Pascal Lefebvre reports:
The 1st official Vietnam Fun Cup was held in 2000 in a sleepy little fishing town which was blessed with wind. This small town has turned into one of the most popular water sports destinations in Asia. The Fun Cup event has grown in popularity and skill level. This year was something special as we welcomed the 20th anniversary of this historical event.
This year’s event was on Friday the 25th and 26th of January. We understood that the Wind Gods had saved the best conditions for the last day. Beautiful north-east winds started to blow at 09.00 am. It got stronger hour by hour. That´s the Mui Ne tradition. This year’s event saw riders from Vietnam, Israel, Korea, England, Estonia, Thailand, Singapore, Russia, Egypt and Germany. It shows once again the international attention this event has.
With the morning races coming to an end we saw Maksim Koshkin, Maksim Oberemko, Alexy Trusov and Truong Ky Tai fighting for the top 3 positions in the men´s fleet, whilst the women continued to battle it out. Anna Sagulenko, Tram Kim Chi and Armelle Burk had great racing battles.
After a quick refuel and a significant increase in wind, the final 4 heats began. The conditions were pushing all riders to their limits. At this point, we saw a very special rider for the 20th Anniversary. Rom Levi threw down an amazing performance at the incredible age of 13. Rom managed to put a lot of veteran riders to shame holding a very impressive 7th place in the first two heats. Keep one eye open and expect to see Rom working his way up, hopefully to a world-class level.
The evening closing ceremony, prize giving and party atmosphere did not disappoint. Riders, family and friends ate, drank and danced the night away to the unforgettable sounds of the Gwennili band and traditional Vietnamese dancing.
The Vietnam Fun Cup is not just about bringing like-minded people together, but it is also focused on a local charity orphanage Anh Sang Orphanage, La Gi, Việt Nam. All proceeds from the race event, as well as funds generated from both evening parties, are donated to this fantastic charity, helping to give those less fortunate a loving, caring and educational environment. Anyone wishing to make a donation to this cause can visit Jibe’s Beach Club where your efforts will be warmly received.
Massive thanks to all our fabulous sponsors which made this event so much more exciting with some very valuable prizes to win. We would like to thank all competitors, organizers, volunteers and spectators for making the Vietnam Fun Cup possible, and for helping to make one of the most enjoyable events in the annual Mui Ne Calendar.
See you all next year on the 7th and 8th of February!
