Athletes to be trained in Germany

A number of Vietnamese track-and-field athletes will attend training courses in Germany in the lead up to the 2014 ASIAD.

The trainees include Vu Thi Huong, Truong Thanh Hang and Do Thi Thao who have demonstrated outstanding skill and performances at regional and international competitions.

In 2011, top Vietnamese sprinters Vu Thi Huong and Truong Thanh Hang were trained in Germany. However, Huong missed the opportunity to compete at the 2012 Olympic games in London due to injury.

Last year, local athletes were sent to training camps in Bulgaria and Malaysia in a bid to gain better achievements at the 27th Southeast Asian Games.

Vietnam’s national athletic team convened for training from January 1 in Hanoi, Danang and HCM City.

Tien Minh suffers shutout loss at Malaysia Open

Vietnam’s No1 badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh on January 15 bid farewell to the 2014 Malaysia Open after losing 2-0 to a strong opponent from the Republic of Korea.

Minh, world No10, was defeated by Son Wan Ho, world No21 in two consecutive sets - 17/21 and 16/21 - in the opening round of the tournament.

The Vietnamese player is off to a lackluster start for the New Year following unsuccessful performances at regional events.

Earlier on January 10, he suffered an upset loss at the hands of Chinese rival Chen Long in the semi-finals of the Korea Open 2014.

VN meets South Korea Student in football match

The national men's football team will play an international friendly match with South Korea Student on March 2.

The players will gather on February 27 in Ha Noi under the guidance of coach Hoang Van Phuc and will have two days to train before the match.

Viet Nam will then play the last match against Hong Kong in the qualifying round of the Asian Cup 2015, which will take place at the My Dinh national stadium on March 5.

In recent matches, South Korea Student won twice against Viet Nam at HCM City Cup in 2008 and 2009, but were defeated in the semi-final round of the BTV Cup 2013.

The players for the national team will be shortlisted after the second round of V-League 2014.

National xiangqi masters to compete in Vung Tau

The National Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) First Division Championships 2014 will open in Vung Tau on February 15.

The tournament, which will conclude on February 24, will include men's and women's events in the classic and blitz categories.

The top performers will be selected for the national team to take part in international tournaments later this year.

New Vietnamese member appointed to AFC Executive Committee

Tran Anh Tu – former chairman the Ho Chi Minh City Football Federation - has been appointed as a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s Futsal and Beach Soccer Development Committee.

With this nomination, Tu becomes the sixth representative from Vietnam working for the AFC Executive Committee.

Born in 1963, Tu has made remarkable contributions to the national Futsal team over the past years. He has invited foreign Futsal players from Italy, Brazil, Japan and Thailand to join national tournaments to help local players sharpen their skills.

HCM City golfer wins VND5 bil. apartment

Golfer Le Xuan Phuong who successfully made a Hole-in-One on the 17th hole at a distance of 167 yards won a VND5 billion apartment at the first Saigon Beer Golf Tournament last week.

The event was organized by the Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Joint Stock Corporation and Vietnam Golf Association and Saigon Pearl at the Vietnam Golf and Country Club in  District 9.

Phuong’s apartment will be located in Thao Dien Pearl which consists of 450 luxury flats and 16 penthouses by the Saigon River.

The golf tournament attracted 150 participants. Especially, Thao Dien Pearl contributed VND600 million to the program to support young golfers in Vietnam.

16 local fans win trip to Old Trafford

Sixteen local fans will head to Manchester United’s Old Trafford to see United face bitter rivals Liverpool in March after winning the ‘Castrol football frenzy with the British’ held at Hoa Lu Stadium in District 1 on Saturday.

Each trip is worth VND150 million with two lucky-draw winners Nguyen Thanh Dat and Nguyen Su Truong Duy joining talented contestants Dang Duc Minh, Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Vo Thanh Trung, Nguyen Truong Ngoc Tram Anh, Nguyen Tuan Duong, Nguyen Thien Bao, Nguyen Thi Uyen Tu, Do Thi Van Anh, Le Thanh Thuy, Nguyen Thi Thuong, Do Kim Phuc, Pham Thanh Ha, Nguyen Tien Hoang Tung and Tran Thi Ngoc Tram for the trip.

The program attracted 4,733 fans and 3,169 signatures and submissions via photos and videos from football-crazy fans.

The winners will have a chance to exchange with famous football stars such as Ryan Giggs, Robin van Persie or Wayne Rooney. The trip to the U.K. will take place from March 12 to 18.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT