Dan Kindness speaks with the Swannies about the Battle of Long Tan after the Dawn Service
Mic Smith, journalist for the Vietnam News wrote the article below. Unfortunately, it was not published. Apparently there were even bigger news stories on that weekend.
The Australian Rules Football team, the Vietnam Swans, held the first ever ANZAC Friendship football match in Viet Nam in Vung Tau on Saturday 24 April 2010 to commemorate the Australian national day for war veterans.
The ANZAC match, played between team members from Ha Noi and HCM City, honored both Australians and Vietnamese war veterans. As a result, Viet Nam joined seven other Asian countries, which play ANZAC matches to commemorate the day.
ANZAC Day is the anniversary of the day Australian forces landed on the beach of Gallipoli, 95 years ago.
Playing in front of a diverse crowd of 400 people, a team made from Swans members from Hanoi, the Hanoi Hawks, beat their southern counterparts’ team, the Saigon Saints, by only one point, 63-62 at Lam Sôn Stadium in the coastal resort town.
The closely contested game was introduced by Australian Ambassador, Mr Allaster Cox and attended by Australian Consul General Mr Graeme Swift.
“I hope we are going to see a great tradition born here in Vung Tau with this match,” Ambassador Cox said later.
“For the football match and ANZAC day we are very grateful to the Government of Viet Nam for celebrating these remembrances,” he said.
He said the events commemorate all those who have died in war not just Australian veterans.
The Australian Consul General Graeme Swift said, “The match was absolutely fantastic. It was played in such good spirit, in very hot conditions and the crowd was so supportive of the event leading up to ANZAC day.”
“It was really good for the Australian – Vietnamese relationship,” he said.
The Saturday game, which preceded the ANZAC Dawn Service on Sunday morning at Long Tân near Vung Tau, took about three months to organise.
“It took a lot of work and was the most cooperative efforts for a game that Vietnam Swans have done so far”, said Phil Johns, Vietnam Swans National President.
He said people from Ha Noi, Hoi An, HCM City, Vung Tau and Singapore contributed to making the event happen.
Johns said it was a daunting task organising the first ANZAC Friendship match but all involved were strengthened by the knowledge that sport is such a great way to build relationships.
He said, “The Vietnam Swans hope that this match will help build the ever strengthening friendship between two friends: Australia and Viet Nam.”
The event raised VND14,000,000 for the Tinh Xa Ngoc Duc orphanage in Vung Tau. The kids from the center attended the event and took part in half time football activities.
As part of the long weekend, Swans players took part in a coaching clinic for kids from a local orphanage on Friday; a tour of the sites of the sites of Australian wartime bases in Vung Tau and Núi Dất; visited memorials to Vietnamese soldiers; took part in the dawn service at Long Tân along with about 650 attendees and raised money for swimming lessons for Vietnamese children in the central region.
Johns said they were raising the money because drownings in the central region account for more child fatalities than road deaths.
Dan Kindness the assistant Australian Defense Attache, helped organise the tours and also played in the match for the winning Ha Noi side
He said it was hard to organize but the experience was overwhelmingly positive and had built a lot of excitement in Vung Tau. He said the football match would definitely be on again next year.
