[12x08] December 28th, 2008 [Vietnam Special]

[captain_70s]

Best episode this series in my opinion.


Love the fact they used bikes rather than cars, I am not a huge bike fan but have a certain liking for them.

And one of my fave songs, Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones. Not to mention James singing that Honda song by the Beach Boys.

A TG classic, 3 presenters messing about in a beauty of a country no-body really hears about.

[Mineworksfine]

I gave it 3/10. No road test, the SIARPC might as well have been invisible he was so dull, Jeremy didn't say "Power-r-r-r-r!" once, Top Gear Dog's reappearance was an afterthought although using the chopsticks was an interesting touch, and I thought dressing the Stig in purple lame and giving him a perm for the power lap was weak especially as they didn't post the time (was it just me or did the track look a bit odd this week?) and the audience outside and all wearing fake tan and Beatles wigs - what was that about????

[Momo63]

Originally Posted by Mineworksfine

I gave it 3/10. No road test, the SIARPC might as well have been invisible he was so dull, Jeremy didn't say "Power-r-r-r-r!" once, Top Gear Dog's reappearance was an afterthought although using the chopsticks was an interesting touch, and I thought dressing the Stig in purple lame and giving him a perm for the power lap was weak especially as they didn't post the time (was it just me or did the track look a bit odd this week?) and the audience outside and all wearing fake tan and Beatles wigs - what was that about????

You need to take more water with it you know.

Holding fire on an opinion until I've watched again and digested it properly but first impression were good - Vietnam looked beautiful and they seemed to be having fun.

Oh, and Richard did photography at art school.

[Enoch Powell]

The sound track was great. Liked all the music.

[kura99103]

O-M-G What are suits like the one Hammond got called? AND where do i get one on the internet?!

[green2mere]

brilliant wow!

[Wyvern]

Originally Posted by Enoch Powell

The sound track was great. Liked all the music.

It really was! As I was watching, I found myself wishing they could release a soundtrack CD

[kekekeke]

Stunning episode, almost on par with the north pole ep (imo the best ep of tg ever made)

what i liked was that almost everything was natural (the bit where hammond picks the ship and it hits the ceiling fan was so blatantly staged)

[jayhawk]

A neat fact: Many a Chinese artist have traveled to Vietnam to be inspired or paint what they see.

[Agheorghe1]

hey guys where could I download the episode from a uploading website like rapid share or something else? cant find the right thread.

[Matt]

That was a brilliant episode - I definitely want to go there in the future.

Richard is also a brilliant artist! The picture of the Land Rover was brilliant :p

[ViperVX]

They couldn't have possibly ended the season with better episode. Simply epic, best one this series, very very Top Gear, actually made my eyes water for a quick second right at the end when Jezza was summing up their journey.

[otispunkmeyer]

the bit where hammond was fixing his bike and then it fell over and put his face in james crotch ..... hahahaa i couldnt stop laughing!!!

[Greatgraddage]

I enjoyed, the twist for the last 15min was cracking! Though the "clarkson never ridden a bike before" was a bit ott, he rode one in vietnam as well in motorworld and I'm sure there's pictures of him on a vespa in the uk, though that may have been after filming or while in training for the filming.

Enjoyable none the less and a good end to the series.

[Cobol74]

Can I score it eleventy?

No I can't so it'll have to be a 10 then. ...

[ahpadt]

Can't really judge it as Top Gear. As entertainment it was a 10.

[wooflepoof]

Just the ingenuity and resourceful engineering feats of the Vietnamese started it off with 4 on its own, the scenery added 2 points, the fact that it featured the TG guys added 1 point, the messing about tacked on another .5; +.5 for feeling (mostly) genuine, and everything else, the adventure, soundtrack(which i hold to higher standards cuz its always awesome on this show) the cinematography (same standards as the soundtrack) all the other details and thinking what went into it and the extended time and the fact that they put this as a season finisher 2 weeks after the previous (and imo slightly lackluster episode) adds 3 points for me. -1 for no communist stig, which can be redeemed if they add outtakes to the site. My official score is therefore 10

[leviathan]

Brilliant attempt at doing a radically different Top Gear show. For the ones who like Top Gear for the chaps and the "comical chemistry" between them and the stuff they do - like me and, supposedly, many others here - it was epic, best in the world, however you might describe it. For the ones still awaiting a car show - well, it obviously wasn't one. And since I don't see TG as a car show for quite a time already, I gave it 10/10 - I mean, come on, it was the first bit of telly that made me spill my beer twice while watching.

[Bartg.pl]

As an entertainment show - 20032/10 :O

[Viper007Bond]

Anyone else as concerned by James' helmet as I am? I has sharp pointy bits and won't protect his head anyway. God I hope he doesn't crash later in the episode...

Oh, and some badass music in this too.