VTH3# 1053

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26 MARCH  2023
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MONKEY ISLAND - CẦN GIỜ

Hares: Chippy
Hash Flashers: Chippy, Chom Chom, Mr. T
Ringmaster: Chom Chom
Report: Faulty Brakes 

“Tis not in mere mortals to demand success, Sempronius but we will do more, we will deserve it” wrote Thomas Addison and this philosophy has been the mainstay for Vung Tau Hash over the years, trying different trails and weekends away, always trying to be innovative. It’s been 2 years since we last visited this unique biosphere in Can Gio which in fact is now a suburb of Ho Chi Minh City and in recent years with the new ferry is a mere 35 minutes to Tran Phu in Vung Tau. How many hashes need 2 methods of transport to reach their destination and to return home?

Sitting on the upper deck of the ferry returning to Vung Tau watching the sunset while drinking some cold beers is one of those memories which will last for a long time. The day began early Sunday morning at Headquarters in Le Ngoc Hahn where supplies of drinks and food were loaded to our local Vanmans lorry for transportation to the Ferry at Tran Phu and with fees accounted for it was now time for the flotilla of motorcycles to proceed also.The logistics of today's trek left the Kudos with Chippy for the sensational organisation of everything, including tickets, bus hire and entry to Monkey Island and the Down Down venue on the beach. Disembarkation of the ferry took place and hashers and eskies were delivered to the awaiting Green Bus and a smiling driver. The bus was a local transport company who soon had us on the way to the Monkey Island site.

The chalk talk was simple, no red red ribbons today but take care of your sunglasses and phones as these thieving monkeys can cause no end of problems for naive visitors. On-On down the tarmac road and be careful. 

Monkeys? These are in fact long tailed macaques indigenous to South East Asia but monkeys to you and I. We soon encountered a marauding pack, sussing out potential victims for the old “sunglasses scam.” Chom Chom was today's Hash Flash and while taking a photo was attacked from behind by a fiendish primate despite the warning of the onlooking Faulty Brakes. One pair of designer Gregory Pecks gone as fast as you could say - On On. Never a problem, Vung Tau Hash has been dealing with monkeys for a long time. Negotiations took place with a local attendant who managed to swap a packet of biscuits for Chom Chom’s glasses and someone remarked “should have gone to Specsavers” The walk continued in sweltering conditions along the bamboo road encountering a facility to witness sleeping crocodiles suddenly become awake whilst visitors dangled fish in front of them (20000 vnd per fish bait)

The next port of call was a mockup of an old Viet Cong camp with video footage explaining the role of insurgents during the American War, a reminder of the terrible atrocities that were foisted on the Vietnamese people not so long ago. Time now for a leisurely retreat to our bus, 2 o’clock being the designated time and at 2.10 we were on the road again to the most exotic Down Down location on the beach. 

Banh Mi cool beers soft drinks were rapidly consumed to everyone’s approval, wind in the hair (for those who still have it) crashing waves, relaxing after the earlier exertions. The fly in the ointment came in the form of the uninhibited Vietnamese Karaoke singer, wailing like the proverbial banshee and the occasional shriek of a peacock that was caged close to us in a neighbouring house. Nobody took any notice and the afternoon slid slowly by. It was time to pack up and return to the ferry for the 5 o'clock sailing to Vung Tau.


Another magnificent Sunday in the long history of Vung Tau and to all the committee involved in today’s  excursion to Con Gio, take a bow and well done for such a magnificent achievement.

At the ferry Terminal, the Hashers dispersed, the lorry took the remaining supplies back to our store and further imbibing and pizza consumption took place late into the evening in Mr C’s, 

ON-ON - until next week

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