Ice Bucket Challenge bandwagon rolling in Vietnam

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has arrived in Vietnam, eventually.

And it is warmly welcomed by people from almost all walks of life, from celebrities and high-profile figures to white-collar workers and young netizens.

The Voice of Vietnam first runner-up Dinh Huong is not the first to pour a bucket of ice water over her head, but she knew how to attract attention from local media.

After getting wet in a fund-raising effort to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huong challenged Vietnamese Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang, besides two other showbiz figures, to follow suit.

“We share the last name [Dinh], so I decided to challenge him,” the singer said in a video clip recording her stunt, posted on YouTube and her Facebook on Sunday.

Singer Dinh Huong challenges Minister of Transport Dinh La Thangto take on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in this video.

Millions of people worldwide have taken on the Ice Bucket Challenge to promote awareness of the ALS disease and raise donations for the ALS Association, which combats amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

ALS is a ‘rapidly progressive’ and fatal neurological disease that attacks nerve cells called motor neurons that control voluntary muscles in the body, such as in the arms, legs and face.

Participants are expected to donate US$10 each if they have poured ice water over their head or donate $100 if they have not. Before getting themselves drenched, the participants will challenge three others to do the same within 24 hours.

Since it went viral throughout social media in mid-2014, the fund raising effort has swelled into a global phenomenon with participation from world-renowned celebrities, tech moguls, and politicians.

In Vietnam, several young artists, such as actor Ho Vinh Khoa, actress Diem My, and composer Duong Khac Linh have taken up the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The list is expected to lengthen as other celebrities have been challenged, including music producer Phuong Uyen and pop stars Ho Ngoc Ha and Uyen Linh.

Tran Manh Hiep , founder of tinhte.vn, Vietnam’s leading tech forum, together with Pham Anh Duong, director of marketing at Intel Vietnam, and Tech In Asia editor Anh-Minh Do have also attracted attention from the Vietnamese tech community by getting into the act.

Other notable participants include Son Tran, CEO of ‘Vietnam’s Amazon ‘ tiki.vn, and his counterpart at nhaccuatui.vn, a well-known Vietnamese music website, Nhan The Luan.

Tinhte.vn founder Tran Manh Hiep

Employees of many companies in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have also taken their part, and footage of expats in the Southeast Asian country dousing themselves have also been shared on Facebook and YouTube.

“Our bosses also joined us in performing the Ice Bucket Challenge stunt and we all made the donations,” Sofia Lin, who works for an online shopping website, told Tuoi Tre News.

Many Vietnamese netizens have also uploaded their Ice Bucket Challenge videos to Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube without forgetting to challenge their friends.

But it is unclear if they have really donated to ALS research, or just wanted to make some fun.

Funds donated to the ALS Association have soared to £37.71 million ($62.4 million) so far this year from £1.45 million during the same period last year, The Guardian reported on Sunday.

Among the key figures and celebrities that have jumped on the bandwagon are Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and George W. Bush.

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