Brian of the Swans.

Despite being thrown together at the last minute, and showing up to the pitch an hour late on Saturday reeking of Red Bull, the Saigon squad, quickly established itself as a formidable foe. It pushed our much more experienced Hanoi side to the brink in the first match of the tournament and then won its next two matches against Shanghai/Taiwan and the Malaysia based Orange Eire B side.

Boasting a backline that included stout Swans Brian and Phil, a forward line that included the skillful John Redmond and the imposing Billy Crang, and a midfield driven by Swannie jets Josh Murray and Dave O’Shea, the Gaels generally dominated the ball in their games and demonstrated the smooth passing and physical play that one might expect from a Swans-dominated side.

Unfortunately due to a case of cold kicking (blame it on the round ball), the Geals were bested by Thailand in their fourth game in a contest they largely dominated.  Being a resilient lot though, the team recovered to soundly beat the Orange Eire B side yet again in the tournaments fifth place game and finish with a positive record of 3 wins and 2 losses and Dave O’Shea garnering mention as one of the tournament’s top performers.

The tournament was a similarly successful affair for our Hanoi Viet Celt side, as led by our Captain Tamey Piper, former Swan Dan Coloe and the incomparable Jim Kiernan (one of the few men whose legend in Hanoi rivals that of our esteemed Swans’ Hanoi President, Daniel Hopkins), our somewhat misfit (boasting players hailing from 7 countries and three continents) but scrappy side recorded our best ever finish, beating Thailand to earn the plate final and third place in the tournament.

The win was perhaps especially sweet for us given that we had been edged by Thailand by one point earlier in the day and knew we could show better.  In addition to the standouts mentioned above, Dave Cunningham and Luke Kenny also put in stellar performances in our final match which saw us really come together as a team and play our best football of the day.

All in all, I think all involved would agree that it was a great day for the Swans in Pattaya and it was another tour which could only be described, in the words of the top Swannie, as MEGA.

*** Photos of the tournament can be viewed by .

The Vietnam Swans’ Treasurer, Rowan Luke, from the Commonwealth Bank, has this afternoon announced details of the  amount of money raised for charity at the 2012 ANZAC Friendship Match.

Rowan has confirmed that,

“The net funds for distribution to charity are VND20,938,000 (USD1,005.67). Hence, our two charities, Swim Vietnam and the Centre for the Protection of Children in Vung Tau and Long Hai, will each receive VND10,469,000.

“Total gate and raffle ticket takings for the day were VND33,973,000 and our costs in organising the day were VND12,035,000 producing the net figure available for distribution.

“The costs incurred included items such as permits for holding the event, banners, sound system, water etc.”

The Vietnam Swans would like to thank everyone who came to the ANZAC Friendship Match and helped to raise this amount for charity.

Again, we would like to acknowledge and thanks the China Reds who separately, donated an additional $750 to the Centre for the Protection of Children.

UPDATE: Jo Stewart, Swim Vietnam. This is fantastic news!  Please convey our thanks to all at the Vietnam Swans.  We have a huge summer coming up as we are just about to start building an in-ground pool in Hoi An and putting up another above-ground pool in Duy Xuyen. So, all support we receive is going to be well used and hugely appreciated.

As you may be aware, VIP Cabs Australia is now a sponsor of the Vietnam Swans – and why is this so exciting?

10 per cent of every fare goes to the Swannies if the “Vietnam Swans” are mentioned at the time of booking.

Last week, Swannie, Brad Vernon, flew back from Vietnam to Brisbane. Brad was our first member to try VIP Cabs and he writes,

“In terms of price it was $68. I normally pay at least $60, so, for a few bucks extra I got:

• No cab lines
• A nice, clean taxi
• A good driver who knew where he was going
• And 10 per cent goes to the Swannies. How good is it?

“Setting up an account with VIP Cabs  took about 5 minutes on the phone. But you only have to do that the first time. I will definitely use them in the future. The positives well outweigh the extra few bucks I paid.”

VIP Cabs specialises in airport transfers around Australia and has held the QANTAS account for more than 10 years. They monitor all inbound flights so, even if your plane is early, don’t worry. So will VIP Cabs. And we’d expect nothing less for the VIPs (Vietnamswans’ Important Phriends).

VIP Cabs can also offer set fares; eg, a transfer from Sydney Airport to the CBD will cost $54.04 which includes all tolls and processing fees for credit cards.

Setting up an account

To open an account with VIP Cabs, go straight to the top and deal directly with part owner, Chris Doullis. Chris can be contacted on +61 (0) 420 311 494 or via email at Simply mention the Swannies.

Please give the Swannies feedback

If you use VIP Cabs, please let us know what you thought of the service. VIP Cabs is offering a great service in Australia and a potentially significant revenue stream for our footy club over here in Vietnam. If you like it, tell your business colleagues and friends and help to promote the Swannies in the process (“10 per cent goes to a footy club in where?? Vietnam? And they play in an Asian Championships and ANZAC Friendship Match? Wow! ).

Go you VIP Cabbies!

Other sponsorship news

• International school in Saigon signs sponsorship agreement with Swannies. Details to follow.
• Supplier of expertly crafted timber frames and windows in Australia signs sponsorship agreement with Swannies. Details to follow.

And finally…

Honk if you love VIP Cabs Australia.

Honk! Honk!

Nick Shiell’s mother, Robyn wrote in the other day to say,

Just got an email from Pearcey. He was having a BBQ day at his work and everyone was told to wear a unique hat.  Pearcey said there is nothing more unique than the Swannies cap I sent him last year (he is a Sydney Swans supporter). 

Gee the Swannies certainly get around !!

This sounds like an incredible and unbelievable story. Accordingly, the Swannies’ Website, well known for its tough, fearless, investigative and award-winning journalism, tracked down Pearcey for further comment. Pearcey wrote:

I was given a Vietnam Swans cap from my good friend Robyn after she had visited Nick in Vietnam.  Being a Sydney Swans supporter, Robyn thought the cap would suit me.  Recently I had a work BBQ, and all attendees were requested to wear a unique hat.  I thought the Vietnam Swans cap couldn’t get more unique as there would not be too many in Australia (Ed’s note: Swannies hats are becoming as common as muck in Australia. Honk!).

I caught the attention of my work colleagues and subsequently I was awarded the “Best Hat” prize: a nice bottle of red wine.

Congratulations to Pearcey for winning the bottle of wine for the best hat competition! Great effort. Great result. Great hat!

Nick speaks out: Wow! What a photo…  Mate, I’m feeling pumped up and ready for an ANZAC match again after looking at that one!

Do you have a great story and photo with your Swannies’ hat? Email it through to the now!

This morning, Hewy, Sal and family will return to Newcastle after spending three months in Vietnam with the Swannies (and doing whatever else).

Last night we caught up with Hewy and Sal in Saigon, wished them well and gave them a You can leave the country. But not the Club. Honk! gift designed by Ross McRae. Both Hewy and Sal assured us that they have no intention of leaving the Club.

Hewy has already vowed to return to Vung Tau next year for the ANZAC weekend to play in the Legends Match with up to seven of his friends from back home (Ed’s note: Next year, with the additional interest, we expect to play a third game; a curtain raiser to the Legends’ Match). Sal expects to be back here again for work in September. And then there’s the annual cricket and golf days in Melbourne at Christmas time… Giddy up!

The Swannies thank Hewy and Sal for the time they have been here and all they have done for the Club. Long live the ongoing relationship!

In the immortal words of Willy, Go you Swannies!!