Vietnamese researchers in Australia raise innovation ideas

At the contest (Photo: most.gov.vn)

Winners of a contest on research initiatives and innovations for Vietnamese researchers in Australia were honoured at a ceremony held in New South Wales on September 29.

The first-ever contest was jointly held by the representative office of the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology in Sydney and the club of overseas Vietnamese intellectuals in New South Wales, Australia. 

It attracted the participation of many Vietnamese postgraduates from six famous Australian universities, including the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), the University of Sydney (UOS), the University of New Castle (UON) and the University of Wollongong. 

Professor Nghiem Duc Long, head of the club, said the contest is expected to connect Vietnamese postgraduates in Australia and open up opportunities for domestic and foreign scientists to exchange information, thus promoting the transfer of cutting-edge technologies in Vietnam. 

Chu Quang Hoa, head of the representative office, said his office will send the winning projects home and join hands with the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development to allocate capital to the projects. 

The club of overseas Vietnamese intellectuals in New South Wales was launched in May 2018, aiming to gather Vietnamese scientists in New South Wales and connect them with the intellectual community at home for mutual professional support and promoting cooperation, contributing to sustainable development of the Vietnamese economy.

New South Wales is now home to nearly 100 Vietnamese scientists.

Saying sorry is a sign of the times

Time and time again after getting caught, thieves often write out a letter of apology to say sorry for their crimes and beg for forgiveness.

But have you heard an opposite story?

This actually happened in the Sông Xoài Commune in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province’s Phú Mỹ District.

Over the past month, burglars broke into pomelo gardens in the locality and took away sacks of fruits.

Trần Thị Hạnh, a local farmer said they didn’t only stole fruits ready for harvest but also picked up the younger ones.

In a bid to beat the burglar, residents have improved lighting and introduced guard dogs, but still the fruit gets pinched.  

No it seems local farmer Huỳnh Kháng may have found a solution, and it’s all about being polite.

He has hung cardboard signs telling would-be thieves: “I am sorry for offending you.”

And guess what? It seems to be working. Since the signs were put in place, the amount of fruit taken? Zero.

Now other farmers are taking a leaf out of his book and doing the same and so far so good.

The burglary cases are still under investigation by police. 

HCM City: Over 2.5 trillion VND raised for poor patients

The Sponsoring Association for Poor People in Ho Chi Minh City (SAPP-HCMC) has mobilised more than 2.5 trillion VND (107.5 million USD) over the last 25 years to support disadvantaged children and people with disabilities.

The information was revealed during a ceremony recently held in the city to mark the association’s 25th founding anniversary and to honour sponsors, medical workers and organisations that have accompanied the SAPP-HCMC over the years.

Also at the ceremony, the SAPP-HCMC mobilised over 50 billion VND (2.15 million USD) and received entry in the Vietnam Guinness Book of Records as the charitable organisation supporting the largest number of heart operations in Vietnam, with 8,000 cases.  

At the event, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong spoke highly of the association’s efforts and affirmed that its activities have contributed to easing pains of poor patients in HCM City, other localities of Vietnam as well as neighbouring countries of Laos and Cambodia.

The SAPP-HCMC has served as a bridge connecting kind hearts with hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged people, contributing to the city’s sustainable poverty reduction, he noted.

Phong also asked the association to increase humanitarian programmes and work with departments, organisations, and donors to seek more social sources in the time ahead, pledging that the city will create favourable conditions for its activities.

Established in 1994, the SAPP-HCMC has launched various humanitarian programmes and activities to support poor patients, namely “For the children’s smile”, “Heart operation for poor children” and “Bringing light to poor patients”, among others.

The “Heart operation for poor children” programme has raised more than 410 billion VND (17.6 million USD) for conducting surgery for 8,150 children with congenital heart diseases in 46 localities across the country.

Son La: anti-drug crime fighting plan shows efficiency

Acting President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh (Middle) and delegates at the event 

The Border Guard High Command of the northern mountainous province of Son La held a conference in Moc Chau on October 1 to review the implementation of the plan to combat drug-related crimes in border areas of Moc Chau and Van Ho districts. 

The event drew Acting President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, Commander of the Son La Border Guard High Command Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Hoang Van Chat, and representatives from the Police Department for Investigation of Drug-Related Crimes and other central and provincial departments and agencies.

Participants evaluated the results of the work over the six months since the plan 892/KH-BTL was issued on March 26, 2018 by the Border Guard High Command, while working to drawing lessons from such experience.

Over the past few years, Son La, especially the districts of Moc Chau and Van Ho, has seen complicated developments in drug transportation to Vietnam due to tough terrain and coordination between local and Lao traffickers.

The drugs trafficked are mostly heroin transported from the Golden Triangle to Vietnam through Laos.

Amidst the situation, the Border Guard High Command built a response plan focusing on four major solutions, including reforming communications works; the comprehensive implementation of professional measures; the strengthening of border patrol and examination; and the enhancement of international cooperation and coordination among forces.

In the past six months, the provincial Border Guard High Command worked with their peers in the neighbouring province of Dien Bien and Lao police on 13 cases, arresting 34 suspects and seizing 169 bricks of heroin, 65kg of crystal meth, 422,000 tablets of meth, 17kg of opium, 18 guns, seven grenades, and seven automobiles.

Son La border guards coordinated with the Lao side to finish five cases in the Houaphan province of Laos, while cooperating with Dien Bien border guards to successfully deal with nine cases, arresting 11 suspects, 19 bricks of heroin, 15kg of crystal meth, 39,000 tablets of meth, 5kg of opium, 20 bullets, and many other exhibits.

The efficiency of combating drug-related crime has been enhanced, while the coordination between border guards and locals has become even stronger, greatly reducing activities of transporting drugs from the Golden Triangle to Houaphan and other bordering areas of Vietnam.

So far, activities by drug rings and armed criminal organisations have decreased by up to 80 percent, significantly reducing the amount of drugs trafficked from Laos to Vietnam.

At the conference, Acting President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh presented gifts to the Tan Xuan border post of Van Ho and the Long Sap border post of Moc Chau.

Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien also presented certificates of merit to eight collectives with outstanding performance in combating armed drug traffickers through the border.

The Vietnam Fund for the Support of Children presented 200 million VND to poor children in Son La.

Earlier the same day, Acting President Thinh attended the inauguration of a government headquarters in Tan Xuan of Moc Chau, and presented five houses and breeding cows to policy beneficiaries families, as well as 200 scholarships to poor children in Moc Chau and Van Ho. 

Tourists to Quang Binh up in first nine months of 2018

The number of tourist arrivals to Quang Binh province increased 18.4 percent to more than three million, including 129,700 foreigners, in the first nine months of this year.

The central province’s tourism sector earned 3.3 trillion VND (141.37 million USD) in total revenue in the reviewed period, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.

The achievements are attributed to the provincial tourism sector’s efforts to strengthen management of tourism, tourism promotion activities both at home and abroad.

Director of the Quang Binh provincial Department of Tourism Ho An Phong said the sector will continue tourism promotion activities to fully tap its advantages of sea and cave tourism, and call on businesses to create new tourism development projects and unique tours to draw more visitors as well as encourage their longer stay in the province.

Quang Binh will also work together with neighbouring provinces to establish the connections for a tour route in the central region, further promote the full exploitation of the Dong Hoi-Chiang Mai air route, and carry out the Dong Hoi airport upgrading project, he added.

In 2017, the province received over 3.3 million visitors in 2017, up 70.9 percent over the same period last year.

In the first quarter of 2018, the province served over 727,000 holidaymakers, a year-on-year rise of 12 percent, raking in 820 billion VND in tourism revenue.

In 2018, Quang Binh strived to greet 3.5 million tourists, including 120,000 foreigners.

Quang Binh has a 116.04-km coastal line and a 201.87 km border line with Laos. The province is famous for its cave systems, incredible mountain scenery and sprawling beaches.

It is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park and the world’s largest cave, Son Doong.

Can Tho launches life-long learning week

The Study Promotion Association of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and the municipal Department of Education and Training launched a life-long learning week on October 1.

The week, themed “Study to develop the homeland and country”, is scheduled to take place from October 2-8. It aims to encourage the regular and life-long learning of local residents.

During the week, libraries in the city, especially those of universities, colleges and high schools will step up information technology application, increase e-documents and use library management software to serve the needs of students and people in a digital environment.  

Local educational establishment will encourage teachers, students and people to engage in online reading clubs, exchange interesting books, improve skills to search for official information on the Internet, and read books at public libraries. 

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Le Van Tam, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, asked the city’s educational sector to have a long-term strategy on developing the ready culture among residents in the digital age, through measures to upgrade infrastructure, modernise operational methods and improve the capacity to organise life-long learning activities of those who work in libraries, museums, cultural houses and public learning centres.

According to Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do, over the past years, the life-long learning week has been held in many localities nationwide, attracting the participation of departments, agencies, organisations and individuals.

Health ministry tightens control over hand-foot-mouth disease

Babies with hand-food-mouth disease are treated at HCM City’s Hospital for Tropical Diseases. 

The Ministry of Health has asked local authorities and hospitals nationwide to strengthen preventive measures to control the spread of hand-foot-mouth disease.

In the first nine months of this year, over 53,500 infections were reported nationwide, and nearly 25,900 victims were hospitalised, six of whom died in five cities and provinces in the south.

Deputy Director of the Health Ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department Dang Quang Tan said that compared with the same period last year, the number of infections had dropped by 25 percent and the number of hospitalised patients had fallen 20 percent.

Hanoi, Da Nang and localities in the south including Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Dong Thap and Long An have seen sharp increases in the last few weeks.

The disease tends to spread quickly as students return for the new school year, he said, adding that there was no vaccine for the disease.

The Health Ministry asked local health departments to work closely with education departments and schools to spread the word about disease prevention and control, especially in kindergartens and preschools.

Schools have been instructed to provide soap in bathrooms and ensure students wash their hands.

In Vietnam, the disease occurs throughout the year, but the peak season is from March until May and September to December. Children can get hand-foot-mouth disease at all ages but children below three years old are more susceptible.

The disease is usually a short mild illness, but in some cases patients can experience complications such as encephalitis, meningitis, myocarditis and acute pneumochysis, which can cause death if not properly treated.

Last year, over 100,000 hand-foot-mouth disease cases were detected, of which one death was reported.

Ceremony marks 94th founding anniversary of Caodaism

A representative of the Government's Committee for Religious Affairs (L) presents flowers to congratulate Caodaists on the religion's 94th founding anniversary 

A grand ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 2 to celebrate the 94th founding anniversary of the Caodaism.

Reviewing the religion’s establishment, Nguyen Huu Nhon, head of the management board of Nam Thanh Church – one of the first churches of Caodaism, said the then leader of Caodaism Le Van Trung and 247 Caodaists reported the religion’s foundation to the government on the 23rd day of the 8th lunar month in 1926, which became the founding day of this religion.

He called on followers to remain united and uphold the patriotism tradition to contribute to the national solidarity and the development and protection of the country, which is also in line with the religion’s values.

In the 93rd year of Caodaism, the management board of Nam Thanh Church and other churches carried out many charitable activities to support the elderly and children with disadvantages and flood victims, and offered free check-ups and medicine to the poor. They also helped with the construction of about 20 places of worship.

Caodaism, full name Dai dao Tam ky Pho do (The Great Faith for the Third Universal Redemption), worships the Divine Eye, known as the eye of heaven and a symbol of supreme of the religion. 

It is one of the major religions in Vietnam, with 10,000 dignitaries and about 2.5 million followers in Vietnam and 30,000 living overseas. The religion has about 1,300 places of worship nationwide.

Hanoi forum promotes girls’ rights

Illustrative image (Source: nhandan.com.vn)

One hundred girls will represent their peers nationwide, with half of them ethnic minorities, to speak of safe public places for girls and consequences of early marriage at a forum in Hanoi on October 7.

The Girls’ Forum themed “Promoting girls’ rights for changes and development” will be jointly held by the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, and Plan International Vietnam in response to International Day of the Girl Child (October 11). 

The event’s organisation board said at a press conference in Hanoi on October 2 that the forum is expected to extend the voice and aspirations of children to competent agencies and leaders of the Party and the State at all levels, and create conditions for girls to participate in the building and implementation of relevant policies and laws. 

 Following the forum, the NA’s committee will host a meeting to review opinions raised by the girls at the event and make plans to promote rights of girls in particular and children in general. 

Since 2012, October 11 has been marked as the International Day of the Girl Child. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.

Under the theme “With Her: A Skilled GirlForce”, this year’s event will mark the beginning of a year-long effort to bring together partners and stakeholders to advocate for, and draw attention and investments to, the most pressing needs and opportunities for girls to attain skills for employability.

Wastewater found to cause fish deaths in Hà Tĩnh

Large amounts of untreated wastewater leaked out during the garbage disposal process at the landfill in Lộc Hà District, Hà Tĩnh Province, allegedly causing significant fish deaths in Can Lộc District, the provincial authorities said.

The inspection result showed that the wastewater from Hồng Lộc Commune’s landfill leaked into the environment at a high volume, Dân Trí online newspaper reported.

It is predicted that the leak from the wastewater disposal wells will amount to about 400-500cu.m, a representative of the industrial complex in Lộc Hà District said.

According to the waste treatment process at the landfill, wastewater from burial sites was collected into wastewater disposal wells and then discharged into a wastewater disposal reservoir after being treated in wells for two days with chemicals.

The water is then discharged into the environment. It flows into Nghèn River, the section running through Tùng Lộc Commune, Can Lộc District.

Inspections found that the water colour in Nghèn River changed to a dark red colour and had a bad odor.

The environment department took water samples for testing and also asked the management board of the industrial complex in Lộc Hà District to ensure the treatment of wastewater before discharging it to the environment.

Nguyễn Đức Dũng, head of the management board of the industry complex, told the newspaper that leakage of waste water was caused by a break in part of a degraded pipe and concrete walls of the waste disposal reservoir.

He said that they have basically completed the work of repairing the damaged pipe and walls and were waiting for the test results of the environment agency to take further measures.

The provincial environment department also asked local authorities and relevant agencies to quickly deal with the problem.

Earlier, local residents in Thuần Thiện and Tùng Lộc communes in Can Lộc District reported the local canal had turned black and begun to stink, causing the mass dead fish. 

Hà Nội sets criteria for office headquarter buildings

The headquarter buildings of Hà Nội Party committees, people’s councils and people’s committees at commune/ward and district levels must follow design standards in terms of area and height, said the municipal People’s Committee Chairman Nguyễn Đức Chung.

City authorities are collecting feedback from district authorities on designs of nearly 500 buildings in need of upgrade in the 2017-20 period.

He rejected the requirement of all headquarters having similar architectural structures.

So far, 73 people’s committees at commune/ward level in the city do not yet have headquarter buildings. The investment proposed by each local authority is different, ranging fromVNĐ13 billion (US$565,200) up to 50 billion ($2.2 million), according to the chairman.

The building’s total footprint should depend on the number of personnel to make sure that rooms are not too big, causing waste, he said.

Materials selected for the construction of these buildings must be sustainable, durable and cost-efficient, he said.

Director of the city’s Department of Planning and Architecture Lê Vinh confirmed existing local headquarters would not be demolished and replaced with new buildings.

According to the proposed design, buildings in the inner city must cover an area of 300 to 2,000 sq.m and have a maximum of six floors.

Buildings located in satellite urban areas and areas with high population densities must have areas of 880 to 3,900 sq.m and a maximum of five floors.

In sparsely populated areas, office buildings must be between 1,530 to 4,100 sq.m and not higher than three floors.

Hà Nội currently has 548 local headquarter buildings, including 386 commune headquarters, 177 ward buildings and 21 town-level headquarters.

As many as 290 commune office buildings were renovated or newly built between 2011 and 2015. The total investment was nearly VNĐ1.64 trillion ($71.3 million).

Bình Phước farmers learn new techniques for cashew cultivation

Trunk and root borers have damaged cashew trees in Bình Phước Province’s Bù Gia Mập District. 

Bình Phước Province’s agricultural officials are helping cashew farmers learn new cultivation techniques because of losses incurred in recent years due to pests and inclement weather.

The southeastern province is the country’s largest producer of cashews.

The local authorities have provided farmer Điểu Choi, who has a 2ha cashew orchard in Bù Gia Mập District’s Phú Nghĩa Commune, pesticides and fertilisers to improve his yield.

In the last harvest season, he had a poor yield of 700 kilos of cashew.

Choi has learned how to fertilise cashew trees properly, and identify pests and spray pesticides.

“I’m following the instructions and hope I’ll have a better yield this year,” he said.

Choi’s orchard serves as a model for other agricultural officials in the commune.

Nguyễn Văn Huấn, of Phú Nghĩa Commune, said he had cut down grass and let it decompose to use as fertiliser for cashew trees.

In previous years, he had not pruned many tree branches because he was afraid it would affect yield. “This year I pruned many branches, cut down grass and did not spray herbicides,” he said.

Trần Đại Lợi, deputy chairman of the Phú Nghĩa Commune People’s Committee, said the People’s Committee in co-operation with agencies has taught farmers how to prune branches, spray pesticides and fertilise plants properly.

Bình Phước has more than 71,000 households that cultivate 145,000ha of cashew. Most of the farmers are ethnic minorities.

The province plans to replace 25,000ha of old cashew trees from now to 2020.  

Mosquito bugs (an insect that looks like a mosquito) and pests called trunk and root borers have caused damage to the trees. 

The province has more than 2,400ha of cashew trees which need to be replaced this year because of old age and diseases, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Of the figure, Bù Đăng District accounts for more than 1,000ha, and Bù Gia Mập District, more than 900ha.  

Nông Văn Máy, who has a 8,000 sq.m cashew orchard in Bù Đăng District’s Đăng Hà Commune, said he had cut down half of his cashew trees because the trunk and root borers had damaged his plants.    

Over the past two years, he has had a poor harvest of about 200 kilos of fresh cashew nuts a year. In previous years, the harvest was 600-700 kilos a year.

In Bù Gia Mập District, agricultural officials have selected about 70 cashew orchards to participate in the district’s programme to upgrade cashew orchards.

New bridge across Hồng River to open on Sunday

The Việt Trì-Ba Vì Bridge across the Hồng River to open on Sunday. 

A bridge over the Hồng (Red) River connecting Việt Trì in the northern province of Phú Thọ with Hà Nội’s Ba Vì District will be opened on Sunday, after three years of construction.

With investment of more than VNĐ1.46 trillion (US$63.47 million) from the Phú Mỹ Group, the Việt Trì-Ba Vì Bridge was built under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract.

The main bridge spans about 1.55km, plus 7.54km of approach road on the Hà Nội side and 0.26km on the Phú Thọ side, linking National Road 32 in Hà Nội with National Road 32C in Phú Thọ Province.

A toll station will be located at Phú Cường Commune of Ba Vì District, with fees starting from VNĐ35,000 ($1.5) per car.

The new bridge is expected to help facilitate traffic between Hà Nội and the province of Phú Thọ, thus boosting local economic development and tapping the potential for tourism and service of the province. 

Phú Thọ Province has great potential in manufacturing, assembling industry, construction material production, hi-tech agriculture and forestry. 

Vietnam commits to reduce at least 8% of greenhouse gases by 2030

Vietnam is among the world`s most countries severely affected by climate change and its related disasters.

Vietnam commits to reduce at least 8% of greenhouse gases and will try to reduce greenhouse gases by 25% when receiving positive support from developed countries by 2030. 

The statement was made by Director of the Department of Climate Change under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Tang The Cuong at the discussion themed “Climate Change: Where do we stand, Where do we go and how?” on September 28.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in coordination with the European Union Delegation to Vietnam (UNDP) in the context of the annual European climate diplomacy week. The discussion aimed to raise public awareness on the urgent need to collectively addressing climate change.

For the effort in the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Cuong affirmed that Vietnam is one of the active countries in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Accordingly, nearly 50 out of 63 provinces and cities throughout the country have implemented plans to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Sharing about the European Union (EU) support programs for developing countries, including Vietnam for climate change, EU Ambassador Bruno Angelet said that Vietnam is one of the countries most severely affected by climate change and its related disasters.  

“Consistent to its international commitments regarding Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals, the EU is actively helping Vietnam on mitigation through energy sector reform, and adaptation through funding studies on climate change impact and appropriate adaptation measures,” said Bruno Angelet.

For the issues related to garbage classification in Vietnam, Tang The Cuong said that since 2000, the Vietnamese government has implemented the garbage classification program in some localities, but due to the lack of synchronous implementation, these project soon failed.

In recent years, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have implemented a number of waste treatment projects, such as the Project for Implementation Support for 3R Initiative in Hanoi supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Vietnam from 2016 to 2017. This project has been implemented throughout Hanoi and achieved much success thanks to the support from communication, creating the motivation for people. However, Cuong said that in addition to the support from foreign organizations or government policies, the habits and awareness of people also need to change to minimize the impact of climate change.

Vietnam 18th in global gastric cancer rates

Vietnam ranks 18th out of the 20 countries with the highest rates of stomach cancer in the world, according to experts from Bach Mai Hospital and Nagoya University (Japan) at an International Symposium on liver and gallbladder digestion in Hanoi on September 29.

In Vietnam, most patients are diagnosed with stomach cancer in the final stage of the disease, which requires surgery or chemotherapy, while more than 70% of Japanese people benefit from early diagnosis of gastric cancer thanks to endoscopic methods for high-risk patients. Early detection allows possible gastric mucosal ablation or the removal of polyps.

According to Assoc. Professor Dr. Nguyen Truong Khanh, Head of the Gastroenterology Department at Bach Mai Hospital, factors such as a high salt intake, lack of sleep (over 23 hours awake), sedentary lifestyle, and about 80% of the population being infected with HP bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract put Vietnamese people at a high risk of developing stomach cancer.

"We are working to provide statistics on Vietnamese people at high risk of gastric cancer in order to apply a method of endoscopy for them. For gastrointestinal cancer, the best method is to use an endoscope for early detection," said Dr. Nguyen Truong Khanh.

Experts at Bach Mai Hospital said that other gastrointestinal cancers affecting the large intestine, liver and gall bladder are becoming more prevalent in Vietnam.

Over the past 6 years, experts from Japan’s Nagoya University have helped Bach Mai Hospital with the transfer of endoscopic and surgical techniques to treat gastrointestinal cancer, while many doctors of Bach Mai hospital have been sent to Japan to gain experience in this area. As a result, they have receive specialist training, changed their working style and attitudes, and developed a standard process for the early detection of gastric cancer, Khanh added.

Final of SCG Street Football 2018 on way

After a successful kick-off in Ho Chi Minh City, SCG Street Football 2018 continues its journey to Hanoi for the National Final. The tournament attracted 60 teams with nearly 400 players in Hanoi to play in the regional qualification round.

The best two teams in Hanoi will compete with the best teams in Ho Chi Minh in the Final in the capital’s Old Quarter on October 7.

“With our passion for a better generation in Vietnam through sports, SCG is delighted to host SCG Street Football in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City,” said Mr. Chartchai Jadtanim, SCG’s Country HR Director in Vietnam. “Street football is the starting point for many football stars, so we would like to see many more talent in Vietnam grow up from our street football tournament.”

Aiming to excite football players and football fans alike, SCG Street Football 2018 not only features the competition but also brings interesting football mini games to spectators of all ages. Under the theme #fromstreettostar, the Kid Talent contest will find football talent under 14 years of age in Hanoi through unique challenges.

“This is the first time we’ve competed in such a street football tournament,” said a member of FC Phui, one of teams. “The competition rules are quite unique, making teams play wholeheartedly and keep spectators interested until the final whistle. The atmosphere at the tournament is entertaining for everyone.”

SCG Street Football 2018 is the second holding by SCG after the success of the first in Hanoi last year. The tournament has been expanded to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City this year, in a 3v3 format for players from 16 to 22. After the regional qualification rounds in Ho Chi Minh City (September 8) and Hanoi (September 29) to find the best four teams from both regions, the National Final will take place in Hanoi’s Old Quarter on October 7.