The Amazing Race Vietnam 2019
The Amazing Race Vietnam: Cuộc đua kỳ thú 2019 is the sixth season of the reality television game show, "The Amazing Race Vietnam". It featured ten teams of two celebrities in a race around Vietnam for 300 million₫. The season premiered on July 7, 2019 on VTV3 and aired every Saturday (20:00 UTC+7). Singer and "The Voice of Vietnam" contestant Song Luân as well as singer and former racer Hương Giang hosted this season replacing Huy Khánh. Beauty queens Đặng Thị Lệ Hằng and H'Hen Niê were the winners of this season. Production. Development and  filming. In May 2019, rumors circulated that VTV3 and BHD were attempting to revive the franchise after a three year hiatus from the previous season. Soon after, open casting calls for a new season of "The Amazing Race Vietnam" appeared. Filming for this season began on May 17, 2019, when fans of the show spotted the racers in Hà Giang Province. On May 28, 2019, Season 3 winner and Season 5 runner-up Hương Giang posted an image of the show's clue envelope onto her social media leading to speculation that she would appear on the season. Later that  day, images surfaced of Hương Giang checking teams into the Pit Stop in Da Lat. It was later revealed that Hương Giang would be temporarily talking over the role of host due to Song Luân having work commitments. Hương Giang is the second former racer that returned to host the show after Toya Montoya, who hosted two seasons of the Latin American edition after competing on the third season, as well as the third woman, after Toya Montoya and Tara Basro, and the first member of the transgender community to serve as an "Amazing Race" host. This season is also  the second time a show has changed hosts partway through filming after the first season of the Chinese edition. Hương Giang also made an appearance during Leg 3 as a judge in one of the challenges. On June 2, 2019, the revival of the show was officially announced on the show's Facebook page prior to the completion of the season's filming. This season was the first time that an "Amazing Race" franchise visited North Korea, a country the original American edition can't visit due to the prohibition of American travelers to the nation implemented after the death  of Otto Warmbier, and was the first foreign reality show to film inside the nation. This season featured a new twist on the Express Pass. The recipients of the Express Pass could either use it to skip a task of their choosing or use it to save a team from elimination, much like the Salvage Pass. It was subsequently used to save a team during the series's first instance of a Double Elimination. Also, much like the previous season, teams departed the Pit Stop in five-minute intervals instead of the actual time difference between check-ins, similar to  the Chinese celebrity series. For the first time in the franchise's history, four teams raced to the Finish Line in the final leg. Four teams raced on the final legs of Season 25 and Season 26 of the American edition; unlike the former, a fourth team was eliminated early in the leg before reaching the Finish Line. Casting. On June 6, 2019, the cast was officially announced. This season's cast included Miss Universe Vietnam 2017 H'Hen Niê, Miss Universe Vietnam 2015 runner-up Đặng Thị Lệ Hằng, Miss Vietnam 2014 Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Duyên, actor Bình An, "Vietnam  Idol" Season 2 winner Quốc Thiên, Miss Vietnam 2016 Đỗ Mỹ Linh, and model Lê Xuân Tiền. Singer S.T Sơn Thạch previously competed on "The Amazing Race Vietnam 2013" with stuntman Lâm Hùng Phong but was part of the first team eliminated. Marketing. Sting Energy Drink, the primary sponsor of the previous seasons, returned for this season. TikTok and Vingroup also came on as sponsors. Results. The following teams participated in the season, with their relationships at the time of filming and designated team colors. Note that this table is not necessarily reflective of all content broadcast on television due  to inclusion or exclusion of some data. Placements are listed in finishing order: Race summary. Leg 1 (Hà Giang). Airdate: 6 July 2019 Leg 2 (Hà Giang). Airdate: 13 July 2019 In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to solve a brain teaser: "A father has six children and a 5x5 square piece of land and must divide the land so each child has a piece while the father retains the center piece of land." Team members had five minutes to remove bamboo sticks used to create the grid of 25 squares until they removed enough to  form six shapes with the center square still untouched to receive their next clue, otherwise they had to wait a fifteen minute penalty before making another attempt. Both team members could collaborate with each other while waiting out penalties, but only the participating member could move the bamboo. Also, teams were also allowed to switch who was performing the Roadblock only once during the task. This season's first Detour was a choice between "Làm?" (Make?) or "Ăn?" (Eat?). In Make?, teams had to prepare fifteen noodle cakes ("cái bánh phở") from of to receive their next clue. In Eat ?, each team member had to eat three bowls of phở Tráng Kìm to receive their next clue. Leg 3 (Hà Giang → Quảng Ninh). Airdate: 20 July 2019 This leg's Detour was a choice between "Mềm" (Soft) or "Cứng" (Hard). For both Detour options, teams had to row a sampan from an island on Yên Lập Lake to a nearby pier and then hike to their chosen task. In Soft, teams had to bring fifteen pieces of tofu on one dish to the Lôi Âm Pagoda to receive their next clue. In Hard, teams had to bring ten bricks  to Lôi Âm Pagoda to receive their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, teams had to travel by boat to Hòn Vụng Hà. There, one team member had to climb a rope up one of the islands, pull themselves across a zip line across to the another island, and climb down a ladder to receive their next clue. Leg 4 (Quảng Ninh → Quảng Bình). Airdate: 27 July 2019 In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to lead or ride a water buffalo across the Côn River to the riverbank to receive their next clue. Leg 5  (Quảng Bình → Kon Tum). Airdate: 3 August 2019 This leg's Detour was a choice between "Nhạc" (Music) or "Dệt" (Weaving). In Music, teams had to learn and correctly recite a Bahnar song to receive their next clue. In Weaving, teams had to weave a section of cloth on a loom to the satisfaction of the weavers to receive their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to drive a tractor through a farm to reach a ball that they had to toss into their assigned hole to receive their next clue. Leg 6 (Kon  Tum → Phú Yên). Airdate: 10 August 2019 In this season's only Fast Forward, one team had to travel to Vực Hồm Waterfall. There, they had to search the waters for clue with a key that would unlock a box containing a smartphone, which provided teams a map to hike to Vực Song Waterfall. There, teams had to find a submerged box, inside of which was another box that contained the Fast Forward award. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member would have swim rings placed around them (five for men & four for women) that would constrict movement  and had to walk to an "Amazing Race" flag placed at the other end of the beach. Then, they had to flip a tire until they returned to the starting point to receive their next clue. This leg's Detour was a choice between "Chìm" (Sink) or "Nổi" (Float). For both Detour options, teams had to travel by personal watercraft to Ganh Da Dia Beach. In Sink, teams had to scuba dive and search for a Tower of Hanoi puzzle. Teams would only have five minutes per dive to find and memorize the puzzle. Once ashore, teams had to recreate  the puzzle and then solve it so that all the discs were on one peg by moving one disc at a time and placing smaller discs atop larger discs to receive their next clue. In Float, both team members would be towed behind a boat while on a wakeboard and had to stand on the board for ten seconds to receive their next clue. Leg 7 (Phú Yên → Lâm Đồng). Airdate: 17 August 2019 In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to climb five obstacles on the Datanla High Rope Course and collect two eggs at the  end of each. If team members had eight intact eggs by the end of the course, they would receive their next clue. This leg's Detour was a choice between "Ném" (Throw) or "Sút" (Shot). In Throw, one team member had five-minutes to ride an ostrich and toss rings onto cones to receive their next clue, otherwise they had to wait out a fifteen-minute penalty. In Shot, one team member had to kick three balls with their partner on their back through a hole in a goal to receive their next clue. If after six shots, teams did  not get three goals, they had to wait out a fifteen-minute penalty. Leg 8 (Lâm Đồng → Ho Chi Minh City). Airdate: 24 August 2019 In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to ride a window washer platform 10 stories down from the top of Landmark 81 to a window with the distances between the destinations they visited so far as well as the distances from London and Paris to Ho Chi Minh City. If they could successfully reiterate the distances, they would receive their next clue. This season's final Detour was a choice between "Trang  Điểm" (Makeup) or "Biểu Diễn" (Performances). In Makeup, each team member had to apply makeup and dress as a "hát tuồng" character to receive their next clue. In Performances, teams had to learn and perform music for a "hát tuồng" performance to receive their next clue. Leg 9 (Ho Chi Minh City → China → North Korea). Airdate: 31 August 2019 Leg 10 (North Korea → Ho Chi Minh City → Kiên Giang). Airdate: 7 September 2019 In this season's final Roadblock, one team member had 15 minutes to climb 12 stories up a climbing wall to the top  of a floodlight, where they to jump off and grab a bottle of Sting Energy Drink to receive their next clue. Reception. Controversy. During Leg 6, one task involved teams scuba diving to find a concrete slab puzzle placed on top of a coral reef. Viewers along with "The Amazing Race Vietnam 2015" winner and diving coach Ngọc Anh complaining that the task was damaging to a fragile ecosystem. The producers of the show later issued an apology stating that the original intention of the task was for teams to swim through the reef to a strip of sand (murky  water conditions near the sand strip also forced them to move the puzzle to the reef in order to see the puzzle clearly), where they would find the puzzle, and assured viewers that a similar setup would not occur in the future.