VietNamNet Bridge – Three Vietnamese martial artists will participate in the 2011 World Martial Arts Festival in Chungju, South Korea, today, Aug 9.
They are members of the HCM City's Taekwondo Association: Le Van Nghia, Tran Quang Ha and Tran Van Nga. They will be led by City's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism deputy director Nguyen Hung.

The festival, which will last until August 14, will show traditional martial arts of around 30 countries.

The Vietnamese athletes will move on to compete at an international martial arts event in Chinese Taipei on August 14-18.

Meanwhile, the Viet Nam delegation at the festival will work with South Korea Taekwondo Federation on plans to build a Southeast Asian Kukkiwon Taekwondo Institute in Viet Nam.

* Thien wins junior tennis tournament

Vietnamese top junior tennis player Nguyen Hoang Thien took the title of the boys' U-18 division at the National Junior Tennis Tournament which concluded in Hue on Sunday.

The HCM City native easily defeated Da Nang's Pham Minh Tuan 6-2, 6-1 in the final.

To reach to the final, Thien, 16, defeated Huynh Ho Dan Mach of Binh Duong 2-0 in the semi-finals.

The HCM City team also brought home four more titles to take the lead at the event in the girls' U-12, U-16 and U-18 and the boys' U-12 division thanks to labours of Tiffany Nguyen, Sy Boi Ngoc, Huynh Phi Khanh and Nguyen Dinh Khoi Nguyen, respectively.

Thien became the first Vietnamese player to take part in the Australian Open Tennis Tournament for U-18 players.

Thien attended training courses in the US in 2005, just two years after he started playing serious tennis at the age of eight. He hopes to reach the federation's top 100 junior ranking within the next two years.

* Binh scores gold at archery champs

Nguyen Thanh Binh of HCM City won a gold medal in the men's recurve 90m (one-stringed bow) at the on-going National Youth Archery Championships in the southern province of Vinh Long on Sunday.

Binh scored 259 points; Nguyen Van Luan of Hai Phong (245) and Nguyen Tien Hung of Ha Noi (218) were runners-up.

Pham Quang Tu of Hai Phong won the men's compound 90m (three-stringed bow) while his teammate Nguyen Van Luan won in the men's recurve 70m.

Loc Thi Dao of Ha Noi won gold in the women's recurve 70m with 304 points, Do Thi Huong of Hai Phong (299) was second and Bui Thi Duyen of Dong Thap (292) third.

The event, organised by the Viet Nam Shooting Federation, drew 70 athletes and 20 coaches from nine teams across the country. It will end on Friday.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News