The Amazing Race Vietnam 2016


The Amazing Race Vietnam: Cuộc đua kỳ thú 2016 is the fifth season of the reality television game show, The Amazing Race Vietnam. It featured ten teams of two in a race around Vietnam for 300 million₫. This season's teams consisted of all-stars.
Huy Khánh returned as host after he was absent during the previous season.
Rapper Tiến Đạt and Hotel Manager Thúc Lĩnh Lincoln, who had competed on different teams from Season 2 and Season 4, respectively, were the winners of this season.

Production

Development and filming

As the season was titled "All-Stars", it is the first time that one of the international spin-offs of The Amazing Race featured returning contestants.
The non-elimination penalty, the Speed Bump, was introduced to the series. As like the American version, the Speed Bump requires the team that finished last in a non-elimination leg to perform an additional task at some point during the next leg.
During this season's visit to Australia, there was a planned Roadblock task in Yarrawonga involving an ultralight aircraft. During filming, an ultralight crashed after encountering dust devils, killing both occupants. Ian Cook, the pilot who flew along with Sydney-based Vietnamese cameraman Quoc Huong Vu, were taking aerial shots of the location. This incident occurred during the middle of a Roadblock, which some of the contestants had already completed. As such, the Roadblock task was cancelled, and teams continued to New South Wales to continue with the leg.
The task in Yarrawonga was not aired or acknowledged during the episode.

Casting

The returning teams and their prior Race placements are:
The following teams participated in the Race, 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. Placements are listed in finishing order:
  1. Tiến Đạt & Thúc Lĩnh Lincoln and Pha Lê & Hà Việt Dũng initially arrived 1st and 3rd, respectively, but were each issued a 15-minute penalty after Thúc Lĩnh Lincoln and Hà Việt Dũng took the clue out of their mouth during the first task. While this did not affect Tiến Đạt & Thúc Lĩnh Lincoln's placement, Hương Giang & Criss Lai checked in during Pha Lê & Hà Việt Dũng's penalty time, dropping them to 4th.
  2. Thanh Hoa could not complete the Roadblock, and Mimi chose not to attempt it. Both teams were each issued a 2-hour penalty before receiving their next clue.
  3. Song Ngư & Trúc Như initially arrived 6th, but were issued a 30-minute penalty for being "Marked for Elimination" and not arriving in 1st. Richie & Mimi,Anh Tuấn & Thanh Hoa and Hương Giang & Criss Lai checked-in during the penalty time, dropping Song Ngư & Trúc Như to 9th.
  4. Đăng Hoàng & Thùy Anh initially arrived 7th, but were issued a 30-minute penalty for spilling too much water during the last challenge. The last three teams trailing them checked in during the penalty time, dropping Đăng Hoàng & Thùy Anh to last place and resulted in their elimination.
  5. Six of the nine teams who arrived at the Pit Stop after applying time penalties based on how many congee dishes they failed to cook properly during the congee task. The initial placements for all teams and their number of failed dishes are as follows :
  6. :1st: Pha Lê & Hà Việt Dũng ; 2nd: Trần Hiền & Minh Long ; 3rd: Tiến Đạt & Thúc Lĩnh Lincoln ; 4th: Anh Tuấn & Thanh Hoa; 5th: Nhan Phúc Vinh & Thuỳ Dung; 6th: Hương Giang & Criss Lai; 7th: Sơn Ngọc Minh & Mâu Thanh Thủy ; 8th: Richie & Mimi ; 9th: Song Ngư & Trúc Như.
  7. Hương Giang & Criss Lai initially arrived 1st, but were issued a 30-minute penalty because Hương Giang did not wear the chef's hat provided with the teams during the fast food challenge. This did not affect their placement.
  8. All teams except for Tiến Đạt & Thúc Lĩnh Lincoln were issued time penalties at the Pit Stop for failing to eat their bowl of Phở within the time limit. Hương Giang & Criss Lai were issued a 15-minute penalty for only eating 3 kg, while the remaining teams were issued 1-hour penalties for only eating 2 kg. Only the placement for Nhan Phúc Vinh & Thuỳ Dung was affected; dropping them from 2nd to 3rd.
  9. Pha Lê & Hà Việt Dũng initially arrived 2nd, but were issued a 15-minute penalty for taking motorized transportation instead of a bicycle as stated in the clue. Tiến Đạt & Thúc Lĩnh Lincoln and Nhan Phúc Vinh & Thùy Dung checked-in during the penalty time, dropping them to 4th. Anh Tuấn & Thanh Hoa were eligible to be penalized for the same infraction, but they were the last team to arrive to the Pit Stop, resulting in their elimination.
  10. Leg 9 featured a Roadblock that was cancelled during the leg and was not referenced during the episode's airing; it was excluded from the Roadblock count.

    Race summary

Leg 1 (Yên Bái)

Airdate: 31 March 2016
In the first Roadblock of the Race, one team member had to climb a rope ladder up the tower in the centre of the hydroelectric dam bridge, carrying with them the bottle of Sting Energy Drink from the previous task to exchange for the next clue at the top.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: 7 April 2016
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to cross a series of rings suspended beneath the village bridge to retrieve the Detour clue on the other side. If they fell into the river below, they had to go to the back of the line and try again.
The first Detour of the Race was a choice between Eat or Make, which both took place at a village farm. In Eat, teams had to use bamboo poles and a campfire to traditionally cook three orders of rice to a judge's satisfaction to receive their next clue. In Make, teams had to fully cover a wooden bovine skeleton in hay to create a sculpture. Once approved, they received their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: 14 April 2016
This leg's Detour was a choice between Loaf or Hair, which both took place in Y Tý town centre. In Loaf, teams had to use traditional methods and tools to make a Vietnamese cake called a Bánh giầy, which includes glutinous rice. Once approved, they received their next clue. In Hair, teams had to make a traditional wig by weaving string together in the style of braided hair, then dying it with an herb mixture and heating it over an open flame. Once completed to satisfaction, they received their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: 21 April 2016
This leg's Detour was a choice between Make n' Play or Drum n' Shout, which both took place at Trống Đọi Tam. In Make n' Play, teams had to use provided materials to build a traditional Vietnamese drum. This included using a winch and the weight of a team member to stretch the skin over the top of the barrel. Once approved, they received their next clue. In Drum n' Shout, teams listened to a performance by a duo of musicians, who sang and played small drums and erhu. They then had to correctly match the lyrics and drum rhythm, accompanied by erhu, to receive the next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: 28 April 2016
This leg's Detour was a choice between Fly or Graceful. In Fly, teams traveled to February 3 Park, where they had to assemble and paint a butterfly kite, receiving their next clue once they are able to make it fly properly. In Graceful, teams traveled to Trường Sanh Palace, where they had to dress in full costume and take part in a Hát tuồng performance. Once approved, they received their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: 5 May 2016
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to climb to the top of a coconut tree, using only their hands and feet, and pull off one coconut to receive the clue for the Detour.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Learn or Do. In Learn, teams traveled to Miếu Ông Cọp, where they had to learn a series of intricate animal poses and actions and correctly perform their in succession to receive their next clue. In Do, teams traveled to Bình Bá River, where they had to use an ancient winch to fully raise a large fishing net out of the water to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: 12 May 2016
In the first Roadblock of this leg, one team member had to eat an entire bowl of pho within 45 minutes to receive the clue for the Detour. If they didn't finish, they would still receive their clue once the 45 minutes were up, but they would incur a time penalty at the Pit Stop, the length dependent on how much the team member ate.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Salt or Fish. In Salt, teams traveled to a salt farm, where they had to harvest five wheelbarrows full of salt to receive their next clue. In Fish, teams traveled to Lê Văn Ánh's House, where one team member would be blindfolded. Following directions from their partner, they had to enter the mud flats and catch three giant mudskippers with their bare hands to receive their next clue.
In the second Roadblock of this leg, the team member who did not perform the first Roadblock had to complete a three-part obstacle course. First, they had to ride a bicycle across a thin and bumpy wooden bridge. Then, they had to swim under a series of ropes through muddy water without touching any of the ropes. Finally, they had to stand on a raised log and attempt to knock an opponent off the log, each using sandbags, the racer being given three attempts to do so. If they completed the course, they received their next clue. If they failed any part of the course, they would have to start over.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: 19 May 2016
This leg contained the only Fast Forward of the Race, which was a homage to the game show Deal or No Deal. One team member had to put on snorkeling gear and swim a long distance from the beach to a boat anchored far offshore, then dive down to retrieve a briefcase from beneath an attached raft. The other team member must do the math without using calculator or paper. After returning to their partner on shore with the briefcase, they received a phone call from host Huy Khanh offering them VND60 million to give up the briefcase and immediately be eliminated, or bring the briefcase to the Pit Stop and continue with the Race, where he would make the same offer again, this time for VND150 million.
In this leg's Roadblock, after traveling to a designated offshore location by boat, one team member had to put on snorkeling gear and dive down to the coral reef, where they would collect as many oysters as they could find on the sea floor, then return to the boat to open them. Some oysters contained a white pearl, some contained a black pearl. If they didn't find three black pearls, they had to wait out a 15-minute time penalty before diving again. Otherwise, they received their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Knock Knock or Melting Time, both taking place in Phu Tuong Prison. In Knock Knock, teams learned how to communicate in Morse code. They were then locked in adjacent cells. One team member received a message to relay to their partner by knocking it in Morse Code on the wall. If their partner understood the message correctly, they received their next clue. In Melting Time, one team member was locked in a cell, and had to stand on continuously on a block of ice for five minutes, then rest for five minutes, repeating for the duration of the task. Meanwhile, their partner had to draw at random to determine the type of spoon they could use to dig the cell key out of a large block of ice. Upon retrieving the key, they unlocked their partner's cell and received their next clue.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: 26 May 2016
There was to be a Roadblock on this leg involving one team member piloting and landing an ultralight aircraft, but due to the death of a cameraman as noted in the Development section above, this task was canceled and teams were moved onto the next location. It was not mentioned in the episode.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: 2 June 2016
For their Speed Bump, Pha Lê & Hà Việt Dũng each had to place ten metal nuts onto a chopstick, then both stack all 10 on top of each other without the stack falling over before they could continue racing.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Knit or Carry. In Knit, teams had to weave together a traditional Vietnamese basket. When approved, they received their next clue. In Carry, teams had to pick up and carry heavy haybales to a marked area and use it to build a haystack. When the stack is in diameter and high, they received their next clue.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: 9 June 2016
The final Detour of the Race was a choice between Circus or Drama. In Circus, teams traveled to the Ho Chi Minh City Circus, where one team member had to walk across a circus tightrope while their partner launched themselves onto a trapeze and swung to reach their next clue on the ceiling. In Drama, teams traveled to Chuồn Chuồn Giấy Club, where they had to dress in elaborate costumes and perform a short comedy-drama skit to the approval of the judge to receive their next clue.
In this leg's first Roadblock, one team member had to ride a self-balancing scooter and maintain their balance while navigating through a maze of Sting Energy Drink cans and cases. They had to make their way to four specific points within the maze to pick up a can of Sting at each. If they collected and four and then reached the centre of the maze within an allotted time limit, they could retrieve the clue for the second Roadblock.
In the final Roadblock of the Race, one team member had to climb to the top of a rock-climbing wall attached to the side of an upturned shipping container, then climb a rope to the top of a giant Sting Energy Drink can, all within an allotted time limit, to receive their final clue.
;Additional tasks