FEBRUARY 21 2021
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BIG MOUNTAIN

Hares: Bull Ant, Chippy, Chom Chom, Secs
Hash Flashers: Chom Chom, Mr. T, Secs
Ringmaster: Chom Chom
Report: Zidane

Good morning hashers as Sunday had arrived for the Chief Stoker and Jolly Farewell tour Run 973. A quick message around with a few Mismanagement Hashers to check on food supplies and taxis and drinks and fruit all good as numbers were rising faster than Vung Tau taxi meter. As we arrived at Tommy’s Bar to begin Registration our ever vigilant Hares Secs and Bullant were out setting a safer return to Tommy’s Bar rather then slippery slope not so good for the elder statesperson. 

As the hashers arrived the old and new we quickly got on with Registrations and collected the money for the trail over 50 plus a lot to do, Sparkles was early - hihi, Miss Cahn on time - smile. Boo! HBO late again.

Go Go Mobile taxis arrived, eskies filled, trail set - On On.  As the happy Hashers rode off to the pagoda only to leave the Old, Bald, Fat, and Secs behind we quickly ordered a taxi and headed for the Pagoda. On arrival a big thank you to Hasher Aqua for paying for the go-go Mobiles as this made life so much easier for Barry The Bookie the Hash Money Man. 

A quick chat about the trail and the destination and off we went a mere 600 steps to the top off the hill with the small shrine. Some were quick, some not so quick but all safely arrived at the top to be greeted by a lovely cool Vung Tau sea breeze and warm smiles and now we could enjoy a stroll through the mountainside on the Thompson Trail named after the lovely couple who discovered the way down the Mountain to Vi Ba. Uphill and down dale and around trees over rocks meandering along on a lovely Sunday afternoon, birds chirping, ladies chatting, kids laughing, some puffing and panting - oh what a beautiful day.

As we escaped the beautiful countryside for the tar and cement of Vi Ba road and on on downhill all the way even more so if you took the slippery slope - hmm. Down we went past the drink and food stall a few Hashers bought a drink or a snack for the Tin Lids. Past the lovely Billabong Ladies enjoying their well earned Tet Holiday in the Café chilling. Past the Monkey Pagoda, far more better behaved than them Monkey Brats at Minh Dam and Monkey Island - Grrrr. 

As we strolled down the road to our destination to our 5 star residence at Tommy's Bar for our Down Down, some came by the front door some by the back door, and by the look on some of the faces must have been quite a ride down the slippery slope - hehehe. Back safe and sound and settled down for a banana and a refreshment, then we heard the call photo so all 50 plus Hashers stage right with the banner for video and photo with our resident movie mogul Chom Chom. 

Next the food arrived - chicken and chips. As Chom Chom and his ever reliable lady group went to work and set up the mouth watering feast,  watched ever so closely by Bullant, Doyle and the kids. Photos done so let the feast begins like ducks to water they began to enjoy themselves, beer, food, music and laughter and then came time for the Cheers and Tears as we bid farewell to Chief Stoker and Jolly. Out came the cake, the tears and the selfies and Hugs and Speeches and the presentation from the Hash a special edition hasher cup. As they said their goodbyes to all their Hash friends and the sun set on the Yardarm we bid them a safe and happy Journey Bon Voyage until we meet again. Be safe, stay happy and well and remember when riding a bike two hands and no phone - HOHOHO. 

A big thank you to Chom Chom, Smiley, Chippy for the food and Taxis etc. For the Hares Secs, Bullant, Chom Chom, Chippy for the trail. Mr T and his Eskie Crew, Faulty Brakes for the ice.

ON-ON till next Sunday

RUN 973 GALLERY

FEBRUARY 14 2021
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BIG MOUNTAIN

Hares: Bull Ant, Chippy, Chom Chom, Secs
Hash Flashers: Chom Chom
Ringmaster: Chom Chom
Report: Secs

The excitement was palpable as nearly 40 eager Hashers, including six visitors from our sibling Saigon Hash, gathered at Tommy’s for the first trail of the Lunar New Year. The trail had been promoted as the Valentine's Day ‘love’ trail and was promised to have everything on offer ‘Views, pagodas, cannons, underground torpedos, bunkers, and the beach’. As it transpired the trail lived up to every expectation.

A team of volunteers gathered the beer, soft drinks, fruit and food and ensconced it neatly in to the eskies, and loaded it onto the waiting beer truck. Then it was on to motorbikes and into taxis as we headed to our favourite Beach Hash Shack on Trần Phú Street. Here we gathered around co-Hare Secs who told us that we’d be starting and finishing at the Beach shack and pointing to the large crucifix perched high atop the mountain behind us where we’d be coming down from at the end of the trail. We were instructed to walk for a kilometer along the road where we would be given further instructions. 

And so, On-On we go!

We marched along the road enjoying the cool sea breeze until we reached the Hem where Secs was waiting for us and explained the rest of the trail - basically - make sure you follow the red ribbons - not be confused with the other green, blue and yellow ribbons you may encounter. As soon as we’d walked up the Hem we encountered our first obstacle - a steep rocky cliff and some overgrown steps that would lead us to an old war time pill box style bunker and the first viewpoint of the afternoon.

Beyond the bunker we found ourselves on a pleasant forest path where the fallen brown leaves from the deciduous trees and cool air gave it an unusually autumnal feel. The path took us to Ganh Ray Battery - an old French Battle station with six large cannons dating from 1870. A perfect place for a rest and photos. Just beyond here we were able to visit the ‘Underground Torpedo’ cave that was used to store the ammunition for the cannon.

Next we have an easy walk along the concrete path that leads to Ho May Park with plenty of opportunities for more jaw dropping views (and photos) of the seascapes of Vung Tau. An ice lemon tea vendor does well as our thirsty Hashers stop to hydrate. Soon we see the red ribbons and our Hares pointing us to follow a steep road on the right of the path.

This steep path takes us to a quaint pagoda where more red ribbon takes us back in to the forest. This narrow rocky path takes us to the apex of the mountain where again we are greeted with a vertiginous view. Then we begin the first descent of the day. The path takes us down a dry and dusty slope that is slippy underfoot - grabbing hold of any trees we can reach we carefully make our way down. And then - it's back up again - a short but steep climb takes up to the aforementioned crucifix and many of us are relieved to know we are on the home stretch of the trail.

From the crucifix there are many, many uneven steps down past many gleaming white Christian statues depicting the fourteen Stations of the Cross finally culminating with the massive Mother Maria statue. Finally we exit through the grounds resplendent with colourful Tet flowers and then it’s just a hop, skip and a jump back to the Beach Shack.

Back at the Shack we rest our weary legs and indulge ourselves with ice cold drinks and get stuck in to a fantastic array of pastries, banh mi and fruit enjoying the great view of the sea. 

Circle time! On the beach, we gather around our Ring Master Chom Chom as he introduces the Hares who are rated with some excellent scores. Next up we have five virgins including Stewart and Thuy Cha-Ching from the legendary bar The Office. All are welcomed with the ‘We are Vung Tau Hashers’ song. Next up we have one returnee and no less than six visitors from Saigon Hash - Shithouse, Allowetty, Fuji Bush, Kama Sutra, For Rent and Tran. 

With the circle over we take the time to enjoy the magnificent golden sunset with a few cold beers before dispersing into the night tired but satisfied - another great Sunday with Vung Tau Hash House Harriers!

RUN 972 GALLERY

FEBRUARY 7 2021
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BIG MOUNTAIN

Hares: Bull Ant, Chippy, Mr. T, Secs
Hash Flashers: Chom Chom, Secs, Others
Ringmaster: NA
Report: Chom Chom

With the success of the great Vung Tau Hash (VTH3) “All-Dayer” to Cần Giờ last weekend and countless away trails of late, Run 971 took us on a closer to home, local trail around Big Mountain to check out the new huge golden Buddha.

Hashers eagerly gathered at Tommy’s for another afternoon of fun, excitement, exploration and discovery. An encouraging start to the day as numbers far exceeded the expectations from the registration list although luckily a fair bit lower than the current Covid-19 limit of 50. A special VTH3 welcome to fellow Saigon Hasher Paddy Fag.

After an informal yet informative introduction of the trail ahead from Secs together with another reminder to register, Hashers headed along Lê Ngọc Hân towards Hem 88 climbing the stairs up to Vi Ba Street. We carried on a short distance greeting the friendly neighbours enjoying their exercise and roadside coffee before turning into the mountain. 

A rugged but shady path took us through the forest and up into the mountain as we trudged ever nearer to the huge, shiny golden Buddha that had recently appeared on Big Mountain. Upon arriving at this magnificent construction, Hashers took a break to admire, to pray and of course to take the odd selfie or two.

We took a path with rather crude fencing along the rear of Buddha back into the forest and climbed further up before arriving at the strenuous “power-lines” to eventually hit the mountain peak. From here a much more gentle path took us along the familiar meandering “waterfall” trail, finally returning to Vi Ba where we met some familiar faces from another local hiking group.  We followed the street back down the mountain enjoying the views over the ocean and passing the various food and Nước mía stalls where many Hashers took a brief break to rejuvenate and refresh themselves. 

For those Hashers that were following the long-established VTH3 red ribbons, the trail took us through the Bồ Đề Pagoda before finally bringing us to the beach road at Hem 12 Trần Phú. Others continued along Vi Ba and returned to Tommy’s via the steps leading back to Lê Ngọc Hân.

One-by-one Hashers arrived back to our home at Tommy’s where super-iced beer and soft drinks were waiting together with a market garden of fruit and some rather spicy Bánh mì’s. A team photo was taken, albeit missing a few early leavers, and as the afternoon turned to evening our group slowly diminished leaving only a few to enjoy the Perfect Jive Duo along with Randy’s legendary wood-fired pizzas.

Another great Sunday afternoon with Vung Tau Hash (VTH3). Look out for next weeks run details on the regularly updated website and Facebook. On On

RUN 971 GALLERY

JANUARY 31 2021
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MONKEY ISLAND - CẦN GIỜ​

Hares: Bull Ant, Chippy, Chom Chom, Secs
Hash Flashers: Chom Chom, Secs, Uncle
Ringmaster: Chom Chom
Report: Uncle

A much earlier start than normal for this week’s ‘all dayer’ at Can Gio began with 9.30am rego at Tommy’s, with Mr T and Anagram doing the honours.

Eskies loaded, our next stop was the new ferry terminal at 126 Tran Phu (near the ‘fishing village’ seafood restaurants on the western side of Big Mtn), collect our tickets from ‘Hare extraordinaire’ Chippy, board the ferry and “On On” to today’s new adventure!

We offloaded at Can Gio terminal after a short but pleasant trip, and soon found the local nuoc mia stall while waiting for today’s Hashmobile to arrive from Saigon. And then it was “On On” again–this time to the aptly named Monkey Island Rung Sac war zone with its crocodiles, war relics, mangroves, and hordes of mischievous monkeys that quickly left at least three Hashers without sunglasses!

The trail was long, but very interesting and easy enough to follow–a nice, relaxed afternoon in the shady forest park!

Several hours later, a happy, weary and hungry bunch of Hashers climbed aboard the distinctive red chariot, bound for the beachside Down Down area which had been selected by the Hares.

An amazing array of food and drink quickly appeared–with chicken, sausage rolls (pies?), banh mi(!), many kinds of fruit and ice cold drinks to satisfy even the hungriest and thirstiest Hashers!  And then Chippy unveiled not one but two birthday cakes for Bull Ant, despite his denials of reaching the grand old age of 47! (which is only 16 in Hash years, anyway…).

Team photo by Chom Chom and Circle Up–the superlative efforts of Hares Chippy, Secs, Bull Ant and Chom Chom were appropriately rewarded with several scores over 10 and a round of applause by their happy colleagues!

Ringmaster Chom Chom welcomed one delightful family of Hash Virgins and returnee Uncle, but no sinners this week, despite Zidane having spent the entire day in flip flops!

Then it was back to the ferry and arguably the highlight of the day with a calm sea, cool breeze, reddening sky, music box playing ‘golden oldies’ and lots of happy Hashers helping to empty the eskies while dancing around the huge open top deck–a fabulous end to the day for most, with the ‘hard core’ returning to Tommy’s to help unload, drink a few more, tell lies, and appreciate the music from an excellent blues group.  What a day!
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On On!

RUN 970 GALLERY

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS FROM UNCLE