Second chance slogan

OK. Here's your big chance to make ammends for the last slogan contest that Vietnam held oooh... not 4 months ago. This time Vietnam Tourism are running the show and you've got until September 27th to come up with something that sticks.

“Logo and Slogan Design Contest for The National Tourism Action Programme for 2006 - 2010” is to draw attention of all Vietnamese and foreigners with the aim at selecting a unique slogan and logo for the new promotion and marketing campaign of Vietnam Tourism in the next phase.

The use of the adjective 'unique' is slightly misleading. They don't just want one slogan they want 20+

There will be 2 first prizes, 2 second prizes, 2 third prizes and 14 consolation prizes. Apart from the prizes for the finalists, the organizing board will also present “Logo/slogan of the week/month” awards for online entries received by Tourism Information Technology Center and for newspaper-based entries received by Vietnam Tourism Weekly.

Yup. Everyone's a winner baby. Before you rustle up your entry, you might like to scan through some of the many superb entries already submitted. I quickly zapped through of few of the nearly 400 up there so far and came up with a draft shortlist and suggested target markets. See below verbatim submissions:

Conservationists, botanists and geography teachers get a decent look in:

• Vietnam – A Lovely S Destination !
• Vietnam - attractive ecosystem
• Vietnam _ The marvellous bamboo.

Need cosmetic surgery? Alight here?

• Viet Nam-enlarging your eyes

The casual and familiar

• Been Here yet?
• Funny go and cheery comeback !

Sex tourism:

• Coming to feel
• Vietnam, deep inside
• Viet Nam , not only once you come .

Crime fiction market:

• Vietnam – More mysterious than what been told
• VietNam- Push your invetigation

Hippies, new age travellers and dogs on bits of string:

• Vietnam, a destination of all the trips
• Vietnam with millions speaking flowers!

For the charitable sector:

• Tourism of Viet Nam - has waited so long...!
• viet nam beauty from simples!

And finally for food fans:

• Vietnam - Sunk in Feast
• Vietnam - Feast in Feast

I think you'll agree it would be quite a challenge to improve on the excellent entries above, but if you think you can do better, drop your suggestion in the comment box and of course go enter the contest.

Comments

[ecr]

Vietnam - The Aromas of Life

[betty]

oh my toady...the sex tourism slogans!!!

[ngader]

Hi, dropped by when someone introduced your site to me for my trip to HCMC.

This post is hilarious.

[Ray]

Submitted the following slogan
"Vietnam. The Asian Sensation"
Apparently I didn't adhere to the contest rule to splain the meaning. Got the following email from the committee.

Subject: Chao ban
Thay mat Ban to chuc cam on ban da tham gia du thi. Theo the le cuoc thi ban phải co loi giai thich cho tieu de ca minh. Hay bo sung loi giai
thich va gui cho chung toi. Cho hoi am cua ban

Translated (loosely)
Subject: Hello friend
On behalf of the organizing committee thank you for participating in the contest. According to contest rule, you must write the words to explain the phrase. Please submit the explanation to us. Awaiting your response.

Any suggestion on the splanation?

[pieman]

None I'm afraid. However, I would love to know how some of the entrants I have listed explained their gems.

[Linhy]

Vietnam....come for the pho stay for the babes. hehehe.

[emem]

Interestingly, after reading your post, I found that Saigontourist is also organizing a slogan-inventing (perhaps more appropriate than slogan-writing?) contest http://www.saigontourist.hochiminhcity.gov.vn/slogan/slg_view.asp?offset=0).

Similar to your comments about the Vietnamtourism entries, a reader submitted an option for cosmetic surgery, like "Enlarge your sight - Relax your life" (entry 13). Another reader was concerned about safety, writing SAIGONTOURIST - Sight over space (SAIGONTOURIST - SOS) (entry 128). And another one guaranteed a promising future, " Go together with us, you will get what you want " (entry 178)!

Having read all entries, I think it will be really a headache for the organizers to find a suitable slogan, even more difficult than putting the world in a suitcase like an entrant suggested, "SAIGONTOURIST-THE WORLD IN YOUR LUGGAGE" (entry 199).

However, I think the ten-million-dong (and only) award should belong to the author of this slogan, "SAIGONTOURIST DO NOT CARE FOR YOUR TRAVEL SATISFACTION. WE GUARANTEE IT !" (entry 42).

[pieman]

It's slogan fever. The last entry you quote is at least factually correct.

I had a quick scan and, if anything, your list is even worse. Although I really didn't think that was possible. And you're right I DO NOT envy the jury of either of these contests. Yikes.

One entry caught my eye, "Come! And you'll come again!" What the hell is it with Vietnamese slogan writers? They're very... errr... confident, ehh?

[emem]

Do you come back to this contest (which is still in progress) now and then?

Think you should today. How do you think about the slogan of logo entry No. 174?

[Antonio F. Mesquida]

Vietnam: Now make love, not war

[Antonio F. Mesquida]

Vietnam: The bamboo paradise

[Antonio F. Mesquida]

Vietnam: Proud to be off the beaten track

[jean mclean]

V-olumptuous
I-nteresting
E-xtraordinary
T-asty
N-ice
A-wakening
M-ysterious

[vinu]

"come, see and conquer the wonderland"