Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship ‘goes viral’ on social media in Vietnam

Captain Jeff Klassen
HMCS Calgary
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An HMCS Calgary story went viral on Vietnamese social media recently.

While on Operation Projection, Calgary conducted a technical port visit in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, from March 30 to April 1. Because of strict COVID-19 health measures, the ship’s company maintained their COVID-free safety bubble and did not leave the jetty. This meant they could not experience Vietnamese culture as would normally be the case during a port visit.

In order to bring the culture to the ship, two Calgary marine technicians, both with Vietnamese heritage, made traditional Vietnamese coffee for the ship’s company. A video was posted on the ship’s official Facebook and Twitter pages, capturing everyone’s reactions to the coffee.

Vietnamese coffee is both thicker and sweeter than typical North American-style coffee as it is made with sweetened condensed milk; it can be served hot or cold.

The crew was surprised when the coffee-tasting reaction video was picked up by the largest news site in Vietnam, VNExpress, who translated and posted it on their website with Vietnamese subtitles.

Based on social media comments, Vietnamese people got a real kick seeing Canadian sailors reactions to a beverage that is common to them and a source of pride.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Sailor First Class Richard Vuong, who, along with Sailor Second Class Peter Bui, was in the video making coffee for the ship’s company. “My girlfriend is Vietnamese and all her friends had seen it and were messaging her. It was unbelievable.”

While in Vietnam, Calgary worked with the Embassy of Canada to Vietnam to make a $5,000 donation on behalf of Boomer’s Legacy to the Hope Shelter Orphanage.

A delegation from the Embassy of Canada to Vietnam donated $5,000 on behalf of HMCS Calgary and Boomer’s Legacy Fund when the ship made a port visit to Cam Ranh Bay. Photo supplied by Embassy of Canada to Vietnam

The donation bought the shelter two swings, a slide, two storage cabinets, food, and other essentials. Shelter staff sent Calgary a heartwarming video of the children saying thanks, which the ship also posted to its social media.

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