The Amazing Race Vietnam: Cuộc đua kỳ thú 2014 is the third season of The Amazing Race Vietnam, a Vietnamese reality competition show based on the American series The Amazing Race. It featured nine teams of two in a race around Vietnam for 300 million₫.
The program premiered on VTV6 and aired every Saturday and Sunday primetime (7:55 p.m. UTC+7) from 21 June to 31 August 2014. The host for this season is Huy Khánh.
Singer and Athlete Hương Giang and Criss were the winners of this season.
The season was filmed in early 2014.
Unique to this season, each leg aired with two-part episodes.
The final Detour featured moderately-famous musician Anh Bằng and Vietnam's Got Talent season 2 semifinalist Nguyễn Phương as judges.
The show was sponsored by Sting Energy Drink.
This season was another celebrity edition, but this time featuring many celebrities who were chosen to race on the show as well as non-celebrities. The cast was announced in May.
Huê "Mint" Nguyễn died on 13 March 2021 at the age of 39 due to cancer.[1]
Hương Giang Nguyễn and Huy Phương "Criss" Lai, as well as Minh Long Nguyễn and Sơn Ngọc Minh (who compete as separate teams), later competed in the fifth season which aired in 2016.[2] Hương Giang appeared on the sixth season as a clue giver during the third episode and served as the host during the seventh episode in 2019.[3]
The following teams participated in the season, with their relationships at the time of filming. Note that this table is not necessarily reflective of all content broadcast on television due to inclusion or exclusion of some data.
Airdates: 21 & 22 June 2014
In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to rappel off of the bridge to reach the bottom of a hanging rope, where they would grab two bottles of Sting. They would then get a clue instructing them to travel alone to Muong Thanh Hotel, where they had to search for their partner who was hidden somewhere on the 18th, 19th or 20th floor. Once reunited, they would receive their next clue.
This season's first Detour was a choice between Ăn (Eat) or Học (Learn). In Ăn, teams would have to properly cook three vegetarian meals: tofu, water spinach and prepared peanuts. In Học, teams had to memorize a spoken poem by Nguyên Hỏa, both the original version written in old Vietnamese, and the modern translated version. If they could recite both versions correctly, teams would get their next clue.
Airdates: 28 & 29 June 2014
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member would have to apply shaving cream to three balloons and then use a straight-edge razor to shave it off. If any of the balloons popped, teams had to serve a 15-minute penalty before trying again.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Trống (Drum) or Chè (Candy). In Trống, teams traveled to a nearby temple. Once there, teams would have to balance on a seesaw. One team member had to raise their partner up high enough to be able to strike a drum three times, making sure not to go too low themselves or they would pop the balloons that were attached to the underside. They then exchange all the flags they were holding to their partner on the other side, letting neither side of the seesaw touch the ground. In Chè, teams would have to make a traditional candy called Che Lam. If a judge was satisfied with their cooking, they would receive their next clue. Both Detours had only a maximum of two work stations.
Airdates: 5 & 6 July 2014
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to hold a spoon in their mouth and balance an egg on it. While balancing the egg, they had to observe the statues of soldiers around the memorial. After this, they would be asked how many soldiers there were (29) and how many soldiers with hats there were (28). If teams got the correct answer, they would receive their next clue. If not, they had to wait 15 minutes before trying again. Only two teams could attempt this task at a time.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Quân (Soldier) or Dân (Citizen). In Quân, teams had to dig a precise, exact rectangular hole into the ground, following military specifications, to receive their next clue. In Dân, teams had to use bamboo-frame bicycles to transfer four bags each filled with 40 kg (88 lb) of rice across the village to a marked location to receive their next clue.
Airdates: 12 & 13 July 2014
This leg's Detour was a choice between Tinh Mắt (Sharp-Eyed) or Siêng Năng (Diligent). In Tinh Mắt, teams would have enter the water and observe a group of swimming ducks in a pond. They had to look closely and pick out two ducks with ribbons around their feet matching the team's colour to get their next clue. In Siêng Năng, teams had to use the provided tools to harvest 15 kg (33 lb) of the nearby plants and prepare feed for the elephants, and then had to feed 5 kg (11 lb) of the feed to the elephants. They then had to clean up elephant waste until they had collected 50 kg (110 lb) and had to transport it to a disposal site.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to make their way to the boats beneath the bridge, where they would learn a traditional Hò love song. They had 30 minutes to memorize and perform this song to get their next clue. If they performed the song wrong, they would receive a 15-minute penalty.
Airdates: 19 & 20 July 2014
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to ride the park's zipline. During the ride, they would have to memorize the numbers they saw along the ride. Then, they had to punch in the string of numbers in the correct order as they appeared to dial a person who would have their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Truyền Thống (Tradition) or Hiện Đại (Modern). In Truyền Thống, teams had to take a basket and wade into the Perfume River. where they would use it to collect snails from the waterbed. Once they had collected at least 5 kg (11 lb), teams would get their next clue. In Hiện Đại, teams had to use the provided tools and materials to install a work of modern art. Once their work was approved by a judge, teams would get their next clue.
Airdates: 26 & 27 July 2014
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to dive down to a coral reef where they had to search for one of many underwater boxes. They could use a provided key to open these boxes, and only one of them would contain a glass sphere, which they could bring back to the boat and exchange for their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Lên Núi (Mountain Top) or Xuống Biển (Deep Sea). In Lên Núi, teams had to search around an incredibly rocky and unstable path of one of the Hon Mun islands, looking for their next clue hidden amongst the rocks. In Xuống Biển, they had to properly repair a broken salvage net at a different Hon Mun island.
Airdates: 2 & 3 August 2014
For this season's only Fast Forward, each team member from one team had to eat an incredibly large serving lamb to win the Fast Forward award.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to enter a pen of sheep and herd two sheep into adjoining pens, one with a green bandana and one with a red bandana. However, they would be blindfolded and had to rely only on verbal clues from their partner.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Đất Đai (Land) or Cây Trái (Fruit Trees). In Đất Đai, teams had to travel to the pottery village where they would have to craft a local clay pot to exact specifications. In Cây Trái, teams made their way to the little farm where they had to care for the grape plants by trimming the vines and branches and then harvest grapes.
Airdates: 9 & 10 August 2014
This leg's Detour was a choice between Lịch Sử (History) or Truyền Thống (Tradition). In Lịch Sử, teams had to use a series of numerical codes to reveal a passphrase. The numbers would reference specific pages, lines and words in Vietnamese history books. Once they had the correct phrase, they would get their next clue. In Truyền Thống, each team member would have to weave together a traditional thatched basket.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to utilize a large slingshot to fire a coconut at a hanging pan. They would fire five coconuts and had to hit the target three times. Every time they failed, they would have to wait a 15-minute penalty, and would then receive extra shots (7 and then 10) and have to hit the target one less time (2 and then 1).
Airdates: 16 & 17 August 2014
This leg's Detour was a choice between Phóng Tên (Throwing Arrows) or Phất Cờ (Flag Waving). In Phóng Tên, teams had to make their way to a high point of the mountain, on the way retrieving a sticker. Once at the top, they could exchange it for 10 sticks. They had to toss these sticks into a faraway jug, having them land inside. One team member had to throw the sticks from atop their partner's back. Once teams could sink three sticks within 10 throws, they would get their next clue. If they ran out of sticks, they had to climb back down to receive another sticker. In Phất Cờ, one team member would have to travel across the cliffs to a lookout point and use flag semaphore to convey a message to their partner, who remained at the starting point. If the message was conveyed correctly, teams would get their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to fire a shotgun at launched clay pigeons. Once they had hit and destroyed five clay pigeons, they would receive their next clue. They only had 16 bullets to do this, and if they ran out of bullets they would have to wait 30 minutes before they would receive their next clue.
Airdates: 23 & 24 August 2014
This leg's Detour was a choice between Tình Yêu (Love) or Khoảng Cách (Distance) In Tình Yêu, teams would choose a key and had to search among thousands of love locks attached to the railing near the tower, attached there by couples in love, for a lock with the Amazing Race logo and unlock it with their key to receive their next clue. In Khoảng Cách, teams made their way to the top of the tower. From there, they had to figure out how far away the tower was from Buenos Aires, Santiago, Rio de Janeiro and Hanoi. They then had to combine these distances into a total amount to get their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to select a bun or bread product from a basket and eat it. They would then flip over the card placed in front of the basket, which had been dealt out randomly. If teams flipped over a black card, they had to try again. If they flipped over a red card, they would get their next clue. If they flipped over a joker, they had to wait 15 minutes before trying again.
Airdates: 30 & 31 August 2014
In this season's final Roadblock, one team member had to play a game similar to beer pong, where they had to bounce a ping pong ball on the table and try to get it to land in three cups of water. Their partner, meanwhile, would be placed into a glass box and slowly lowered into the water. The one performing the Roadblock had to get all three ping pong balls into the three cups of water before 1 minute 30 seconds. Once successful, they would get their next clue. If they failed five times in a row, then after that, the balls would not be reset after each failed attempt.
This season's final Detour was a choice between Ca Hát (Singing) or Ảo Thuật (Fantasy Art). In Ca Hát, teams had to learn and sing the song "'O sole mio" to receive their next clue. In Ảo Thuật, teams had to learn how to perform a series of magic tricks to receive their next clue.