Vietnamese experts train Lao Vovinam team

Lao Vovinam team, with two coaches and 21 athletes, began practice under the instruction of a Vietnamese coaching board on April 11 at the Vientiane Stadium.

The Vietnamese coaching board includes three Vovinam masters – Nguyen Tan Nghia, Nguyen Thanh Sang and Nguyen Thi Tuyet Loan.

The team will practice fundamental movements and exercises. They will move to the Lao National Sports Center in early May to drill in preparation for the World Vovinam Championship in HCM City in late July and the Southeast Asian Games 2011 in Indonesia in November.

Vietnam takes part in World and Asian Billiard Champs 2011

Hanoi’s Nguyen Phuc Long and HCM City’s Lim Leng will participate in the World Billiard (ten-ball) Championship 2011 in the Philippines from May 9 to 15.

After that, some Vietnamese athletes will join the Asian Carom Billiard Championship in Seoul, South Korea from May 17 to 19.

Vietnam currently doesn’t have any billiard players in the world top 20. Vietnamese players must enter the quarter-final round of the Asian Carom Billiard Championship to meet the criteria to take part in the World Individual Carom Billiard Championship 2011 in Peru from June 12-16.

Vietnam’s two leading billiard players are Duong Anh Vu (ranking 40th in the world) and Ly The Vinh (41st).

Vietnam’s national volleyball teams get foreign coaches

Two foreign coaches of the national men’s and women’s indoor volleyball teams will start working in Vietnam on May 2.

Augusto Sabbatini from Brazil will join the men’s team while a Chinese expert will work with the women’s team.

The national beach volleyball teams may have foreign coaches this year.

The goal for two national indoor and beach volleyball teams in 2011 is to take at least one gold medal.

The women’s team will participate in the Cup for Asian Women’s Clubs in Vietnam’s Vinh Phuc province in May while the men’s squad will join the Cup for Asian Men’s Clubs in Indonesia in July.

Vietnam tops Southeast Asia Taekwondo Championship

The 10th Southeast Asian Youth Taekwondo Championship closed in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on April 11, after three days of competition.

Vietnam defended its championship with 57 medals, including 26 gold, 15 silver and 16 bronze medals.

Hai Duong wins rowing clubs national championship

With six golds, one silver and two bronze medals, Hai Duong topped the 2011 Rowing Clubs National Championship which concluded in Hanoi on April 11.

In the final day of competition, Hai Duong’s duo Le Thi An and Nguyen Thi Trinh finished first in 7 minutes 47 seconds in the women's 2000m doubles event. This was followed by Nguyen Thi Trinh who defeated three rivals from Hung Yen, Hai Phong and Thai Binh to win the women’s singles event in a time of 8 minutes 40.43 seconds.

On the same day, Tran Quang Tung also earned one more bronze medal for Hai Duong in the men's singles event.

The tournament drew participation from 70 men and women rowers in nine teams including Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Duong, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ha Tinh, Hung Yen, Thai Binh and Thanh Hoa. They competed in 14 singles, doubles and team events for both men and women.

Hanoi T&T draw 1-1 with Tampines Rovers

In a match in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)'s Cup 2011, Vietnamese representatives Hanoi T&T were held to a 1-1 draw by Tampines Rovers from Singapore at Hang Day stadium on April 12.

Immediately following the opening whistle, the hosts, Hanoi T&T, created a wave of attacks against the Singaporean side. However, their obvious goal-scoring opportunities in the 15th and 17th minutes were both denied by the Tampines Rovers goalkeeper Sunny.

Hanoi T&T finally took the lead when Van Quyet scored the opener in the middle of the first half.

In the second half, the hosts surprisingly slowed the game down and as a result lost their lead when Aleksandar Duric equalised for Tampines Rovers from a free-kick in the 80th minute.

After this poor draw, Hanoi T&T rank third in group G.

In another match in group G, Muang Thong United edged Victory 1-0.

Tomorrow Song Lam Nghe An, another Vietnamese team in the AFC Cup, will take on Sriwijaya from Indonesia in a group F match.

Hanoi tops national wushu sanshou championship

With seven golds, two silvers and one bronze medal, Hanoi occupied the first position at the 2011 National Shanshou (combat) Championship which finished recently in Buon Me Thuot city in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.

Thai Nguyen was placed second with two gold, one silver and two bronze medals, followed by Tuyen Quang with two gold and two silver medals.

Young wushu artists from the host team Dak Lak won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals.

The four-day competition attracted 165 martial artists from 25 cities, provinces and sectors around the country including Hanoi, Da Nang, Vinh Phuc, Tuyen Quang, Gia Lai, the Army team, the Police team and Dak Lak. The athletes competed in 18 weight categories, ten for men and eight for women.

Vietnam to lie in group A at Southeast Asian championship

The Vietnam national women's football team will lie in group A with Indonesia, Singapore and Laos at the 2011 Southeast Asian Women's Football Championship, to be held in Laos this October, according to the Southeast Asian Football Federation.

Meanwhile, group B comprises Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.

TV