Today is my first day to be on this forum though I knew it long time.
My name is Lam Da Vu located in Vietnam. I caught Swatch since end of 1995 and love it and started collecting it since early 1996 until now. My first swatch was Curry Powder and Quasimodo. Since then I never stop my love for it and until I got about 120 Swatch in my collection.Swatch has gone up and down in my country. In 1996 there was a just a few people wore it. Today -after 12 years -swatch has been present in Vietnam, many people has worn it. However, for collecting it, there are just 3-5 collectors in the years 1996-2000 including me. But since 2000 until now, it seems those collectors have stopped collecting except me and I become the lonely one here.
I tried to talk about swatch many times for peoples here to love and collect it but it seems like I am still the lonely collectors.
Let's take a few minutes to talk about Swatch events in Vietnam. In the 1996-2000, there were just 3 swatch events here but after that, there was none because the distributor was no more. The present distributor is just a sub-distributor of Swatch Hong Kong and their activities for Swatch here is nothing. It seems there 2 distributors here but two of them are the same: No events. Recently there are more shops and they sell swatch in a silent style and no special ones issued here-just for wearing to read time. I have tried to do many things for swatch here in Vietnam like opening a club, organize event, organize an exhibition or even open a swatch shops here but there was no support from other swatch people and also fans here. I feel very lonely in Vietnam in this collecting for the years but I keep loving swatch and keep on collecting it. I really need some incentive, promotions –helps and support from Swatch collectors, fans, or swatch co people so as to develop Swatch here in my country but so far it is still hopeless.
Let me tell you about my collection.
My focus in swatch are special Christmas, special art and special limited packaging and of course I collect all swatch gargets, promo ads, etc. In Vietnam since 1996 until this year, there was just Skin Vietnam (two color box: one is black and one is yellow), Vietnam swatch posters, pins, caps, raincoat and T-shirt that were issued here in Vietnam during the years 1996-2000. Since 2001, there was no event or swatch gargets except 2006, there was one glass and one mug for promotion. As said, there are about 8-9 shops in Vietnam: Two-three in Hanoi and the balance in Hochiminh city. The models shown here in these shops are not enough in every S/S or F/W collection and very few specials could be presented here. Fortunately and thanks to the internet, I could have some swatch friends in the world and could buy specials from outside of this country or whenever I went abroad I always bought some. My swatch best friends in the world are: Mr. Roberto Quadrini, Rob Versteeg (squiggly) and Emmanuel Bertodo, Marco of swatch shop in Rome. Jacky Beauverd (La mind d’or) in Switzerland.I look forward to have more swatch friends in the world and especially swatch friend in my own country.
Thanks for your taking time reading my intro.
Happy Swatchy.
Lam Da Vu
