Minh seeded No 11 in Indonesia

Viet Nam's top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh has been seeded No 11 at the Djarum Indonesia Open that will take place on June 12-17 in Jakarta.

The tournament, a part of the World Badminton Federation Super Series, will see the participation of strong rivals such as world no 1 Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia), Chen Long (China) and Gade Peter Hoeg (Denmark).

Its total awards are worth US$650,000.

Organisers will publish draw results on Thursday.

Le Fruit Triathlon this Saturday

More than 200 athletes will participate in the 11th Le Fruit Triathlon that will be held this Saturday at the Suoi Nuoc Beach, in Mui Ne, in central coastal province of Binh Thuan.

Le Fruit Triathlon, which was set up in 2002 by Viet Adventure, a company that specialises in organising adventure tours, features four events: Stamina, Sprint, Gecko Junior and Gecko Children.

Stamina, which is for athletes who are over 16 years old, comprises a 750m open water swimming race, a 40km mountain bike ride and 8km off beach run.

Triathletes aged 12 onwards will be eligible to compete in the Sprint event that comprises a 300m open water swimming race, a 20km mountain bike ride and 4km off beach run.

The strength of triathletes from nine to 12 years old will be tested in the Gecko Junior event which is a 100m open water swimming race, a 4km mountain bike ride and a 1.5km off beach run.

A 50m open water swimming race, 2km mountain bike ride and 1km off beach run will be the challenge for contestants aged six to eight.

Kids join tough football games

Sixteen teams from primary schools in Da Nang city are taking part in the City Children's Football Tournament at Tien Son Sport Centre.

Teams have been drawn in two groups in two age categories – under-11s and under-13s, in accordance with seven-a-side indoor football rules. The tournament ends on Sunday.

The winners will represent the city at the National Children Football Championships this June.

National shooting championships to commence

The 19th national shooting championships will open in Hanoi on May 22.

The event includes the participation of 150 shooters from several clubs: Haiphong, the Military, Hanoi, HCM City, Thanh Hoa, Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, Vinh Phuc, the Public Security, and Youth.

Athletes will compete in single and team events for both men and women.

In the 18th championships last year, Hanoi won first prize with 13 gold, 9 silver and 10 bronze medals.

Hanoi International Judo Tournament wrapped up

Judo artists from the Republic of Korea ranked first with 12 gold medals, and one bronze at the Hanoi International Judo Tournament, which closed on May 20.    

Vietnam N01 came second with two gold, nine silver and three bronze medals, and Hanoi No1 was placed third with one gold, two silvers and one bronze.

More than 100 judo artists from 12 teams had joined the two-day tournament held at the Cau Giay Competition House in Hanoi by the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to mark the President Ho Chi Minh’s 122nd birthday anniversary.

Minh Quan wins Vietravel tennis cup 2012

Vietnam’s top tennis player Do Minh Quan has successfully defended his national championship title for the tenth time after claiming victory in the men’s singles event at the National Tennis Championships on May 19.

Quan and his teammate Chi Khuong also hope to win the men's doubles title as they advance to the final round on May 20.

The Vietravel Cup 2012 is taking place in the south-central province of Binh Dinh from May 16-26.

Dong Thap team extend unbeaten run under Minh

Dong Thap extended their unbeaten run to four under coach Tran Cong Minh after a convincing away 2-0 win against Kien Giang in the 18th round of the V-League Eximbank 2012 at Rach Gia Stadium yesterday.

Midfielder Tran Minh Loi opened the score just four minutes into the second half and striker Nguyen Hai Anh ensured victory for Dong Thap with a low shot 20 minutes later.

The victory is sweet revenge for Dong Thap's 3-1 defeat at home in the first leg of the season and crucial to avoiding relegation.

With three points from the match, Dong Thap, who have won three and drawn one under Minh, now have 22 points.

"This is a very important win for us because it improves our chances of V-League survival," Tran Cong Minh said.

Meanwhile, the defeat condemned Kien Giang to 12th place, just one point from the drop zone. They will face an uphill task in the rest of the season if they are to prevent relegation to the First Division after just one year in the V-League.

"This loss today puts them back in a very difficult situation," Lai Hong Van, Kien Giang's head coach, said.

Both teams started the match determined to win, which set the tempo from the whistle.

Playing at home and facing a team who they had beaten 3-1 in the first leg, Kien Giang were full of confidence and were the better team in the first half, but they failed to capitalise on their possession.

Striker Oseni Bolaji and Trinh Hoai Nam did not convert the chances they were presented with and the two teams went into the break without scoring.

The second half began with Dong Thap controlling the match.

Just four minutes into the second half, midfielder Tran Minh Loi scored for Dong Thap with a shot just outside the box after defender Le Quang Huy, in his effort to clear the ball, headed the ball to unmarked Loi.

Twenty minutes later, in a quick counter-attack, Joseph Hendrich blocked Felix Ajala's solo effort but the ball fell to Dinh Hoang Max, who passed it to unmarked striker Nguyen Hai Anh, who easily beat Kien Giang goalkeeper Tran Quoc Viet with a low shot to the far corner of the goal.

Kien Giang fought hard for the rest of the match but to no avail.

In other matches yesterday, Da Nang beat Hai Phong to take over second place from Sai Gon FC. Thanh Hoa overcame Hoang Anh Gia Lai 2-1, while Ninh Binh scored a crucial 2-1 win over Ha Noi FC.

On Saturday, leaders Ha Noi T&T, led by coach Phan Thanh Hung, the front-runner for the national team coach position, suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of hosts Navibank Sai Gon at Thong Nhat Stadium.

Midfielder Luong Van Duoc Em opened the score with a shot in the box in the 15th minute and Trinidad and Tobago striker Willis Plaza Deon scored the second from a close-range shot.

"We were not effective in both defence and attack. We had some chances in the second half but could not capitalise on them. Today, T&T failed to implement their usual style," Hung said.

"In football, it is normal that a team suffer ups and downs and I believe our players will soon end this difficult period," the Da Nang-born coach said.

Despite the loss, the club's second in a row, Ha Noi T&T remain top of the V-League table with 33 points. Meanwhile, defending champions Song Lam Nghe An extended their draw record to 11 when they were held at home by Sai Gon FC.

In Nha Trang, home team Khanh Hoa tied with Becamex Binh Duong.