Many flights from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City to other localities were delayed for hours on Friday evening because of rain and strong wind.

HCM City is facing regular heavy rain. On Friday evening, the rain intensified with strong wind, thunder and lightning, causing flights from HCM City to many destinations, including Haiphong, Danang, and Hanoi to fail to take off on time.

Pacific Airlines’ flight to HCM City was slated to depart the airport at 5:30 pm. But, it was then delayed twice, finally departing at 8:20 pm, affecting hundreds of passengers.

Many other flights to Haiphong, Danang, Hanoi, Quy Nhon, Dalat, and Hue were also delayed for 2-3 hours.

According to the Southern Region Hydro-Meteorological Centre, torrential rain would continue ravaging HCM City until the end of this month.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives football coaches

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on May 28 hosted a reception for head coaches of Vietnamese men’s and women’s football squads that won gold medals at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The President congratulated coaches Park Hang-seo of the men’s football team, Mai Duc Chung of the women’s, and other coaches and athletes of Vietnam on their achievements at the biggest regional sports event, which took place in Hanoi and 11 nearby localities from May 12-23.

Vietnam ranked first in the medal standings with 205 gold, 125 silver and 116 bronze medals. As many as 305 outstanding athletes have been honoured with the Prime Minister's certificates of merit for their excellent performances at the event.

The President also commended the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam Sports Administration, and localities for their active role in the organisation of the Games.

Daklak CDC arrested in Viet A test kit case

Trinh Quang Tri, director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of the Central Highlands province of Daklak, has been detained for alleged violations during the procurement of Covid test kits from Viet A Technology Corporation.

Tran Thanh My, head of the CDC’s finance and accounting division, and Tran Thi Nguyen Hang, an employee of the CDC’s testing division, were detained for violating bidding regulations, causing serious consequences, the local media reported.

In addition, Dang Minh Tuyet, deputy head of the testing division; Tran Thi Mai Anh, an employee of the pharmaceuticals division; and Dinh Le Le Na, a saleswoman of Viet A in the Central Highlands, faced the same charge but were placed under house arrest.

According to investigators, in 2021, the Daklak CDC bought more than 63,000 Covid test kits worth over VND13 billion from Viet A. After receiving the payment, Viet A transferred more than VND3 billion to Le Na to be given to four of the five individuals at the Daklak CDC.

Over 1,500 people participate in "International Yoga Festival - Da Nang 2022"

More than 1,500 people will participate in the "International Yoga Festival - Da Nang 2022" held at Bien Dong (East Sea) Park in Son Tra district, in the central coastal city of Da Nang, on June 11-12.

This information was announced at the press conference on the "International Yoga Festival - Da Nang 2022" on May 27, organised by the Union of Friendship Organisations of Da Nang City in collaboration with Baoviet Life Corporation.

The International Yoga Festival - Da Nang 2022 was organised by the People's Committee of Da Nang City.

This is an important foreign policy activity for Da Nang City in a series of events and activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of Vietnam – India diplomatic ties (January 7, 1972 - January 7, 2022) and the 8th International Day of Yoga (June 21).

To date, more than 100 coaches have registered to support the festival and more than 1,500 members have signed up to perform at the Yoga festival.

Vietnam wins big at Pyongyang Spring Friendship Art Festival

Ri Ho Jun, chargé d'affaires of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Embassy in Vietnam, on May 26 presented prizes to Vietnamese winners of the 32nd April Spring Friendship Art Festival in Pyongyang.

The festival was held in the DPRK in April, and Vietnamese artists participated in the event online as the COVID-19 outbreak reached its peak in Vietnam.

The programme “Ánh dương mùa xuân” or “Spring sunshine” in English performed by artists of Vietnam National Music Song and Dance Theatre bagged 11 gold and four silver medals. 

The art show, directed by Meritorious Artist Do An, consisted of 13 unique dance and music performances, aimed at introducing traditional Vietnamese culture to both audiences in the DPRK and international friends. 

The other four silver medals went to artists of the Vietnam Circus Federation.

World No Tobacco Day observed in Hanoi

The Ministry of Health and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee held a ceremony in Hanoi on May 28 to mark World No Tobacco Day (May 31) and a national no tobacco week.

Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the Health Ministry's Department of Medical Examination and Treatment and Director of the Vietnam Tobacco Control Fund, said the number of male smokers in Vietnam drops from 45.3 percent in 2015 to 42.3 percent at present.

He cited a survey conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as showing that the prevalence of smoking among Vietnamese students aged from 13-17 decreased from 5.36 percent in 2013 to 2.78 percent in 2019.

Khue also pointed out difficulties in the prevention and control of tobacco harms, including the presence of e-cigarettes that are available on social networks and mainly target youths.

He suggested stronger tax policies to build a smoke-free environment, and stepping up the communication work to raise public awareness of harms caused by tobacco.

On this occasion, the Vietnam Tobacco Control Fund, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and Vital Strategies launched a video-making contest to reduce the use of tobacco and e-cigarettes among young people.

HCM City hosts first-ever fruit festival

A fruit festival kicked off along Binh Dong wharf in District 8 of Ho Chi Minh City on May 28, part of efforts in building waterway tourism products in the southern economic hub.

The ‘Tren Ben Duoi Thuyen’ (On the Wharf - In the Boat) festival, the first of its kind, takes place until June 4. It features about 180 booths promoting specialties and fruits grown in the Mekong Delta region such as longan, pomelo and jackfruit.

Live performances of fruit arrangements, traditional games like making to he (toy figurines with rice dough), and traditional cakes will be held at the festival.

In response to the ‘Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City’ tourism programme, the municipal Department of Tourism and the District 8 People’s Committee are joining hands with tourism companies to build three new travel tours.

The city plans to welcome 3.5 million international tourists and 25 million domestic tourists this year. After the government decided to open the country's doors to international guests from March 15, the city’s tourism sector has sped up preparations and created many new products for tourists.

Ca Mau equips all offshore fishing boats with monitoring device

The southernmost province of Ca Mau has completed the installation of black boxes to monitor fishing activities of all 1,529 off-shore fishing boats.

All boats, 15m long and above, are required to keep the monitoring device active during their fishing trips. 

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development sees the device as an important solution to manage the fishing boats directly and continuously.

It is also an important solution to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, the department says.

With the installation of the device, violations by fishing boats have reduced significantly, it adds.

Chau Cong Bang, deputy director of the department, said that to fight IUU fishing activities, the province has instructed its fishing ports to keep fishermen, boat owners and captains aware of relevant regulations and updates.

Fishing boats that return to ports after off-shore trips have to comply with rules related to declaring catch details, he added.

Nguyen Quang Hung, deputy head of the National Directorate of Fisheries, said Ca Mau has achieved positive results in fighting IUU fishing activities.

Activities calling for environmental protection efforts launched

Activities calling for environmental protection efforts were rolled out during an event held in Tien Yen district of the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh on May 28.

The activities were in response to International Day for Biological Diversity (May 22) and World Environment Day (June 5), as well as the action month on environmental protection slated for June.

Speaking at the launch event, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha called on stakeholders to change attitude and behaviours towards the environment, adjust the use of natural resources towards sustainability and pay heed to natural-based solutions so as to resolve global issues such as climate change, health and food safety, among others.

Chairman of the Quang Ninh People’s Committee Nguyen Tuong Van also called on relevant organisations and people to join hands in environmental protection, thereby contributing to the sustainable socio-economic development of the province in particular and Vietnam at large.

Fifty free cartoons for children to be screened in the summer

From May 28, the Vietnam National Cinema Centre and the Vietnam Animation Studio will organise a screening of Vietnamese cartoons to serve audiences of all ages, especially teenagers and children.

The programme opened at 9:30 am on May 28 at the National Cinema Centre, at No. 87 Lang Ha, Dong Da District, Hanoi. Parents can pick up free tickets at the ticket counter of the National Cinema Centre. Tickets are not sold online.

According to screenwriter Pham Thanh Ha, Head of Screenwriting Department - Vietnam Animation Studio, the 50 films are good, typical films selected from nearly 500 films of the studio.

The program is divided into two phases, including Vietnamese cartoon month from May 28 to June 30, with showtimes from 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays every week; and a periodic film screening programme from July 1 to December 31. Shows from 9:30 a.m. every Sunday.

This will be one of the practical activities to bring young audiences moments of entertainment combined with learning through pure Vietnamese animation products, both healthy and innovative.

Outstanding athletes at SEA Games 31 honoured

As many as 305 outstanding athletes have been honoured with the Prime Minister's certificates of merit for their excellent performances at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), according to a decision signed on May 27.

Besides, a proposal to present the Labour Order to individuals and sports teams who won gold medals at the regional biggest sports event has been submitted to the President for approval. 

Accordingly, the would-be recipients of the second-class Labour Order are swimmers Nguyen Huy Hoang and Tran Hung Nguyen, together with canoeist Nguyen Thi Huong and runner Nguyen Thi Oanh. They all bagged at least three gold medals at the recently concluded Games hosted by Vietnam.

The would-be recipients of the third-class Labour Order are the national U23 men’s and the national women’s football teams, and 19 athletes in gymnastics, swimming, canoeing, athletics, dancesport, finswimming, rowing and weightlifting.

With 40 sports, SEA Games 31 took place in Hanoi and 11 nearby localities from May 12-23. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vietnam ranked first in the medal standings with 205 gold, 125 silver and 116 bronze medals. Thailand came second with 92 golds, 103 silvers, 136 bronzes and Indonesia finished third with 69 golds, 91 silvers, 81 bronzes.

EU-funded project to boost urban infrastructure’s climate resilience

An EU and French-funded project was launched on May 27 to improve the climate resilience of urban infrastructure in four northern central provinces of Vietnam.

The project is financed with 5 million EUR (over 5.3 million USD) in non-refundable aid from the EU, 123 million EUR in ODA loan from the French Development Agency (AFD), and 28 million EUR from the Vietnamese Government.

It aims to reduce the vulnerability to natural disasters in five urban areas, namely Phat Diem township (Ninh Binh province), Ngoc Lac township (Thanh Hoa province), Hoang Mai town (Nghe An province), and Huong Khe and Thach Ha townships (Ha Tinh province).

Under this project, necessary urban infrastructure facilities will be built to serve water drainage, ease flooding, and improve environmental hygiene, clean water supply, and solid waste treatment. Technical assistance will also be provided to help the localities enhance the project’s sustainability by boosting their capacity to operate and maintain wastewater treatment stations and other utilities.

Vietnamese cuisines favoured by ASEAN friends in Malaysia

Vietnam’s special cultural identities, landscape and cuisines were introduced to friends in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at an event in Malaysia on May 27.

The event took place within a meeting of wives of officials and female staff of the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ASEAN Ladies Circle (ALC) in the country, aiming to contributing to enhancing the friendship and solidarity within the bloc.

The ALC Vietnam brought to the event Vietnamese dishes such as pho bo (beef noodle soup) and nem (spring rolls), which received warm response and compliments from regional friends.

Short films featuring the history, culture and tourist destinations in Vietnam were also screened on this occasion./.

Australia, Vietnam work together on gender equality for stronger economies

The Australian-funded Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT) programme hosted a symposium, Engaging Women in Markets – Scaling up Local Successes Nationwide, in Hanoi on May 27.

Throughout the day, the GREAT programme team and Government of Vietnam representatives discussed evidence and lessons learned from the GREAT Programme that can help inform Vietnam’s National Target Programmes (NTPs) implementation. The NTPs and GREAT both aspire to stronger socio-economic opportunities in Vietnam’s northwest region, particularly for the ethnic communities that call the region home.

GREAT is Australia’s most significant gender investment in Vietnam, totalling 33.7 million AUD (24.1 million USD). The programme works with businesses, NGOs, government and civil society partners to build more inclusive business and market systems within the agriculture and tourism sectors in Son La and Lao Cai provinces. It also works to ensure that local women and ethnic minorities actively participate in and benefit from related economic activities and growth.

The GREAT Programme began in 2017 and is now entering a second phase which will see the programme extended to 2027.

Conserving wild, migratory birds – urgent task: workshop

Conserving wild and migratory birds remains an urgent task to ensure a healthy ecosystem, contributing to migratory bird conservation in the region and the world at large, heard a workshop on May 27.

The workshop, held by the Vietnam Environment Administration at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), looked into the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 4/CT-TTg dated May 17, 2022 on urgent tasks and solutions to preserve wild and migratory birds in Vietnam.

Nguyen Hoai Bao, from Birdlife International, said Vietnam is considered one of the most important locations for migratory and endemic birds, with 63 globally important bird regions and seven endemic areas.

Currently, the country is home to over 900 bird species, of which 99 need to be conserved, he continued.

Despite conservation efforts, migratory bird populations have been seriously declining in Vietnam and other Asian countries over the past years, he noted, blaming the situation to rapid development across Asia and illegal hunting and trading.

Other participants suggested Vietnam foster cooperation with regional and international conservation organisations, universities, research institutes and centres to implement relevant programmes more synchronously.

The handling of violations should be tightened, they said, urging the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and the MoNRE keep a closer eye on the assessment of natural resources and environment, hydro-and wind power projects./.

Beneficiaries of RVN-Vallet Scholarship Fund gather in French city

A gathering of former Vietnamese students at the National Institute of Applied Sciences Center Val de Loire (INSA Blois) who benefited from the Rencontres du Vietnam (Meeting Vietnam) - Vallet (RVN-Vallet) Scholarship was held in France’s Blois city on May 26.

The event was part of the Rencontres de Blois (Meetings of Blois) conferences.

Talking about their learning and working process in France, beneficiaries of the RVN - Vallet scholarships expressed their gratitude to Van, his French colleague Professor Odon Vallet, and the RVN organisation for supporting them.

In 1993, Van and his wife returned to Vietnam to hold the first RVN programme, which attracted hundreds of famous physicists from around the world. One year later, the RVN Scholarship Fund was set up at their initiative with the aim of encouraging and assisting young talents who are outstanding students of Vietnam, particularly those with disadvantages or coming from ethnic minorities or remote areas.

Attending a scholarship presentation ceremony in 2000, Odon Vallet, a professor of history and religion at Sorbonne University, expressed his wish to join Van in contributing to this scholarship fund. Touched by Vallet’s action, Van decided to rename the fund RVN-Vallet.

For the last more than 20 years, RVN-Vallet has been the largest non-governmental scholarship fund and also the one operating for the longest period of time in Vietnam. It has presented nearly 40,000 scholarships worth over 350 billion VND (15 million USD) in total to students and young researchers of Vietnam so far.

Workshop discusses restoration of endangered turtle populations in Vietnam

Experts and delegates at a workshop on May 27 discussed challenges to the restoration of wild turtle populations in Vietnam, and the possibility of reintroducing turtles in the central region.

The workshop was held by the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency at the Vietnam Environment Administration under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, in coordination with the Asia Turtle Proramme.

Hoang Thi Thanh Nhan, deputy head of the agency, said scientists have found 25 species of tortoises and freshwater turtles along with five species of sea turtles in Vietnam.

Vietnam accounts for 9 percent of turtle species globally. However, their populations are rapidly declining due to the loss of habitats and illegal hunting and trade, with many on the edge of extinction.

To build and implement conservation programmes for endangered precious and rare species, the Prime Minister on September 12, 2019 issued Decision No. 1176/QD-TTg approving the programme on the conservation of endangered turtles by 2025, Nhan said.

Sandra Scagliotti re-appointed Vietnam’s Honorary Consul in Turin

Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Duong Hai Hung on May 26 presented Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son’s decision to re-appoint Sandra Scagliotti as Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Turin.

In his congratulatory remarks, Hung said the Honorary Consul of Vietnam has worked effectively and greatly contributed to the two countries’ relations as seen in the activities boosting economic partnerships, locality-to-locality ties, and cultural exchanges.

Scagliotti is a researcher on Vietnam and has written many works on the country which have helped introduce the Vietnamese culture to Italian people, he said, noting that she and her husband, Fulvio Albano, have also helped run the Italy - Vietnam Chamber of Commerce in Turin, thus strengthening trade links between the two countries.

He described Scagliotti as a friend of Vietnam whose contributions are highly significant to Vietnam and bilateral relations, adding the re-appointment reflects the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s appreciation of her efforts.

Expressing her honour to be re-appointed, Scagliotti pledged to continue effectively contributing to the development of Vietnam - Italy relations.

According to the re-appointment decision, she will serve as Vietnam’s Honorary Consul in Turin for three years, starting on April 27, 2022, and be in charge of the city’s inner and outlying areas, along with the entire Piemonte and Liguria regions.

Concert in Ha Long will feature range of exciting artists

A concert, VR By Night 2022, will take place on June 24 in Ha Long Square overlooking the bay, in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

It’s estimated that thousands of people will attend the event, enjoying music from young artists like Duc Phuc (winner of The Voice Vietnam 2015) and Erik and Min (who performed Ghen Co Vy, the viral COVID-19 song). Phi Linh (MC at the opening ceremony of SEA Games 31) will host the show.

The concert, which will be free of charge, is to welcome summer, local people, travellers and young music lovers.

Singer Min will present some songs in her album 50/50, released in March. This is her debut album, featuring eight songs that cover pop, RnB, dance-pop and disco.

Erik will perform his song Chay ve khoc voi anh (Come Crying to Me), which received 31 million views in two months from its release.

Meanwhile, Phuc will present his latest hit Ngay dau tien (The First Day).

The concert will also feature rappers Ricky Star and Lang LD who found success on the Rap Viet gameshow. Their performance promises to create an even more exciting atmosphere at the show.

Draft revised law on domestic violence control submitted to parliament

The draft revised Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control was submitted to the National Assembly (NA) at its ongoing third session in Hanoi on May 27.

Authorised by the Prime Minister, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung presented the proposal, noting that after nearly 15 years of enforcement, the law has helped improve public awareness of domestic violence prevention and control, thus protecting victims, dealing with domestic violence and legal violations, and improving gender equality in families.

However, despite certain achievements, domestic violence remains a problem.

Given this, the amendments aim to improve regulations so as to better protect human rights under the 2013 Constitution, enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of State and social institutions as well as families’ role in this issue, thereby upholding sound traditional cultural values and boosting socio-economic development in the new context, said Hung.

Containing six chapters with 62 articles, the draft revised law focuses on measures for preventing domestic violence and protecting and assisting victims, coordination mechanisms and conditions for implementing domestic violence prevention and control, and the encouragement of private participation.

Vietnam pushes for better legal framework against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity

Vietnam has been pushing for legal reforms to provide suitable regulatory framework against all types of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang told a workshop in Hanoi on May 27.

Vietnam is pursuing consistent policies on protecting and promoting human rights, particularly basic rights to freedom stipulated in the 2013 Constitution and related legal documents, she said when delivering an opening remark at the “International Workshop on Protecting Against Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: International and Vietnam’s Experiences” held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

As clearly stated in Vietnam’s candidate’s statement to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Vietnam wishes to strive through cooperation and dialogue for the goal “All human rights for all”, she noted, adding that Vietnam has accepted and carried out a number of recommendations related to combating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

She further noted that Vietnam is studying and consulting the development of a bill on gender transformation and another on the revision of the Domestic Violence Prevention and Control Law.

The issue has grabbed public attention, given the country has seen a significant improvement in people’s awareness on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity over the past decade, Hang stated.

Vietnamese people are becoming  increasingly open-minded and have a more balanced view, so this topic has been discussed more widely and diversely in both form and content, she continued. The LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community has become more visible in today’s society with more and more people coming out, she said.

Vietnam fosters scientific cooperation with Russian locality

A virtual roundtable was held among representatives of scientific organisations in Russia’s Kuzbass region and Vietnam on May 26. The event formed part of the ASEAN-Russia Year of Scientific and Technical Cooperation (ARYSTC) 2022.

Several cooperation agreements between Vietnam’s universities and institutes and Kuzbass’ scientific universities and centres were signed during the roundtable.

Dr Nguyen Quoc Hung, Director of the Russian-Vietnamese Cooperation Development Fund "Tradition and Friendship" and an expert at the Institute of Economics under the Russian Academy of Sciences, affirmed that there is huge cooperation prospect between Vietnamese and Russian localities, including Kuzbass, and urged bolstering local cooperation for the development of the countries’ traditional partnership.

Hanoi’s athletes commended for performance at SEA Games 31

A ceremony to honour athletes and coaches of Hanoi who had outstanding performance at the recent 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) was held on May 27 morning.

During the Games, athletes from the capital city won 151 out of the 446 medals for the Vietnamese sports delegation (accounting for 33.85 percent) with 62 golds, 35 silvers and 54 bronzes, while the number of athletes of Hanoi accounted for only 24.75 percent of the total.

Five athletes of Hanoi broken their records at the Games and set new records. Many athletes brought home two, even three gold medals. This is a breakthrough achievement in terms of quantity and quality of Hanoi’s sports to the national sports delegation.

At the ceremony, medalists were awarded with certificates of merit of the Chairman of the municipal People's Committee and a bonus of 55 million VND (2,371 USD) each for the gold medal, 30 million VND for the silver medal and 25 million VND for the bronze medal.

Coaches that had medal-winning athletes were presented with certificates of merit, and a bonus equal to 50 percent of that for their athletes. Meanwhile, the Hanoi’s sports delegation got a bonus worth 3 billion VND.

Scholarships presented to people with disabilities in HCM City

As many as 300 children with disabilities and orphans in Ho Chi Minh City were presented with scholarships and gifts on May 27 on the occasion of International Children’s Day (June 1).

The scholarships were presented at a ceremony held by the city's Trade Union Social Work Centre, the Centre of Rehabilitation and Assistance for  Disabled Children, Good Day Hospitality Mcdonald’s Vietnam JSC, and Gosmal Co.Ltd .

Addressing the event, Nguyen Xuan Thang, Director of the Centre of Rehabilitation and Assistance for Disabled Children affirmed that the Party, State and society always pay attention to children, especially orphans and children with disabilities who suffer many disadvantages in their lives. In addition to taking care and providing essential things to those children, teachers, families and communities also give them their love, he said.

It’s the sympathy and patience of teachers, parents and society which will help children with disabilities and orphans overcome psychological barriers and integrate into the community, Thang said.

Vietnam to take on Myanmar at AFF Women’s Champ 2022

The Vietnamese women’s football team will play their Myanmar opponents in Group B of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship 2022, according to the results of a draw held on May 28.

Alongside Myanmar, Vietnam will also play Timor Leste, Cambodia, and Laos in the same group.

Coach Mai Duc Chung breathed a sigh of relief after the draw as his students will only play underdogs, except for Myanmar - the main challenge for Vietnam to vie for the top position in Group B.

In the most recent international tournament, Huynh Nhu scored the only goal to help Vietnam trounce Myanmar in the semi-final match at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

Meanwhile, Group A is considered the group of death as Thailand will play the Philippines along with Australia. Thailand won a silver medal at the recent 31st SEA Games while the Philippines secured a ticket to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Australia, 12th in the FIFA women’s football rankings, are set to progress out of the group stage.

The AFF Women’s Championship 2022 will get underway in the Philippines from July 2. Vietnam are current champions after defeating Thailand in the finals of the AFF Cup 2019.

The Vietnamese women’s team flew to France on May 27 for a training camp where they are scheduled to play two friendlies against France and Cameroon ahead of the ASEAN tournament.

Chess GM Le Quang Liem takes up challenge at Prague Masters

Chess Grand Master Le Quang Lien of Vietnam will travel to Prague of the Czech Republic in June for the Prague International Chess Festival 2022.

He has been selected to play in the Masters tournament – the most competitive of the festival, with the participation of 10 players from June 7 to June 18.

Notably, he will take on Nguyen Thai Dai Van, a Czech of Vietnamese origin who was the 2013 European Youth bronze medalist and winner of the 2017 First Saturday Grandmaster tournament. Dai Van is currently the youngest Czech Grandmaster.

Liem’s other opponents will be Vidit Gujrathi (India), Pentala Harikrishna (India), Sam Shankland (USA), Francisco Vallejo (Spain), David Anton (Spain), Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran), Salem Saleh (UAE), and David Narava (Czech Republic).

The contenders will play in a round-robin format to find the winner.

The Prague International Chess Festival was established in 2017 but the first iteration of the festival took place in March 2019.

The main purpose of the festival is to give top Czech players, national team pretenders and aspiring juniors a chance to face the world's absolute top players on home soil.

Organisers hope the festival and its format will encourage players' fighting spirit, incite their will to win, strengthen self-confidence and motivate further personal chess growth in a healthy way.

Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes