U19 team to train at Arsenal

The national under-19 team will enjoy a training course at European giant Arsenal's campus early next year.

The squad, which won a spot to compete at next year's Asian championships, received an invitation from Steve Morrow, Arsenal's International Partnerships Performance Supervisor.

The schedule has not been confirmed but the team will likely head for London after the Lunar New Year in late January.

Vietnamese shooters join Asian top 10

Vietnamese marksmen are in the Asian top 10, according to the latest ranking released yesterday.

Olympian Hoang Xuan Vinh is the second-best shooter in the men's 10m air pistol category, following Olympic winner Jin Jong-oh of South Korea. Vinh got 1,033 points while Jin obtained 3,207.

His position is Viet Nam's best ever in the continental ranking.

The World Cup Changwon champion is also the sixth seed in the 50m pistol.

Another Vietnamese marksman in the top 10 is Kieu Thanh Tu in the men's 25m rapid pistol pool.

VN make final preparations for Asian Cup qualifiers

The Vietnamese national football team will play two friendly matches in Qatar as part of their final preparations for the upcoming encounter against Uzbekistan at the Asian Cup 2015 qualifiers next week.

Viet Nam will play their first match against Qatar's national team tonight and another match against Al Arabi, one of the most successful clubs in Qatar, on Friday.

Both Viet Nam and Qatar consider the friendly an occasion to review their power and staff before taking on opponents in the Asian Cup qualifiers.

Viet Nam will face Uzbekistan next Tuesday while Qatar will play Yemen on Sunday.

The only time Viet Nam qualified for the continent's biggest football event was in 2007, when it was the only host country to reach the quarterfinals.

Four weightlifters to compete in world championships

Four Vietnamese athletes will arrive in Poland to take part in the 2013 World Weightlifting Championships on October 17.

Tran Le Quoc Toan and Do Thi Thu Hoai, who are participating in long-term training course in Bulgaria, will directly fly to Poland.

Thach Kim Tuan and Hoang Tan Tai together with their coach Huynh Huu Tri will depart from Ho Chi Minh City.

Thach Kim Tuan won three silver medals in Asian Weightlifting Championships in June this year and Tran Le Quoc Toan was placed fourth in 2011 World Weightlifting Championships.

Toan and Tuan are now the most hopefuls of the Vietnamese team.

Nam closes in on title defence

Defending champion Ly Hoang Nam is on track to defending his title at the national tennis championships after defeating Le Cong Tien to reach the quarter-finals.

Nam, 17, beat Tien 6-3, 6-1 to set up a quarter-final match against Lam Quang Tri, who stunned Hoang Thanh Trung 7-5, 6-4.

Nam became the first teenager to win a national title when he defeated Do Minh Quan in the final last year. Quan does not take part in the singles event this year.

Another title contender, Nguyen Hoang Thien, also cruised to the quarter-finals after making light work of teenager Nguyen Dac Tien.

It will, however, be a considerable challenge for Thien in the quarter-finals, where he faces veteran Le Quoc Khanh. Khanh also had an easy win over Nguyen Tuan Anh in the last 16.

The third match of the quarter-finals will see second seed Pham Minh Tuan take on Vu Aterm. While Tuan beat Tran Ngoc Hien 6-0, 6-3, Vu needed more effort to overcome Mai Thanh Dong 7-6, 6-2.

The last match in the quarter-finals will feature Tran Thanh Hoang and Trinh Linh Giang.

In the women's category, top seed Huynh Phuong Dai Trang, who got a walkover in the first round, will take on Pham Thuy Thuong.

Second seed Tran Thi Tam Hao will face Nguyen Thi Be Xuyen, who caused the first shock of the tournament by downing Tiffany Nguyen 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.

In the men's doubles event, top-seeded duo Quan and Khanh sailed through to the last eight by beating Bui Quang Hung and Jonathan Nguyen 6-0, 6-2.

Second-seeded pair Huynh Chi Khuong and Tran Thanh Hoang will face Vu Aterm and Dang Ngoc Vinh in the quarter-finals.

Tran Thi Tam Hao and Nguyen Ai Ngoc Van will also take on Huynh Phi Khanh and Dao Minh Trang in the quarter-finals.

In the mixed doubles event, top-seeded duo Quan and Trang will meet Nguyen Phi Anh Vu and Lo Thi Hoang Nga in the last 16.

The tournament will end on Friday, a day earlier than scheduled in respect for the National Funeral of the late General Vo Nguyen Giap.

U21 players called up for int'l tourney

The national under-21 team have been called up in preparation for the Thanh Nien (Young People) Newspaper International U21 Football Tournament in Ninh Thuan Province.

Twenty three players have been selected from the national championship which closed on Sunday in Hai Phong City.

Dinh Van Dung who has been in charge of youth football training for many years will be head coach. He will be assisted by Tran Doan Dung and Luong Trung Dan.

The international tournament will see three visitors from Malaysia, Australia and Singapore on October 11-20.

Hue to develop community football

The central Thua Thien-Hue Football Federation and Norwegian Football Federation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Football for All in Viet Nam (FFAV) project in the province.

The project aims to build Hue as an example of community football development.

It also promotes the values of football as a means of engaging children and youths in fun activities and a tool for education on life skills, as well as serving as a model for developing football clubs in future.

The first FFAV football tournament, which was held in the city in June, drew the participation of over 3,100 kids from 320 teams.

Private businesses have developed 12 artificial turf stadia to meet the demand of playing football among young people in the city.

In history, Hue football club ranked second in the national premier football championship in 1995, but were relegated in 1996 before going down again to the second division. The teamwere promoted to the First Division last year.