Minh seeded sixth at China Open and Hong Kong Open

Vietnam’s top shuttler, Nguyen Tien Minh, is set to compete in two Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super Series tournaments next month; the Li Ning China Open and Yonex Sunrise Hong Kong (China) Open.

The world number six has been seeded sixth in both tournaments.

The 2013 Li Ning China Open takes place in Shanghai from November 12-17. US$350,000 in total prize money is on offer at the annual event, a fixture on the Super Series Premier calendar since 2011.

The 2013 Yonex Sunrise Hong Kong Open, which became part of the BWF Super Series in 2007, is held at the Hong Kong Coliseum from November 19-24. The winner will walk away with US$250,000.

Despite an early first round exit from the 2013 Yonex Denmark Open in mid-October, Minh has maintained his number six ranking for four weeks in a row with 58,896.72 points.

Hoang sets shooting record

Military marksman Nguyen Duy Hoang set a new record at the men's 50m three-position event during the National Shooting Championships yesterday in Ha Noi.

Hoang scored 1,257, 3.9 points more than the record Hanoian Pham Ngoc Thanh set two years ago.

Thanh performed poorly this year, failing to enter the top three.

The silver medal went to Do Manh Dinh of Thanh Hoa and his teammate Phung Le Huyen, who got a bronze.

Another event of the day was men's sport pistol, won by Bui Quang Nam of the hosts with 579 points. Pham Anh Dat of Ha Noi and Ha Minh Thanh of the Military placed second and third respectively.

The last day of the tournament today will see the men's 25m centre-fire pistol finals as well as the awards ceremonies.

After six days of competition, Ha Noi are strongly on top of the medal tally with 23 golds. The Military are far behind with 14 while Hai Duong, in third place, have earned four gold medals.

Vietnam xiangqi stars to compete in World Mind Games

Vietnam xiangqi masters Uong Duong Bac and Nguyen Hoang Yen have qualified for the third SportAccord World Mind Games in Beijing this December after their excellent performances at the recent World Xiangqi Championships.

Duong Bac just missed out on the men’s individual podium, coming in fourth place with 13 points from four wins and five draws. Hoang Yen registered seven wins, one draw and one loss to claim the women’s individual silver with 15 points overall.

According to the regulations, the top eight male and top four female finishers at the world championships are eligible for the World Mind Games. Another Vietnam master, Ton That Nhat Tan failed to secure a place after finishing in ninth position with 12 points.

Premier Vietnamese chess player Le Quang Liem has also been selected to compete in the Games as defending world blitz champion, a title he won in grand style at the 2013 World Blitz and Rapid Chess Championships in June.

Linh advances in Thailand

Vietnamese Nguyen Thuy Linh booked a berth in the second round of the ongoing Badminton World Federation's World Junior Championships in Thailand.

Linh defeated Teng Iok U of Macao 21-9, 17-21, 21-4 in the girls' individual event yesterday after nearly half an hour. She will meet Qin Jinjing of mainland China in the next round today.

On the boys' side, Pham Hoang Nam and Do Tuan Duc also moved on with easy victories.

Nam won 21-19, 21-16 over You Joe Daryl Ng of Singapore and Duc beat France's Loic Mittelheisser 21-18, 21-13.

Nam will next play Jun Peng Zhao of China. Duc is to meet Tang Chun Man from Hong Kong.

Other Vietnamese players Dinh Thi Phuong Hong and Pham Cao Cuong received a bye and will start their tournament today together with doubles events.

U19s expected to play European youth teams

Viet Nam's Under-19 team will have chance to play youth teams from Europe during a friendly tournament which will be organised next year.

A four-team competition is being planned, with invitations sent to leading teams including Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Arsenal, who would provide a very strong and obsequious challenge.

The event is one of the activities that the U19 team will join in their preparation for the finals of the Asian Under-19 Football Championship in Myanmar in October 2014.

The team will also play at a special ASEAN tournament in August next year.

Gymnast Thanh wins four gold medals

Phan Thi Ha Thanh, the golden girl of Vietnamese gymnastics, pocketed four gold medals at the 2013 National Gymnastics Championships, which took place at Hanoi’s Quan Ngua Sports Palace from October 26-27.

She won gold medal in the women’s individual all-around on the first day of competition, adding three others on the second day in the vault, balance beam and uneven bars events and helping Hai Phong city to a second-place finish at the tournament.

Hanoi proved their strength as the winning team, earning a total of six gold medals. Ho Chi Minh City team came in third with three gold medals at this year’s competition.

The annual tournament brings together gymnasts from provinces and cities nationwide.