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JULY 5 2020
LONG HAI - SNAKE MOUNTAIN
Hares: Mr. T, Secs, Chippy, Bull Ant
Hash Flashers: Chom Chom, Mr. T, Secs Ringmaster: Uncle Report: Uncle
The end of school exams and a promising break in the rain saw a very full(!) Hashmobile wend its way to Long Hai on Sunday for a trail on Snake Mountain.
Co-hare Chippy got us to the drop-off point for today’s A-B run, then co-hare Secs explained the route and emphasized the need to follow the red tape for both lookout/selfie points on the route. After a long hike up a very steep, sealed road, we turned off into the forest and eventually found the first lookout point–which was transformed within minutes into a photo studio! A short hike back to the main trail and across to the other side revealed the second photo opportunity, conveniently ‘signposted’ by the commune’s handyman. Lots of whistles and “On On” cries later, everyone reluctantly stowed their cameras and headed down a long and rocky descent to ground level, shepherded by co-Hares Mr T and Secs. Some FRBs made it to the Down Down spot before the rain finally arrived, but most of the pack were caught by mother nature and many colourful raincoats suddenly appeared! It was a dripping wet procession of Hashers that eventually straggled into the sheltered area for dry clothes and the welcome food and cold drinks that awaited – courtesy of MMC, Aqua’s helpers and assorted volunteers, for whom we’re always very grateful! The sky was turning darker by the minute so we quickly posed for the group photo marshalled by Hash Flash Chom Chom, and then duty Ringmaster Uncle called what quickly became a very rowdy Circle with background effects of ‘rain on a hot tin roof’, junior Hashers out-screaming each other (‘de rigeur’ for family Hashes worldwide), and Uncle’s whistle trying in vain to restore order! The trail was rated 56 out of 10, helped along by some innovative point-scoring–many thanks to the hardworking Hares Secs, Mr T, Chippy and Dennis! More than a dozen Hash Virgins were welcomed with the VTH3 song (too many to name here – but welcome everyone, we hope you enjoyed the day and hope to see you again!). Returnees were welcomed back, and visiting Hasher Polka Dotski spruiked Hanoi H3’s forthcoming weekender at Ninh Binh with an open invitation to everyone (registration details on our fb page). Then we had namings for Rio: Ninja Boy > Spiderman (or was it Spiderboy?); Anna: Julia > Unicorn; Anna’s mum Tina: Golden Mermaid (a nod to her sister, Golden Fish); Dennis: Bull Ant (immortalizing his first Hare-set!); and LiLi: Lily (the flower). And somewhere in all the chaos were the dulcet sounds (NOT!) of 60+ Hashers singing “Happy Birthday” to Claire–her 21st, of course! The Circle finally closed with a reminder for everyone to emphasise sturdy footwear when inviting friends–particularly juniors–as most of our trails involve clambering over at least a few very hard rocks! Next week’s run details will be announced when known–and please don’t forget to register online to help MMC manage the logistics. On On... Explainer – Hashing in Vung Tau: VTH3 relocated to a new Hash kennel at Lily’s Baradise (formerly Tommy’s), in February 2020. At the same time, a Hasher who had been banned for anti-social behaviour convened an invalid AGM (with no authority to convene anything!); that meeting elected a ‘new’ committee by falsely claiming the incumbent MMC had been voted out–which was purely wishful thinking on their part. Predictably, they still haven’t developed their own identity–preferring instead to ‘copy and paste’ our VTH3 branding and history, when all they would need to start a valid alternate Hash is to think of a (different) name and launch it! *Hint: there’s no legal requirement to register names, logos, trademarks, etc for clubs or hobby groups–you need only perform due diligence to ensure the branding you’d like to use is not already in use by someone else (as ours has been since 1992!). Meanwhile, the real VTH3’s storied history continues on this site and social media, and we also communicate via our official mailing list–to which all friends of VTH3 are welcome: CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR MAILING LIST Footnote: We continue to reassess our activities every week to ensure compliance with the VN government’s latest Covid-19 edicts and advice; we wish all friends and fellow residents of Vung Tau an infection-free journey through these still uncertain times–please stay aware, avoid complacency and, above all: be safe!
RUN 940 PHOTO GALLERY
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JUNE 28 2020
BIG MOUNTAIN
Hares: Mr. T, Secs
Hash Flashers: Chom Chom Ringmaster: Report: Uncle End of year school exams continued to reduce our junior contingent numbers, but we still had 50+ registered Hashers at Lily’s Baradise on Sunday for a local run on Big Mountain–which is extremely encouraging! Co-hare Mr T said we should head up to Vi Ba for the Chalk Talk, so “On On” we went. And what a surprise for everyone as we eschewed the usual Hem 89 steps and literally climbed out of the back of Lily’s (on a ladder!) and spent the next 15-20 minutes scrambling up and around the dirt and rocks to finally reach Vi Ba. It was especially good to see Hashers jumping in to help with hand grips, rope grips and the reliable ‘hand carry’ finally getting everyone over the obstacles and onto the sealed road in one piece: definitely a tough start to today’s trail! The Chalk Talk told us which way to go and emphasized “follow the tapes”, so off we went on a fairly challenging climb to reach the top of Big Mountain (many in raincoats by this time) and enjoy the fabulous views of our fair city before heading around the side and eventually down onto Vi Ba via some new and innovative turn-offs, then a couple of options to finish the A-A trail back at Lily’s. Our hardworking MMC and helpers had ensured all drinks were ice-cold, and Aqua and her foodie helpers sliced and diced while we chatted about today’s trail as head chef Leonardo did his ‘whirly’ thing with the pizzas–and we were definitely not disappointed when they arrived! It had been a long’ish trail today, and we just managed to squeeze a team photo in before the live music began, courtesy mine host Rob and The Perfect Jive Duo, so today’s ‘Circle’ was restricted to a fond and enthusiastic “Bon Voyage” to VTH3 stalwart Golden Fish and son Robin, off with their family to enjoy a new life in Singapore. “Good luck, you guys–our loss is definitely Singapore’s gain!” And confirmation that the trail had been voted 27 (out of 10!)–so well done to ‘Hares extraordinaire’ Mr T and Secs! Apologies to Hash Virgins, visitors, returnees, sinners et al–your turn will hopefully come next week! And without more ado, the Hash Circle became a circle of Hashers, showing remarkable resilience to keep ‘shaking a leg’ after all the earlier efforts climbing Big Mountain the hard way! Next week’s run details will be announced when known–and please don’t forget to register online to help MMC manage the logistics. On On... Explainer – Hashing in Vung Tau: VTH3 relocated to a new Hash kennel at Lily’s Baradise (formerly Tommy’s), in February 2020. At the same time, a Hasher who had been banned for anti-social behaviour convened an obviously invalid AGM (he had no authority to convene anything!); that meeting voted in a ‘new committee’ by falsely claiming the incumbent MMC had been voted out–which was wishful and surprisingly creative thinking on their part, and a direct violation of the World Harrier Organization creed. Predictably, they still haven’t developed their own identity–preferring instead to ‘copy and paste’ our VTH3 branding and history, when all they would need to start a valid alternate Hash is to think of a (different) name and launch it! *Hint: there’s no legal requirement to register names, logos, trademarks, etc for clubs or hobby groups–the only stipulation is performing due diligence to ensure the name you’d like is not already in use! Meanwhile, the real VTH3’s ongoing story continues on this site and social media, and we also communicate via our official mailing list–to which all friends of VTH3 are welcome: CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR MAILING LIST Footnote: We continue to reassess our activities every week to ensure compliance with the VN government’s latest Covid-19 edicts and advice; we wish all friends and fellow residents of Vung Tau a virus-free journey through these uncertain times–please stay safe!
RUN 939 PHOTO GALLERY
JUNE 21 2020
NUI DINH
Hares: Mr. T, Secs, Zidane
Hash Flashers: Chom Chom, Mr. T, Ringmaster: Uncle Report: Uncle
Looming end of year school exams shaved our junior contingent numbers somewhat, as 40+ registered Hashers plus one cat(!) gathered at Lily’s Baradise on Sunday for a second consecutive away run on Núi Dinh (palace mountain), approx 5 km west of Ba Ria).
No ominous clouds (yet), so wet weather gear was left on the Hashmobile as we dismounted for a 1.5 km hike to the start point and a Chalk Talk explaining some relevant aspects of today’s circuitous A-A route around the lower mountain slopes. “On on” we went, along a fairly level track until getting close to the halfway point we encountered a very steep section and switched into “On up” mode! We eventually walked through a temple entrance and passed several imposing sarcophagi and hungry-looking monkeys before leaving the sacred grounds. Then we followed a narrow dirt track until a sharp left turn at what looked like a huge dog kennel(!) on the side of the trail. Whatever it was, it now features in many Hash selfies! We passed more and more temple-like buildings–some quite small–prompting one hasher to comment on the unusual number of monks and monkeys on this particular trail! We finally found ourselves in more temple grounds, including a giant reclining Buddha–and then spotted our gleaming white Hashmobile outside: complete with ice-filled eskies and assorted banh mi and fresh fruit to quench thirsts and replenish energy levels! Lots of convivial chatting and snacking later (thanks once again to the volunteer ‘slicers and dicers’ for preparing everything), we lined up for the team photo and then duty Ringmaster Uncle convened the Circle. The trail was rated a ‘stratospheric’ 1,000(!), so congratulations to this week’s Hares Secs, Mr T and Zidane–it was indeed a delightful trail, with something for everyone regardless of age, fitness level or personal area of interest: even the cat made it around mostly unscathed! Hash Virgins and returnees were introduced and welcomed–giving HBO an opportunity to show her prowess with “the winner’s tube”–then sinners were punished for misdemeanours real and imagined. The Circle was closed with a reminder that next week’s trail will be announced on this website when details have been confirmed: so please don't forget to register and make life a little easier for the hardworking MMC volunteers who order the food, drinks and other necessities! On On... Explainer – Hashing in Vung Tau: VTH3 relocated to a new Hash kennel at Lily’s Baradise (formerly Tommy’s), in February 2020. At the same time, a few malcontents convened an invalid AGM (the main instigator had been banned from VTH3 for anti-social behaviour so had no authority to convene official meetings); they then falsely claimed the incumbent MMC had been voted out–so not true then, not true now! These direct violations of the Worldwide Harrier Organization creed are already focusing attention onto the minority responsible, who still haven’t developed their own identity–instead continuing to copy our VTH3 branding and falsely claiming establishment in 1992 (instead of only 4 months ago)! Meanwhile, the real VTH3’s ongoing story continues on this site and social media, and we also communicate via our official mailing list–to which all friends of VTH3 are welcome: CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR MAILING LIST Footnote: We continue to reassess our activities every week to ensure compliance with the VN government’s latest Covid-19 edicts and advice; we wish all friends and fellow residents of Vung Tau a virus-free journey through these uncertain times–please stay safe!
RUN 938 PHOTO GALLERY
JUNE 14 2020
NUI DINH
Hares: Mr. T, Secs, Anagram, Velcro
Hash Flashers: Chom Chom, Mr. T, Ringmaster: Rain stopped play Report: Uncle
It was just starting to rain as 60+ Hashers gathered at Lily’s Baradise to pay run fees and load our assets onto the gleaming white Hashmobile for today’s away run on our favourite Nui Dinh mountain.
By the time we reached the run start near the end of Nui Dinh road, the rain had set in and visibility was down to less than 50 metres. We were fortunately granted permission to use a nearby restaurant for the Down Down (thanks to Mr T, Golden Fish and Chippy!), so “On On” we went and turned up a dirt track into the undergrowth after a Chalk Talk from co-Hare Secs that reminded everyone to follow the red tapes. Today’s route was circular, A-A, with the mid-point being a huge rock that would provide panoramic views in the dry season. Unfortunately, our wet season has now begun in earnest, so today’s views were limited accordingly! We continued around the undulating trail in small groups under the watchful eyes of the ubiquitous(!) Zidane, Anagram, Mr T and their fellow ‘human signposts’ helping to keep everyone on the right track. The rain was slowly beginning to ease a bit when we reached a long descent that required much care–especially for the junior Hashers and those not used to negotiating slippery, muddy tracks in the rain! We crossed a rickety bamboo bridge, continued along the ‘up’ but now mostly ‘down’ track, and then were suddenly back on the main road with just a short hike to the restaurant where some Hashers had already started preparing the fruit to accompany the filled banh mi rolls; thanks to Aqua and all foodies including Ms Canh (fruit), Chippy (‘hardware’) and all the volunteer ‘slicers and dicers’! Dry clothes were unpacked and ice-filled eskies opened, with lots of convivial chatter as the rain continued to ease–but not enough for anyone to leave the safe haven restaurant shelter! Eventually, with darkness approaching but the rain not yet stopped, it was decided to take a team photo inside the restaurant then load the bus for our return trip to Lily’s Baradise. Too wet for a Circle today (and no swimming pool!), but it’s a safe bet that Hares Secs, Velcro, Anagram and Mr T would have been awarded a high rating for the trail; and several Hash Virgins, returnees and visitors–including Russian travellers Nikita and Mariya–would have been given the usual warm ‘VTH3 welcome’. Instead, we were all treated to the Hash choir and ‘aisle dancers’ as our friendly driver switched on the disco lights for the journey home! Details of next week’s trail will be posted on Thursday evening, as usual: so watch this space, and please don't forget to register as it helps our hardworking MMC volunteers to manage the logistics so we can all enjoy the day! On On... Explainer – Hashing in Vung Tau: VTH3 moved to a new Hash kennel at Lily’s Baradise (formerly Tommy’s), at 3 Lê Ngọc Hân, Ward 1, in February. At the same time, a breakaway group formed as ‘VTCH3’ in a childish attempt to confuse the situation; it’s not surprising that they still haven’t developed a separate brand to help everyone realise there are two Hash chapters in Vung Tau, not one. Instead, they continue to cut and paste from our website to theirs, including our logo, ‘running man’ graphic and a claim that they’ve been running since 1992 instead of only 4 months ago! Meanwhile, the real VTH3’s ongoing story continues on this site and social media, and we also communicate via our official mailing list–to which all friends of VTH3 are welcome: CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR MAILING LIST Footnote: We continue to reassess our activities every week to ensure compliance with the VN government’s latest Covid-19 edicts and advice; we wish all friends and fellow residents of Vung Tau a virus-free journey through these uncertain times–please stay safe!
RUN 937 PHOTO GALLERY
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