Dan Hopkins and Patty train in Hanoi on an island in the Red River, next to the Long Bien railway bridge

On Saturday, the Vietnam Swans in Hanoi did the switch. Following a mid week inspection by Trav and Willy, the Swans changed their training venue moving from the UN International School to an island in the middle of the Red River.

A soccer pitch has been cleared and a fence put around it. It’s next to Hanoi’s famous Long Bien railway bridge. Willy reports from the Nation’s capital:

This has to be one of the most surreal AFL training spots in the world. On an island, located near the famous Long Bien railway bridge on the Hong Song (Red) River. The bridge was designed by Gustav Eiffel, who also of course designed the Eiffel Tower.

The bridge, which crosses the Red River to connect two parts of Hanoi, was one of the four biggest bridges in the world when it was built in 1902.

The Long Bien Bridge is regarded as a symbol that connects the past and the present to create an “immortal” Hanoi.

Training will be back on again in Hanoi next Saturday at 12.30pm.

Recruiting the locals