HCM City's fencers train in Ulsan

Three fencers from HCM City are on a three-month training course in Ulsan, South Korea in preparation for the 26th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Indonesia.

Nguyen Tien Nhat, Truong Tran Nhat Minh and Nguyen Phuoc Den are looking to hone their skills ahead of the region's biggest sporting event. Nhat, who won a silver medal at the 25th SEA Games in Laos two years ago, is hoping to improve this time around, and take home a gold medal from the Indonesian Games.

Karate champ to undergo surgery

Former Asian Games karate champion Vu Thi Nguyet Anh has received VND200 million (US$9,500) from a benefactor, Trinh Van Quyet, general director of the SMiC Law firm, for a knee operation.

Anh is expected to have the operation in Singapore at a cost of between $10,000-14,000.

She spent more than 10 years competing for Viet Nam, and won many medals both at home and abroad.

Football festival for children

Hanoian children aged from eight to 14 have eagerly taken part in a football festival led by many national players at the Ha Noi-based My Dinh National Stadium.

The festival aimed to equip children not only with footballing skills but also a love for the game, according to Hideaki Asakura, general manager of Nghi Son Cement Company.

Festivals will be held in Ha Noi, HCM City and the central region over the next few months.

Golf raises funds for archipelagos

The Swing for Life Golf Tournament 2011 took place in HCM City with the aim of raising VND1 billion (US$47,600) to buy equipment for health clinics in the Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands.

The annual event drew the participation of more than 200 golfers.

First held in 2009, the tournament has raised money to buy thousands of wheelchairs for poor disabled people, bring sight to over 1,800 poor children with cataracts, and build clinics in HCM City and Ca Mau Province.

Viettel teenage team ranked 8th

The U-13 Viettel football team finished eighth in the Jubilo Cup, an international football tournament for teenagers in Japan.

The team had four wins and two losses, placing eighth out of the 22 participating teams, with 12 goals scored and nine conceded.

The Viettel teenage team completed the tournament with a 5-0 win over Mechida and 1-0 defeat to Tucano A.

This is the first time the Ha Noi-based team competed in an international event.

Ha Noi triumph at national youth event

Host team triumphed at the National Youth Shooting Championship which wrapped up at Ha Noi's National Sports Centre on Tuesday.

The team finished with 15 gold, four silver and nine bronze medals after ten days of competition. HCM City came second with seven gold, five silver and six bronze medals, while Hai Duong finished third with four golds, one silver and two bronzes.

The Army team failed to defend their title at this year's event, finishing fourth with four golds, one silver and two bronzes.

In the last day of competition, Hanoian Pham Anh Dat grabbed gold in the men's individual 25m pistol with 548 points.

The hosts also grabbed a gold medal in the men's pistol team event, scoring a total of 1,529 points.

In the women's 10m air rifle singles, Nguyen The Thien won gold for HCM City with a personal best performance of 389 points. Her teammates also dominated the team event with 1,143 points.

According to the organisers, the best athletes from the event will be chosen to participate at the upcoming 26th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia this November.