Vietnamese delegation heads for AUG 17 in Indonesia

A send-off ceremony was held in Hanoi on December 7 by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) for a 76-member delegation to the 17th ASEAN University Games (AUG) in Palembang, Indonesia from December 9-21.

Among 20 sports at the event, Vietnamese students will compete in track and field, Pencak Silat, swimming, table tennis, Karate, and chess.

In addition to competitions, they will join in sideline activities, like cultural exchanges, meetings to share study experience, and sightseeing programmes that aim to promote friendship and understanding.

AUG is a biennial sports event organised by the members of the ASEAN University Sports Council with the participation of athletes from the bloc’s universities. It was first held in 1981.

Hanoi win four golds, continue to lead National Sports Games

Ha Noi won their 61st gold medal yesterday in the indoor sepak takraw (rattan ball kicking) event during the National Sports Games played on their home turf.

The Hanoian beat rivals from Soc Trang 2-0 in the women's team category at Hoang Mai Gymnasium.

Earlier, the capital city team won three titles in gymnastics events at the Quan Ngua Sports Palace.

Veteran Pham Phuoc Hung had no difficulty in triumphing in the men's all-round category with 82.950 points. He was followed by HCM City's Le Thanh Tung and teammate Dinh Phuong Thanh.

Hung, Thanh then grouped with four other athletes to top the men's team class.

HCM City and Military finished as runners-up.

World-class ranked Phan Thi Ha Thanh of Hai Phong successfully dominated the women's all-round with 52.700 points.

Hanoian Do Thi Thu Hien and Do Thi Van Anh placed second and third, respectively.

Despite Thanh's efforts, she could only lift her team to the second position in the team's pool.

Ha Noi pocketed the gold and HCM City earned a bronze.

With 61 gold medals, Ha Noi is in first position in the medals tally, as HCM City and Military are close behind.

The National Games was officially kicked off on Friday with the participation of thousands of athletes from 63 cities and provinces, who met to

compete in 36 sports.

The competition, which is organised every four years, will wrap up on December 16.

Anh sprints to stage victory as Duy retains overall lead

Do Tuan Anh's strong sprint allowed him to grab a first stage win at the Trans-Viet cycling tournament yesterday.

The cyclist representing Domesco Dong Thap 1 completed the fifth stage of the 128km track from Quang Ngai to Da Nang City with a time of 3hr

3.55min, just out of reach before runners-up Tran Van Quyen of Military 1 and Ho Van Phuc of ADC-Vinh Long Television.

The win helped Anh remain on top of the race to win the green jersey, as he secured 83 points.

Meanwhile, Huynh Mai Duy of HCM City maintained his position as the tour's leading rider after five stages, although he did not finish in the top three yesterday.

Duy has clocked in 14:58.07 during the tournament. He is followed by Trinh Duc Tam of ADC and Le Ngoc Son from Domesco Dong Thap 1.

HCM City kept their top position in the team rankings with a total time of 45:55.57.

The two followers are Domesco Dong Thap 1 and ADC.

The next stage will be from Da Nang to Hue, measuring 105km.