27 AUGUST 2023

AN NHẤT - BA RIA

Hares: Bull Ant, Mr. T, Secs, Chippy
Hash Flashers: Chippy, Chom Chom
Ring Master: Chom Chom
Report: Faulty Brakes

This week’s run to An Nhat saw a bumper crowd anxious to visit the rice paddies near Ba Ria. A full bus with standing room only whisked itself to Ba Ria to visit the production of Vietnam’s most famous agricultural product. The bane of the hash reporter is the weekly description of the climb and the descent of the run, which is identical for nearly every trail. Today’s trail was much more sedate with no climbing and a gentle stroll through concrete paths similar to the office yearly outings of the past when ‘team building’ was seen as an important part of employment. We welcomed back Pineapple Bill after a short illness, Bill who hails from the city of literary giants such as Joyce, Shaw, Yeats, and we are delighted to have Pineapple Bill back on board the Good Ship VTH3. Negotiating the Ba Ria countryside it was easy to comprehend the importance of the role that rice plays in the Vietnamese economy and being the second largest producer after India in the world.

We arrived at Ban Hoi An Nhất some 45 minutes after leaving Vung Tau, this was to be our temporary home for this Sunday’s hash and our excursion into Vietnamese cuisine. What an excellent choice by Chippy as many locals verified this choice by partaking in the local cuisine and hashers licked their lips in anticipation of the forthcoming feast. The start of the hash was called and to demonstrate the paths to be taken when Secs (complete with red ribbons) to show the pre marked trail. Sacks of harvested rice dotted the trail and farmers still worked the paddies while observing the unusual visitors from Vung Hash. The mountains of Ba Ria could be observed in the distance and seeing the small canals dissect the rice fields to supply the essential water for the production of the rice was extremely interesting.

One hour later everyone straggled back to our temporary home to avail of the waiting necessary coolants and thirst quenchers. The usual pan-global nature of the hash was demonstrated by Irish, English, Scottish, Australian and New Zealanders along with our Indigenous partners from Vietnam along with the diverse demographic, from Mr Chom Chom’s new addition of one month to let’s say + 70 years old. The Down Down is always the hashers favourite time, a time to relax and eat, a time to enjoy the gourmet experience of local cuisine. The Down-Down was orchestrated by the new Hash Daddy, Chom Chom, where newcomers were welcomed, sinners were chastised for some heinous Crimes as wearing new shoes, and future events were planned that were to be put in one’s diary . 

Looking around at our intimate gathering I pondered to think how hashers in future generations would observe the reports we keep for posterity, although hashing is not unique to Vung Tau, let’s hope they would look kindly on the nature of our diversity. Run 1075 was another great run in our long history and would never have occurred without the sterling work of our selfless committee. Alas, it was time to depart for home with drinks trolley in premium seats and the music playing what a great way to end the annual works outing, sorry something went wrong there, it was our weekly hash. Trundling into Headquarters in Le Ngoc Han the naughty smoke behind the school bicycle shed i.e a few swifties of Saigon Chill were put to the sword prior to eskeys being stored for another week. Further fun was observed later in Mr C’s with Pizzas and those who have no home to go to were spotted later in the Red Parrot..

On On!

RUN 1075 GALLERY

20 AUGUST 2023

​LONG HAI MOUNTAINS

Hares: Bull Ant, Mr. T, Secs, Chippy
Hash Flashers: Chippy, Secs
Ring Master: Uncle
Report: Uncle

Weather: Overcast but no rain. Ideal Hashing weather!
Hash Cash: 1 pm run fees, Mr T @ Nắng Vũng Tàu, 5 Lê Ngọc Hân, Ward 1.
Total Hashers: 31
Trail: Debussed in Long Hai countryside then walked several hundred metres to hear Secs’ Chalk Talk under shade. Followed red tapes along track and into the bush, then uphill over rocky trail mostly obscured by long grass until it finally levelled out near shrine and lookout rocks. Then continued across top of mountain past several caves to more lookout rocks near monks’ commune and breathtaking views over East Sea. Down other side on mostly concrete track then rock steps to ground level. Total distance about 5-1/2 km.
Highlights: Monks’ commune, lookout rocks, shrines.
Special interest: Sulfur lake, flooded caves, ‘frozen cellar’, moto bồng lai (motocross) trail. Ongoing construction of new pagoda at foot of Minh Dam mountain.
Down Down: Minh Dam carpark.
Refreshments: Saigon Chill, water, softies, banh mi (shared by some with well-behaved local dogs).
Circle: Hares introduced and thanked (trail rating 14/10). Hash virgins welcomed. Returnees “Busy” and/or “Parents too lazy”, but special congrats to “Studying for uni entrance exam (passed)”! Group of sinners who bypassed red tapes and at least one lookout given benefit of doubt because getting dark (despite Bishop standing by to ‘baptise’ them all!). Other business: everyone invited to contact Hares if they’d like to help set trails.
On on on: Unloaded and stored assets, then ‘one for the road’ and on to Mr C’s.
Next week: Watch this space and facebook page: @VungTauHHH for more details of next week’s run. 
“On On”

RUN 1074 GALLERY

13 AUGUST 2023

NÚI TÓC TIÊN

Hares: Bull Ant, Mr. T, Secs, Chippy
Hash Flashers: Chippy, Secs
Ring Master: NA
Report: Secs

This week saw our Hares return to Núi Tóc Tiên for the second time since the trail was found more than a year ago. Since this trail is a little further away it was deemed that we would set off at the earlier time of 11am. Multiple reminders were sent out over the usual social media channels and, true to form, at 11am most of our Hashers turned up on time at our home base Bếp Nắng - with one exception - who after a quick phone call arrived within 10 mins. Our trusty bus driver, Mr. An, arrived on time and, after a short wait for someone to arrive with keys to the storage under the bus, our volunteers were able to load the eskies full of our favourite tipple Saigon Chill, soft drinks and Bánh mì.

Soon we were hurtling towards Ba Ria making a couple of stops along the way to collect yet more eager Hashers. Our journey took us beyond Ba Ria taking the back road around Núi Dinh. Then it started to rain… this was slightly disconcerting to our Hares who knew that this trail could be a bit slippery when wet.

The Hashmobile takes a left turn on to a narrow sealed road which soon turns in a even narrower dirt track, Mr. An expertly navigates over the pot holes and we arrive at our starting point, a small homestead at the base of the mountain. As we disembark it’s still raining ever so slightly and many Hashers reach for their raincoats. After a couple of minutes we are blessed with the emergence of the sun and co-Hare Secs gives the “trail talk” - it’s going to be an up and down trail, 2.5km up to the summit and 2.5km back the same way to the starting point. It will be a bit steep at the beginning with a resting point about half way up with a temple with a magnificent viewpoint. After that we are to continue through the jungle until we reach the summit - once there it will be a bit of climb on to a big rock where we will be rewarded with a spectacular view of the surrounding area.

So On-On!

We hop across puddles and other water obstacles until we come to a ridge where Mr. T is waiting to show us the entrance to the trail that goes on to the jungle. Secs wasn’t kidding when he said it was a bit steep - and those that had donned raincoats were soon folding them up and returning them to their backpacks. Flanked by lush bamboo and ancient trees we ascend the rocky path until it eventually levels out and we find ourselves at the quaint temple nestled on the side of the mountain. Time to take a breath and rehydrate before climbing up the steps carved out of a rock that leads to the first great view of the day. 

The next leg of the trail takes a leafy path through thick bamboo until we reach a low hanging rock that forms a kind of cave that we have to hunker down and spelunk our way through to the otherside. From here it is not far to the summit. Access to the large rock at the top is hindered by wild brush and shrubbery however the intrepid Hashers hoist themselves through and on to the rock. Gasps of awe are heard as we look out over the landscape - those that were earlier to arrive are treated to the wispy clouds beneath while the later to arrive found themselves ensconced in the actual clouds and a fresh breeze. Photos and selfies abound as we gather round the 433m marker at the top - a symbolic reward for our endeavours. The return trail is steep and slippery luckily there was no shortage of bamboo to hang on to as we made our way down through the slippery leaves and mud.

Back at base the eskies have been laid out by the Hash Liters and the usual conviviality ensues. Ice-cold Saigon Chills, copious amounts of Revive and soft drinks slake our thirst while delicious roast pork Bánh mì provide some much needed sustenance. Some Hashers have been foraging in the jungle and return with armfuls of bamboo shoots that will be boiled up and added to soup. There is just enough time to take a team photo before boarding the Hashmobile and heading back to Vung Tau.

Back at Bếp Nắng the eskies are unloaded and put to bed in the store room ready for next week’s run. The usual die-hards pop next door to Mr. C’s to continue the Chill trail and devour Randy’s famous pizzas and ribs.

Another great day out!
Until next time…

On-On!!!

RUN 1073 GALLERY

6 AUGUST 2023

LONG SON ISLAND

Hares: Bull Ant, Mr. T, Secs, Chippy
Hash Flashers: Chippy, Secs
Ring Master: NA
Report: Bull Ant

Woohoo...it's Sunday! Time for run number 1072 where our hares, Chippy, Secs, Mr. T, and Bull Ant have set a trail in the hills of Long Son Island. So, as usual, after registration the bus was loaded with an abundance of food, beer, water, and soft drink it was time to head off. It wasn't long before we arrived at our starting point where Secs would address the group and explain the day's trail.

The trail started along a pathway through local suburbia where karaoke appeared to be the order of the day with locals still partying from the night before. Once through the village it was on on and up up. We were virtually straight into a climb that would take the group up to a height of around 160 metres. Those that took the time to look around whilst climbing up would have noticed the spectacular views overlooking Long Son island and beyond. On top of the hill we passed a wooden structure that looked as though it was held together with the same red tape used for marking our trails...interesting? Thanks to the Hares there was no shortage of red ribbons and everyone made it safely through a very overgrown, almost non existent section of track. From that point on, things were a little easier with a straight forward path leading us to the location of the down down, a very comfortable coffee shop with seating for all.

With the trail being approximately 3.5km, all Hashers reached the down down in pretty quick time (with the exception of our Hash Liters who claimed to have walked 10km) which allowed heaps of time for all to enjoy the very tasty pork and noodles, along with the mandatory Revive and Saigon Chill. After a few refreshments and the usual banquet of food, it was time for the photo, after which everyone went into auto pilot mode and boarded the bus.

With the bus departing somewhat earlier than usual and a short trip home, we arrived back at Nang in daylight, which is rare in recent times. With many hands making light work, the bus was unpacked and the refreshments continued, until the smell of Mr. C's pizza's wafting over from next door became too much. With the die hards following their noses next door, it was time for pizza and more Saigon Chill.

As always, another great day!

On-On!

RUN 1072 GALLERY