“The collection of around 6,000 artefacts exists to permanently record Australia’s longest commitment to any war, a period of 10 years that spanned from 1962.

“It presents the story of Australia’s military involvement at a time of deep division among the Australian population over conscription.”

Now, fast forward to January 2008. Maddie Johns (niece of current Swans President, Phil Johns – hence the Vietnam Swans hat) presented the museum with her Grade 4 project.

Her project does not make any reference to the war. It decribes life in Vietnam today. Maddie has stuck 20 Vietnamese flags into a foam board. Each flag presents a fact about Vietnam: population, currency, exports etc.

The juxtaposition of Maddie and her project in front of a photograph taken in time of war is stark. One represents the past. The other represents the future.

If you’re near Phillip Island, do drop into the National Vietnam Veteran’s Museum for a factual and sensitive account of the Vietnam War (referred to by the Vietnamese as “the American War”).

Given that Collingwood decided to become a sister club of the Dubai Dingoes and both sisters were trounced by similar margins (Collingwood was beaten 136 – 55), there are no prizes for guessing what seems to be the selection criteria for picking sisters!

The Swans Blog can report that the coach of the Dubai Heat was one of our own – Jeremy “Jezza” Palmer. Jeremy debuted for us on 6 March 2006 against the Malaysian Warriors as… our Water Boy. But he was the Water Boy with a difference. Even though he had literally just arrived in Vietnam and virtually none of us had even met him prior to him picking up the water, we all started doing what he told us to do on the paddock!

Three weeks later when we played the Jakarta Bintangs, we knew of Jezza’s prodigious talents. This time he played on the field, fed the footy down the throat of the forwards and we won our first ever match.

Expect a short review from Jeremy of the Dubai match on the Blog very soon.

The Big Rooster is back in town with renewed enthusiasm and a revised design for a new Vietnam jumper.

Swannies, what about this concept !!! If it is ever seen back in Australia, it would create more of a stir than when the first platypus was sent back to Blightie !!!

It covers all of the aspects that Sam mentioned (read Sam’s post)… the colours from the NLF flag, the South VN flag with the 3 red lines etc. etc… It also maintains the link to the team being the Swans… there is something for Sydney-siders, Adelaidians and Melbourne Eurotrash Wanna-be’s (Ed’s note: steady-on re the Magnificent Melbournians)… It also acknowledges the Saigon Saints Hanoi Swans and Hanoi Hawks Football Clubs…  (much like the BBFFC Brisbane Bears Fitzroy Football Club).

Note how I cleverly incorporate a sneaky reference to the current Vietnam flag !!!

This jumper is also not going to clash with any other Asian teams. Malaysia is a lighter blue and you also have the red stripes at the bottom.

Whilst totally unique jumpers are great, there is a school of thought that supports jumpers that maintain a tangible link to an AFL jumper… When Adelaide play at the MCG this year, somebody is more likely to wear such a jumper (Ed’s Note: But only if you’re a pumpkin-head Adelaide supporter) rather than the Laos Elephants’ jumper for example. So you will get noticed and the profile of VN footy will improve which is important (when I was living in Jakarta, we had an ex-AFL player living there for 18 months before he found us !!!).  Any publicity is good publicity. 

I am definitely coming up for March 8th to kick a few goals (with the Vietnam Swans against the Malaysian Warriors).

Agree or disagree with the jumper proposal? Post a comment and build upon the Big Rooster’s 6-goal contribution!

Vietnam News recently reported that:

Vietnam Airlines plans to buy almost 50 new planes in the next 10 years while Pacific Airlines (part owned by Qantas) will add 30 more planes.

There’s a glitch, though. There isn’t enough room on the tarmac for them.

Unheard of! Meanwhile, the Swans Blog has learnt that a high profile Swans Man was recently upgraded to Seat 1K on his return flight back from Melbourne to Vietnam. When asked why they had done that, he replied. “Not sure. But I was wearing my Vietnam Swans t-shirt.”

Coincidence or not?

This Saturday, 26th January is Australia Day, a day that becomes especially important to the many expatriates living away from their home country. Every year there are many parties held around the world to celebrate the day, which inevitably links in with Australian Rules football clubs who celebrate the day with a game or use the occasion as a fund raiser. Other celebrations hold games purely as part of the fun of the day and may provide non Australians at the festivities with their first live taste of the game.

To read the rest of the article, click on the World Footy News link. To read about the day in the Vietnam News and this year being the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Australia and Vietnam, click on its article, “Countries hail 35 friendly years“.

In other words, more precisely from Ms Hoang Van Anh from Australia Education International, “the event was a great success. I appreciate the Vietnam Swans participation. It attracted lots of attention from the youngsters. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Swans for spending time – especially at the weekend… Hope to be able to work with you in the future”.

Bring it on!

The London Swans have also said that they will put something on their website and in their weekly newsletter about discovering another brother club in Vietnam.

The London Swans were keen to know when our season typically starts and finishes (well, we’re 24/7 – 52 weeks) and who we play against (ever heard of the Asian Champs???).

The word is spreading and you never know, we might even have a bank of London Swans (yep, “bank” is the collective noun apparently for Swans) visiting our shores one day for a tour. 

2007 was a big year for the Swannies. Below are some of the highlights:

• - It was the year that Hanoi and Saigon combined to form a national team, the Vietnam Swans.
• - The Vietnam Swans then made our inaugural appearance at the Asian Championships in Bangkok in July.
• - Players and officials for our first Asian Champs came from no fewer than 6 countries (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, China, Singapore and Australia) to make it happen.
• Triple Brownlow Medalist, Bobby Skilton; Triple Premiership Player, Clarke Keating; and member of the SouthMelbourne/Sydney Swans’ Team of the Century, Tony Morwood, individually wrote to the Vietnam Swans in the lead up to the Champs to wish us luck.
• We commenced a relationship with Sponsor, Jim Beam where they actively used the Swans appearance at the Champs to market their product – ie, they sought genuine business value from the sponsorship (eg Jim Beam promotional posters  that incorporated into the design the Swans appearance at the Champs.)
• In the lead up to the Champs, we launched the Vietnam Swans Blog which has since had more than 17,000 hits.
• The guys from Laos who played with us at the Champs – have since gone on to form their own Club, the Laos Elephants.
• We hosted a Tri Nations Tournament in Hanoi with Laos and Thailand that was combined with the netball. Approximately 200 people attended the after match function.
• We hosted a match in Saigon against Asian Champs Premiers’ the Hong Kong Dragons.
• We hosted a derby between Hanoi and Saigon in Saigon.
• We formed part of Austrade’s Australian Schools Open Day in both Saigon and Hanoi where we used footy to help differentiate the Australian education product. Club Sponsor, QBE Insurance, sponsored 900 Swans hats that were given away to attendees in the two cities.
• The Vietnam Swans received very generous support from sponsors for their third Grand Final Party in Hanoi and close to 200 people attended.
• In the lead up to the Grand Final, Vietnam Swans stalwart, Wayne Tinlin, was interviewed by ABC Radio in Australia.
• The Vietnam Swans ran the 2nd Grand Final Cyclo Parade in Hanoi on the Thursday prior to the Grand Final. A photograph subsequently appeared in Melbourne’s Herald Sun Newspaper and ABC Radio in Adelaide did a live interview with Wayne Bubbles Tinlin.
• The Swans continued to give back to the community by raising money for an organisation dealing with prostate cancer in Hanoi and also for the Loreto Foundation in Saigon which deals with disadvantaged children. On both occasions we raffled off Jim Beam bottles which were part of the original sponsorship from the Asian Champs.
• The Swans also gave sporting equipment to the orphanage in Hanoi that we have been associated with.
• The Swans held our 3^rd Annual Golf Day in Melbourne on 29 December.

 In many respects, 2007 has been a remarkable year for the Vietnam Swans. Congratulations to all involved – especially those involved with the Asian Champs. 

We are now extremely well positioned to have a very strong 2008. For a sneak preview of 2008, tune in to the blog tomorrow – the 1st Day of the New Year.

Well, we don’t know whether they will be fat and slow but we do know that they are nearly born. Tomorrow, they will be running out onto the hallowed turf of the UN International School. 

The Blog is never one to get get caught up in hyperbole but, historically, this will be an incredibly important weekend. You’ll be able to tell your grand children about being there when the Lao Elephants made their international debut.

See the Elephants website.