VN to participate in martial arts tournament

Viet Nam will participate in six events at the International Martial Arts Festival 2015, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from March 12 to 22, said the National Sports Administration.

The Vietnamese fighters will compete in muay Thai, muay boran, kickboxing and pencak silat, besides karatedo and taekwondo.

More than 3,000 fighters and officials from more than 60 nations and territories are expected to participate in the martial arts tournament.

Viet Nam lose to Croatia in futsal match

Viet Nam's national futsal team lost to Croatia 3-6 in their first friendly match in Croatia yesterday.

They will meet world No 16 Croatia again on Thursday, and will play world No 14 Slovenia on Wednesday.

It was the first time that the Vietnamese team was taking part in a friendly event against strong rivals in Europe. It is a good opportunity for them to hone their skills and gain experience for other international tournaments.

Ha Noi T&T beat Indonesian team at AFC

Ha Noi T&T yesterday won 4-0 against Indonesia's Persib Bandung in the second elimination round of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League in Ha Noi's My Dinh stadium.

The win brought Ha Noi team a ticket to a playoff against FC Seoul (South Korea) on February 17.

Although Ha Noi dominated the match from the beginning, the team only scored the first goal in the 32nd minute.

The team then easily got the next three goals from Nigerian Hoang Vu Samson in the 46th and 47th minutes and Argentinean player Gonzalo Damian Marronkle in the 57th minute.

Lam will not play on Saturday

Dong Tam Long An's key half-back Pham Hoang Lam will be absent from the match with SHB Da Nang in Toyota V-League 1's eighth round on Saturday.

Twenty-one year-old Lam had suffered a thigh muscle injury during the match against Sanna Khanh Hoa in the event's sixth round.

Lam, who competed as a member of the Viet Nam Olympic team in the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, last year and Tran Chi Cong are steely half-backs of Long An in this year's football season.

Despite the absence of his key player, coach Ngo Quang Sang of Long An aims to earn three points in this match. At present, Long An have 13 points and rank fourth out of 14 teams in the national premier league.

National U15 football qualifiers to kick off

Twenty-five teams would take part in qualifying rounds for the National U15 Football Tournament from March 21 to April 12, according to the Viet Nam Football Federation.

They will be divided into five groups, and the top seven teams will compete in the final round alongside the hosts.

The final round is scheduled to be held from May 21-30.

Unicorn-lion-dragon dance tournament starts

The National Unicorn-Lion-Dragon Dance Tournament began in Luu Huu Phuoc Park in the southern city of Can Tho on Sunday.

The event drew nearly 400 athletes from 26 teams across the country, competing in the men's and women's singles categories, as well as teams comprising both.

The three-day event, which attracted hundreds of viewers, will conclude today.