Karate fighters to compete in Singapore Open

All competitors will compete in the kumite (combat) events including Asian Games winner Le Bich Phuong, SEA Games champions Vu Thi Nguyet Anh, Bui Thi Trieu, Nguyen Minh Phung and Nguyen Hoang Hiep.

The kata (performance) artists will join the Turkey Open in September.

The tournaments are good chances for the Vietnamese to study their rivals from Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines who will all later participate in the key 26th SEA Games in Indonesia in November.

Viet Nam snatch bronze in Asian Judo Championship

Nguyen Lan Linh and Le Ngoc Van Anh pocketed a bronze from the Asian Judo Championship which concluded in Thailand on Monday.

Linh and Anh took their medal in the women's junokara (duo performance).

In the men's competition, SEA Games champions Nguyen Thanh Tai and Nguyen Ngoc Son failed to make the top three.

The debut tournament has drawn more than 40 countries and territories competing in the nage no kata (a combination of hand, hip and foot techniques), katame no kata (a combination of fifteen techniques), kime kata (self-defence technique), juno kata and kodokan goshin jujitsu (modern self-defence-oriented style).

Nghe An breeze through Maldives AFC Cup challenge

Vietnamese representatives Song Lam Nghe An came back from a goal down to defeat Maldives' VB Sport 3-1 in the second round of the Asian Football Confederation Cup on Tuesday in Male City.

Nguyen Quang Tinh, Nguyen Ngoc Anh and Ngo Hoang Thinh scored for the visitors after VB's Ali Asfaq recovered from injury to open the scoring in the 18th minute.

Nghe An sent a weakened team as they prepared for vital local V-League and National Cup tournaments.

They came to Male with their second string under head coach assistant Pham Anh Tuan but easily secured their first victory and three points which puts them second in Group F.

Tuan was pleased with the Vietnamese side's performance despite them having to play with 10 men from the 59th minute after Son Ha was sent off for a second yellow card.

"It was a very good game. The hosts played and attacked very well. We tried to play a defensive game and pressurise on the counter attack," he said.

"The host team scored an early goal and when we equalised I saw that the VB defenders had some problems, so I talked with the players about that during the break. They took advantage perfectly."

In the other match of the group, Singapore's TSW Pegasus who beat Nghe An 2-1 in the last round went down 2-1 to Sriwijaya of India, who will be Nghe An's next rival on April 13.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News