Minh eases through at Japan Open

Viet Nam's Nguyen Tien Minh advanced to the second round of the Yonex Japan Open badminton tournament yesterday (June 11) in Tokyo.

Vietnamese player Nguyen Tien Minh

World No 10 Minh beat Wing Ki Wong of Hong Kong 21-17, 21-13 in 42 minutes.

The No 7 seed will play Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark in the next round, who yesterday beat Jen Hao Hsu from Chinese Taipei 21-12, 21-14.

The Superseries tournament will conclude on Sunday with all five final matches.

VN lose ground at AFC Cup

Viet Nam displayed a disjointed performance and lost to the Philippines 1–0 in the Asian Football Confederation Cup at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCM City last night.

Linsay Whaley shook off marker Nguyen Thi Hai Anh to score the only goal of the match in the 29th minute with a low shot inside the box past keeper Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy into the far corner.

Whaley's goal also led her team to a second win in a row and reclaim the top spot from Viet Nam, who have now dropped to the second place with three points from the win over Cambodia in the opening match.

This is the first time in years that Viet Nam have lost to the Philippines, which possessed some very promising players, at an international women's football event at all levels.

Viet Nam's loss in the second Group A match, however, will not affect its chances of progressing into the semifinals because the country will only have to play Singapore, which was already eliminated after two losses, in its last group game.

Cambodia beat Singapore 2–1 in the previous match of the group to rank third in the group.

In group B, Thailand overcame Malaysia 1–0 in their first match on Tuesday.

Futsal player Hao caught doping

National futsal team player Doan Quoc Hao has tested positive for illicit drugs, according a statement released by the Viet Nam Football Federation.

Players were subject to urine screenings after the Asian Football Confederation's Futsal Championship in HCM City last month, with the AFC later reporting Hao's case to the VFF.

"Based on the anti-doping regulations, the AFC has decided to temporarily ban Hao from all football activities for 30 days (since May 25, 2014)," the statement said.

The VFF said the AFC would hand down further penalties to Hao, who was found using a multitude of drugs and alcohol substances without informing the team's doctors, both before and during the tournament. Hao has previously denied using the illicit drugs.

Viet Nam finished in the top eight at the championships after going down 4-15 to Iran in the quarter-final round match.

The discovery is a blow to Hao's career. He is currently a member of reigning national champions, the Thai Son Nam club. Recently, he has been sidelined by the team's coaches, having been on the bench since May.

Kim Toan FC win Larue Cup

 Kim Toan football club beat Song Lam-Da Nang 2–0 to win the five-a-side football tournament Larue Cup in the central city on Tuesday.

The central city-based team walked away with a cash prize of VND100 million (US$4,800), while the runner-up pocketed VND50 million ($2,400).

In the play off for the third position, Ca Mau won 4–3 on penalty over V&V team after a 3–3 draw in regular time.

The annual tournament drew eight teams from Ca Mau, Binh Dinh, Quang Nam and Quang Tri, as well as Da Nang.

VN masters dominate ASEAN comp

Viet Nam claimed the top spot at the 15th ASEAN+ Age Group Championships after the rapid chess event wrapped up yesterday at the Cotai Sands Conference Centre in Macau.

The leading team triumphed in nine out of 15 categories, achieving a total of 20 gold medals.

Among the champions, Vu Hoang Gia Bao (boys' U8), Ngo Duc Tri (boys' U10), Tran Tuan Minh (boys' U18) and Le Thuy An (girls' U12) earned two titles.

The Philippines, who had led the standard and rapid competitions, finished second with 16 gold medals, and Indonesia come third on 3.

Source: VNS