Ha Long Bay airport set to open next spring

Authorities have announced that an international airport near Ha Long Bay will open next March, according to Hanoimoi Newspaper.

The airport, the first private facility in Viet Nam, will be on Vân Ðon Island around 50 kilometers from the famous bay and have a capacity of two million passengers a year.

Details are not yet available, but the US$330 million airport is designed to receive two million arrivals a year by 2020, and there are plans to expand the capacity to five million by 2030.

Another Vietnamese company is building a $2 billion casino complex on the island.

Ha Long Bay was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Viet Nam.

Visitor numbers rose 23 per cent year-on-year in the first three months of the year to 944,000, including more than 800,000 foreigners.

One more body found from missing ship

Search and rescue forces on Thursday morning found another corpse from a coal ship that went missing offshore the central province of Ngh? An on Sunday night with 13 people on board.

The body has not yet been identified.

Rescue forces have so far saved seven members and found four dead bodies. The search continues for the remaining two members of the ship.      

To search for the missing members, rescue forces have used 20 ships and boats of all kinds to expand searching areas and mobilised assistance from fishing ships of local fishermen.

The VTB26 ship issued emergency signals on Sunday night when it was anchoring at Hòn Ngu Island in Ngh? An Province to avoid storm Talas, which was forecast to make landfall on central localities. The ship then sunk and lost signals with 13 members on board.

The tropical storm, which wreaked havoc in the northern and central regions of Vi?t Nam earlier this week, has claimed seven lives and left four others missing.

According to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, the seven deaths were two from the northern mountainous provinces of Hà Giang and Yên Bái; four from Ngh? An Province and one from the central province of Thanh Hóa. 

The disaster destroyed 172 houses and unroofed 6,126 others, while sinking 64 fishing vessels and destroying 436 metres of road, 1,943 metres of embankment and 4,540 power poles in areas it swept through. About 801ha for aquaculture and 47,632ha of rice and subsidiary crops were damaged and flooded. 

Hung Yên private health clinic to be fined

Northern Hung Yên Province’s Department of Health has proposed to impose a VNÐ110 million (US$4,400) fine on a local private health clinic.

The clinic is responsible for tens of boys developing genital warts after undergoing circumcision last week.

The health clinic was found to be providing examination and treatment services without a licence, selling drugs at its clinic and practicing examination and treatment beyond the permitted professional scope.

Hoa`ng Thi? Hiê`n, owner of the health clinic, will have her professional certificate revoked for between six and 12 months.

The proposal was made following a meeting between the department and the National Hospital of Dermatology yesterday.

As many as 37 boys from Hung Yên Province’s Khoa´i Châu District were reportedly hospitalised after developing genital warts between May 1 and July 15. All the boys had previously undergone circumcision at a private clinic in Da? Tra?ch Commune.

Hoa`ng Thi? Hiê`n, owner of the clinic, had been working as a nurse at Mê~ So? Commune’s Health Clinic in Van Giang District and practicing at her unlicensed home clinic.

Nguyê~n Ðu´c Lô?c, deputy head of the department, said the department would work with the hospital to clarify why the boys developed genital warts.

Lê Hu~u Doanh, deputy head of the hospital, said the hospital would provide free treatment to these boys and would soon transfer technical treatment related to this disease to local health clinics.

Genital warts are caused by some strains of HPV, which can cause vulva, penile and anal cancer. The disease is often but not always transmitted sexually.

Hospital deaths: Hoà Bình Hospital director resigns

Truong Quý Duong, director of Hoà Bình General Hospital, where eight patients died in a serious medical incident, submitted his resignation at a closed-door meeting on Thursday.

The meeting focussed on reviewing Duong’s responsibility as director of the hospital when the medical incident occurred in May 29.

The results of the ballot showed that 88.2 per cent of the voters had agreed to take the disciplinary measure of issuing a warning to Duong and the remaining agreed to other disciplinary measures.

At the meeting, Duong was asked to resign from his position and proposed to be given another working position following the conclusion of the provincial department’s disciplinary council.

Previously, on May 29, 18 patients underwent kidney dialysis treatment in Hoà Bình General Hospital. Soon, they reported nausea, abdominal pain and shortness of breath.

The same day, eight patients died of suspected anaphylactic shock. 

The results of the tests on water samples from dialysis machines showed that water samples had a low level of potential of hydrogen (pH) and high conductivity; the florua level in machines were 245 and 260 times higher than the permissible limit of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI). 

New labeling regulations serve needs of businesses, customers

A Government decree on the labeling of imported and Vietnamese goods aims to protect consumer rights by stricter management of the quality and safety of goods.

The decree, which took effect on June 1, replaced a previous decree, and has several new regulations and adjustments.

The new rules will also eliminate difficulties for many businesses.

The decree calls for the exemption of additional labels for imported components and materials that are not used for trading purposes.

Goods originally produced for export which cannot be exported and sold domestically will not need new labeling but will be required to have extra additional labels.  

The new decree also contains provisions on prevention of smuggled goods and fake goods by requiring more information about the origin, production date and expiry date of split goods.

Vi?t Nam Summer Camp for overseas Vietnamese opens

Around 110 young overseas Vietnamese from 25 countries on Wednesday took part in the opening ceremony in HCM City for the 2017 Summer Camp of Vi?t Nam.

The camp, which is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Committee for Overseas Vietnamese and the HCM City People’s Committee, is being held from July 18-31.

Speaking at the ceremony, Nguy?n Th? Thu, deputy chairwoman of the People’s Committee, said the summer camp, which has been organised for 13 years, has given overseas Vietnamese the opportunity to interact with local young people in Vi?t Nam.

The camp also helps participants improve their knowledge of the Vietnamese language and better understand the origin of Vi?t Nam’s history, culture and tradition.

The camp includes activities in HCM City and C?u Long (Mekong) Delta provinces, as well as charity and exchange activities with local youth.

The participants will visit historic monuments and tourist attractions in the South.

Besides being exposed to Vietnamese culture, habits and customs, the young people will also learn about environmental conservation and protection activities in the Mekong Delta.

Memorial services held for remains of soldiers

The southern province of An Giang has held a ceremony to commemorate and rebury the remains of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers who died in Vi?t Nam and Cambodia during wartime.

As many as 168 remains were found in Cambodia and some domestic localities in the 2016 and 2017 dry season by groups such as the An Giang Military Command.

Of these, 10 martyrs have been identified by name and 158 others remain unknown.

During the search for the remains of martyrs, search teams also received help from the local authorities, armed forces and people of the two countries.

Speaking at the ceremony on Thursday, Vuong Bình Th?nh, Chairman of People’s Committee of An Giang affirmed on behalf of the people of the whole country and martyrs’ families that provincial people and soldiers will take care of the graves of martyrs. 

Motorist crashes into fruit, vegetable market, killing 1, injuring 4

A motorist ploughed his car into pedestrians at Ben Sung Market in the northern province of Thanh Hoa Wednesday (July 19), killing one and injuring four people, reported the Zing Online Newspaper.

Witnesses said the speeding motorist mounted the sidewalk at about 2pm in a black or dark coloured Ford SUV, knocking people over before it crashed into the market, struck a pole and came to rest.

Police who arrested the driver have not identified him nor released details of their investigation.

The five injured were taken to the Thanh Hoa General Hospital, where one of them died from injuries sustained in the horrifying event. 

Semi-truck crash on National Highway 1 backs up traffic 2km

All lanes of National Highway 1 in Ho Chi Minh City are now open after a semi-truck crash blocked traffic most of the day Thursday, July 20, reported the Zing Online Newspaper.

Police officials said the crash occurred on the Binh Dien Bridge when one semi travelling to fast for road conditions and following too close was unable to stop in time to avoid rear ending a second rig.

Emergency and salvage crews worked through the day to offload the semi-trucks and unsnarl traffic.

Police officials said at one point traffic was backed up more than two kilometres due to the crash.

No injuries were reported.

Divers locate body of 1 missing after cargo ship capsizes

Divers found the body of one of three missing from general cargo ship VTB 26, carrying 4700 tons of coal and 13 crew members that capsized and sank on Monday, July 17 in Cua Lo anchorage, Gulf of Tonkin, amid relentless waves caused by typhoon Talas.

According to the latest update from the Vietnam Ministry of Transport, seven people had been rescued, while four seafarers were found dead and two more are still missing.

The search for the missing crew members is in progress.

Ships passing near the incident have been informed to be on the lookout for potential survivors.

The ill-fated freighter was reportedly on its way from Quang Ninh to Cua Lo in the Gulf of Tonkin when it had to anchor amid severe weather.

The contact with the ship had been lost shortly after midnight after the ship's master managed to send out a distress signal. The Vietnam-flagged cargo ship, with a deadweight of 5198 tons was built in 2013.

Vietnamese population ages, social issues on the horizon

The Vietnamese population is getting older, a problem expected to continue well into the coming years.

Population aging was first recorded as an issue in the Southeast Asian country in 2011 when 10.1 million, roughly 11% of the population, were considered elderly.

The number of senior citizens in the nation is predicted to account for 17 percent by 2030 and continue mushrooming to 25% by the year 2050.

Speaking with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Nguyen Van Tan, deputy head of the General Department of Population and Family Planning under the Ministry of Health, said that 70% of the country’s senior citizens are not assisted by pension policies.

With no financial savings or help from their children, these people are forced to continue working in order to earn a living, Tan said.

However, with current healthcare conditions, senior citizens are at least able to receive better treatment for their illnesses, facilitating the growth of this age group.

Other plans to support elderly Vietnamese, namely building nursing homes and establishing separate healthcare systems, have been initiated but are yet to be completed, Tan elaborated.

Several measures have been taken to cope with the growing number of senior citizens during 2011-20, including initiatives aimed at boosting birth rates, raising the retirement age, and adjusting social insurance policies.

Following several years of limiting the number of children in families to one or two, authorities in Vietnam are now encouraging married couples to have at least two children.

This birth rate will help retain the number of elderly at around 17% over the next 20 years, while the figure might reach 20% if birth rates remain low, the official assessed.

Implementing open policies for immigration is also a possible method to deal with population aging.

The issue will pose a significant challenge to the country’s long-term development goals, he said, adding that the General Department of Population and Family Planning has prepared several proposals to deal with the situation for the upcoming meeting of the Party Central Committee.

Aside from measures to slow down the aging of population, several propositions will also be presented, aimed at improving the population’s quality of life and lowering gender imbalance, according to the official.

Local students advance to Asia-Pacific Trade Challenge finals

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp, the world’s largest express transportation company, in collaboration with Junior Achievement on July 18 announced the winners of the FedEx Express/Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge in Vietnam.

Lam Gia Vu from the Christian Academy of Western New York and Ngo Le Hoang My from Nguyen Thuong Hien High School, Juliet Bao Ngoc Doling and Tran Anh Khoa of The Western Australian International School System, and Vu Hong Anh and Chu Ngoc Anh of Luong The Vinh High School were all selected as the winners of Vietnam International Trade Challenge.

They will advance to the Asia-Pacific ITC finals in Singapore occurring August 20 to 24, 2017.

The ITC program is designed to introduce the fundamentals of global trade to aspiring young entrepreneurs, providing them with a solid foundation to build their future careers in business. 

To help Vietnamese students prepare for the intensive selection process, workshops were conducted to guide them in developing their business plans and enhance presentation skills. 

This year, the finalist teams presented market entry strategy plans on a technology product that addresses a school-related issue in the Republic of Korea to a judging panel of FedEx and Junior Achievement representatives.

The winning Vietnam teams will join this year’s regional finals that will feature a notable change from the previous competition format.  

To promote cross-cultural collaboration, finalists will not be competing in the same groups, but will instead go through a random shuffle to form a mixed team of two team members from different countries.

Beyond becoming a trend, the rapid growth of startups has served as an inspiration to aspiring young entrepreneurs in Vietnam, said Thang Dao, senior manager of Indochina and country manager of FedEx Vietnam.

We are proud to support a valuable platform like the ITC program as it provides students with the fundamentals of business to help propel their entrepreneurial aspirations.

Since 2012, over 1200 Vietnamese students have learned about the basics of business and international trade in a practical way through the International Trade Challenge, said Nguyen Duy Hoai, executive director of Junior Achievement Vietnam.

Through our collaboration with FedEx, we look forward to continuing equipping would-be Vietnamese entrepreneurs with knowledge they can build on to succeed in international trade.

Quang Ngai requests to improve health centre in Ly Son

The central province of Quang Ngai has asked for State support to improve the health centre in Ly Son island district.

The request was made during a working session between local authorities and a delegation led by Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Nguyen Tan Duc, Director of the provincial Department of Health said 454 billion VND (about 20 million USD) is needed to improve the Ly Son health centre. The department is working with the Quang Ngai Management Board of Civil-Industrial Construction Projects to mobilise capital from the government and society. 

The health centre is expected to become a second-level general hospital and be able to perform major surgeries after the upgrade.

Bui Thi Quynh Van, Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Council suggested authorities of Ly Son district establish a fund to support boat hire fees for patients from the district to mainland and asked the provincial Health Department to send doctors and medical workers to the district.

Chairwoman Ngan promised to review the request and submit it to the National Assembly.

Ly Son island has around 21,000 inhabitants.

Italian Communist Party chief visits Ha Giang

Secretary of the Italian Communist Party (CPI) Mauro Alboresi paid a working visit to the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang on July 20.

At a meeting with the Italian guest, Thao Hong Son, Standing Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, detailed Ha Giang’s socio-economic status.

The province is home to 19 ethnic groups, of which national minorities account for 80 percent.  

In the first half of 2017, Ha Giang’s GDP grew 6.68 percent from last year, with budget collection reaching 868 billion VND (38.18 million USD), 45 percent of the yearly target.

Alboresi said the CPI is committed to boosting collaboration between Vietnam and Italy. 

He said his Party expects more exchanges with the Ha Giang Party Committee on party affairs apparatus and socio-economic development.

After touring Ha Giang, the CPI officials will work to promote the local Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark to Italians, he added.

Dong Van plateau was recognised as a member of the Global Network of National Geoparks in 2010, becoming Vietnam’s first geological park and the second in Southeast Asia.

Friendship get-together marks Belgium’s 186th National Day

Diplomats and Vietnamese alumni of Belgian universities gathered in a friendship get-together held by the Vietnam-Belgium Friendship Association (VBFA) in Hanoi on July 20 to celebrate 186 years of Belgium’s independence (July 21, 1831).

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Education and Training and VBFA President Pham Manh Hung said the friendship get-together is an annual event designed for those who love Belgium to meet, share information and seek business partnerships, dedicated to promoting friendship between the two governments and peoples.

Vietnam-Belgium relations have deepened through VBFA’s people-to-people diplomacy activities, including delegation visits, friendship get-togethers, celebration ceremonies, photo exhibitions and more, Hung noted.

He affirmed that the VBFA will hold more friendship events, including seminars, workshops, training courses, experience exchanges and other events to develop the network of Vietnamese alumni in Belgium.

Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Jehanne Roccas, for her part, said 2018 will mark the 45th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties and highlighted fruitful cooperation in multiple fields, ranging from economy, development to academy and research.

Two-way trade has increased in recent years, with Belgium the sixth largest exporter and eighth biggest buyer of Vietnam in the European Union, she said, adding that Belgium has invested 600 million EUR into Vietnam.

Education and training cooperation is a success story with about 2,000 Vietnamese studying in Belgium and another 2,000 graduated from an integrated educational programme partnered with Belgium’s Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management in Vietnam, the ambassador said.

Dengue prevention measures discussed

A dengue patient who was recently brought from the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Tropical Diseases went into shock in the ambulance.

When the vehicle reached the hospital after a drive of several hours, doctors said it was too late to save the victim, Dr Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, Director of the HCM City Hospital of Tropical Diseases, told a workshop on July 20 in HCM City on improving prevention and treatment of dengue fever.

The patient was one of three to die while being “unsafely” brought from their local hospitals to the HCM City Hospital of Tropical Diseases, he said.

“In such cases, doctors at the local hospital should not send patients with severe dengue to the HCM City Hospital of Tropical Diseases. They should instead call our hospital’s hotline to get advice on how they should treat.”

The hospital would guide them and send doctors to the hospital in question to help treat the patient, and this would help reduce the deaths caused by dengue, he said.

Dr Hoang Van Tuyet, vice director of the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, said similarly two patients had died on the way to his hospital.

Nguyen Trong Khoa, deputy head of the Ministry of Health’s Medical Examination and Treatment Department, said the ministry would instruct health departments around the country to regulate such transfers between hospitals.

The National Hospital of Tropical Diseases should set up a hotline for hospitals in Hanoi and the northern region to provide professional assistance, he said.

Hospitals should also follow the ministry’s guidelines on diagnosis, treatment and emergency aid for dengue patients to reduce fatalities, he said.

One 19-year-old patient was diagnosed with the disease but not treated based on the guidelines, leading to shock and death, he added.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long warned that the disease would see an upward trend in the next few months.

More and more people would probably contract it and hospitals have to improve their capacity to treat it, he said.

They should take the initiative and call higher-level hospitals that have experience in treating it - such as paediatrics and tropical diseases hospitals – for professional advice before deciding to transfer their patients there, he said.

Tran Dac Phu, head of the ministry’s Preventive Health Department, said 57,492 cases of dengue have been reported in the country this year, 9.7 percent higher year-on-year. Fifteen patients have died, Phu said.

HCM City, Hanoi, Da Nang and the provinces of Binh Duong, Khanh Hoa, An Giang, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Soc Trang, and Tien Giang have reported the highest number of cases.

Dr Phung Duc Nhat, deputy head of HCM City Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, said usually heavy rains start in May, leading to dengue fever breaking out in July and lasting until October.

“However, there were many heavy showers in February this year, so the incidence of dengue has increased since May,” he added.

Ca Mau preserves, develops forests

The southernmost province of Ca Mau has actively devised comprehensive measures to preserve and develop its 92,000 ha of concentrated forests.

Focus has been put on publicity campaigns to enhance the awareness of forests protection among communities while improving forest management.

Efforts have also been undertaken to better forests planning and development by 2020, and to plant more forests, particularly cajuput and coastal protection forests.

Enterprises have been encouraged to invest in production forest planting and wood processing factories for exports.

Management of mangrove forests, including coastal protection forests, has been strengthened with focus on fire prevention and salt intrusion.

The locality has also made planning on residential areas in the forests, to ensure stable living condition for local residents while protecting and developing the forests.

Ca Mau is home to 92,000 hectares of concentrated forests, accounting for 77 percent of the Mekong Delta region’ forest coverage.

The province’s forest coverage includes 54,000 hectares of mangrove in Nam Can, Ngoc Hien, Dam Doi and Phu Tan districts; and the 37,000-ha U Minh Ha cajuput forest that spreads across U Minh, Tran Van Thoi, and Thoi Binh.

U Minh Ha National Park was recognised by UNESCO as one of the three core zones of the Ca Mau World Biosphere Reserve in June 2009.

Mui Ca Mau (Ca Mau Cape) National Park was recognized as one of the world Ramsar site.

HCM City vows to work with RoK to prepare for Gyeongju expo

Authorities of HCM City will closely coordinate with the Republic of Korea to prepare for the Ho Chi Minh City – Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2017, said Permanent Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem on July 20.

He made the statement during a reception for Secretary General of the event’s Organising Committee Lee Dong Woo in the city.

Highly speaking of the significance of the festival, Liem noted the event, featuring an array of cultural exchange activities, will help deepen mutual understanding and solidarity between people of the two nations and enhance their bilateral strategic partnership.

The two sides’ competent authorities are actively cooperating with each other for the hosting of the expo, which demonstrates the interest and goodwill of the two local governments, the official said.

He highly valued that the Organising Committee has drawn up a detailed master plan for the festival, and vowed that HCM City will actively participate in its programmes.

Lee Dong Woo, for his part, said the event aims to show intention of Gyeongju City to establish a long-term relationship with HCM City and to expand promotion of the two cities’ cultural and commercial images among Vietnamese and Korean people as well as those from regional countries.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed the master plan and schedule for successfully organising the Ho Chi Minh City – Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2017.

The expo, co-hosted by HCM City and Gyeongju city in the RoK’s Gyeongsangbuk-do province, will consist of art performances, exhibitions, movie screenings and trade promotion. 

It will be kicked off on November 19 and last 25 days.

CPV delegation attends Sao Paulo Forum meeting

A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) led by Tran Dac Loi, Vice Chairman of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, attended the 23rd meeting of the Sao Paulo Forum that took place in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, from July 16-20.

The meeting drew more than 300 delegates from 102 political parties and leftwing social organisations in 32 countries in Latin America and other regions around the world.

A range of activities were held during the event, including seminars on the peace process in Colombia, the 100th anniversary of the Russian October Revolution, matters related to indigenous and Africa-origin groups, and the roles played by young parliamentarians, women and the youth.

The delegates participated in activities commemorating Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and the 50th death anniversary of the Argentine hero Che Guevara.

They also focused on analyzing and evaluating the regional situation and sought measures to strengthen solidarity and coordination of left-wing movements in Latin America to cope with right-wing forces.

The forum passed a final statement and resolutions showing support and solidarity with the Sandinista Revolution, the Government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and former Brazilian President Lula da Silva, and asking the US to remove its embargo against Cuba.

Particularly, the forum for the first time approved the “Our Americas Consensus” document that orients Latin American political parties amidst the current situation.

The Vietnamese delegation also attended a ceremony marking the 38th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution Victory Day, during which Nicaraguan President praised the Vietnamese people’s victory in their resistance war against the US.

They also held meetings with leaders of the Sandinista National Liberation Front and other political parties.

HarperCollins marks 200 years with VN fair

The New York – headquartered HarperCollins in coordination with the HCM City Books Distribution JSC (Fahasa) on Wednesday opened a children’s book exhibition at Fahasa Bookstore in HCM City to commemorate the publisher’s 200th anniversary.

On display are more than 2,000 books in foreign languages on education, literature, economy, psychology, and books to help readers to cope with challenges and head for success in their careers and life.

Harpers is known for publishing many famous works, including The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein; Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Big Nate by Dr. Seuss; Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien; Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin; and All the Light We Cannot See by Richard Doerr, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2015.

In addition, HarperCollins has published books on the economy, psychology and education such as Good to Great; Think Like a Freak; and Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built.

HarperCollins publishes books in 17 languages each year. Authors of HarperCollins’ books include winnes of the Nobel, Pulitzer, Newberry and Caldecott Medal and Man Booker awards, according to a Fahasa press release.

The company began in 1817 as a small, family-run printing shop in lower Manhattan. In 1990 Harper acquired Collins Publishers in the UK.

 “We are excited to celebrate this milestone anniversary and give thanks to employees, authors, librarians, booksellers and customers who’ve been instrumental in helping HarperCollins become a part of the global literary culture over the last 200 years,” HarpersCollins’ CEO Brian Murray said.

The book exhibition will end on July 30. 

National karatedo clubs champs kicks off

The National Karatedo Clubs Championships kicked off in the Central Highlands provinces of Ð?k L?k on July 19.

The event attracted the participation of 720 martial artists from 33 cities and provinces across the country.

They will compete for 29 sets of medals in kumite (combat) and kata (performance) in four age groups: 12-14, 15-17, 18 and above and 35 and above.

The event’s best players will be selected for the national team to compete in the Southeast Asian Games and other international tournaments.

The event, which is co-organised by the National Sports Administration and the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will run until July 27.

Beach volleyball event opens in Bình Thuan

Leading teams from across the country took part in the National Beach Volleyball Tournament which opened in Phan Thi?t City in the southern province of Bình Thu?n yesterday.

Sixteen female teams and 17 male teams came from 10 cities and provinces such as H?i Phòng, Khánh Hòa, HCM City and C?n Tho.

The event aims to develop beach volleyball nationwide and give athletes a chance to hone their skills and gain experience.

According to Nguy?n Ng?c H?nh, deputy director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this year’s event has attracted a number of top teams so is sure to see many exciting matches.

Khang triumphs at Tru?ng Son cycling event

Nguy?n Cu?ng Khang won the overall yellow jersey for best overall time at the Return to Tru?ng Son Cycling Tournament which wrapped up yesterday in Qu?ng Tr? Province.

Nguy?n T?n Hoài of Domesco Ð?ng Tháp and Lê Nguy?t Minh of VUS-HCM City were the runners-up.

Khang, 19, of the HCM City Youth squad also won the white jersey as the best young cyclist.

“I am very happy with my result at this tournament. It will be a driving force for me to strive and train more. I hope I will be called up to the national team as soon as possible,” said Khang.

“I thanked my teammates and fans very much. They supported me during the past six stages to help me achieve my best,” Khang added.

The event’s green jersey as the best sprinter went to Minh of VUS-HCM City.

The An Giang Plant Protection team took the lead in the team rankings, followed by HCM City Youth squad and Bike Life Ð?ng Nai.

In the last stage with 20 laps around Qu?ng Tr? Citadel over 53km yesterday, the stage winner was Hu?nh Thanh Tùng of the Military Zone 7 with a time of 1:15.44. Nguyê~n Minh Lu?n of Premium Cycling Vinh Long and Loic Desriac of Bike Life Ð?ng Nai finished second and third.

The tournament aimed to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the War Invalids and Martyrs Day on July 27.

Thái Son Nam lose opening match

Vi?t Nam’s Thái Son Nam lost to Erem FC of Kyrgyzstan 4-5 in the opening Group A match of the AFC Futsal Club Championship at the Phú Th? Indoor Stadium in HCM City yesterday.

Taking full advantage of playing at home, Thái Son Nam opened the score in the seventh minute with Ph?m Ð?c Hoà finding the net. The hosts almost doubled their lead after Brazilian Lukaian Baptista dispossessed Iman Ahmadipaeinlamouki to set Hoà up in front of the goal, but the forward failed to test the keeper.

A dip in creative play after the missed chance allowed Maksadbek Alimov and Dilshat Kadyrov to score two goals in the last minutes of the first half for their team.

After the break, home favourites Thái Son Nam attacked continuously seeking to score, but ended up conceding a  goal in the 31st minute.

The hosts managed to score three more goal, thanks to Lê Qu?c Nam and Hossein Tayyebi (two goals), but their opponents exploited errors by the Vietnamese defenders to score two more goals and win the match 4-5.

In the other group A match, Al Dhafrah of United Arab Emirates beat Vic Vipers of Australia 4-1.

Thái Son Nam will take on Vic Vipers in the next match tomorrow.

“We are obviously disappointed with the performance, we wanted to win but it was not our night. I must congratulate FC Erem for playing well. We need to regroup and continue with our preparations. We must understand that we are trying to adopt a new style of play, a more sophisticated style which will take some time to achieve success. Today, we were too negative in our play and my immediate aim right now is to ensure the players are positive in the next game. The target is the same; we want to get into the next round,” said head coach Miguel Rodrigo of Thái Son Nam on the website the-afc.com.

Meanwhile, coach Amirzhan Mukanov of Erem said: “The moment we saw the results of the draw, we knew what we had to do. We spent a lot of time studying Thái Son Nam. This is the first time that a team from Kyrgyzstan are playing in this continental competition so obviously, I am very pleased with the result. Credit goes to my players for giving their best. As individuals, as a team, we were excellent. Earlier today, we came to watch the other two teams in the group and I am confident we can get a result, but it won’t be easy.”