VietNam Culture: January 2011

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Sprinters set their sights on London

Yet to peak: Sprinter Vu Thi Huong is looking for a berth at the London Olympic Games. The 24-year-old has to clock a time of 11.38sec in the 100m at the World Championships to qualify for London . — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI — Sprinter Vu Thi Huong will enrol at a six-month training course in Germany to prepare for the World Athletics Championship in Deagu, South Korea this August.

Meanwhile, middle-distance runner Truong Thanh Hang will train in Bhutan after Tet before she heads off for additional training in Kunming, China.

The two runners have set their sights on earning a berth at the London Olympics in 2012.

Huong, 24, who won a silver medal in 200m and a bronze in the 100m at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, last year, set a national record in the 200m during the National Sport Games in Da Nang last December after she crossed the finish line at 23.30 seconds.

The record is congruent with the Olympics automatic berth criteria for the women's 200m for the London Games.

The 24-year-old has to clock a time of 11.38sec in the 100m at the World Championship if she wants to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.

In 2007, Huong finished the 100m with a time of 11.33 seconds, a personal best, at the Asian Athletic Championships.

She was also the first Vietnamese female runner to win a gold medal at the SEA Games in the 100m race in the Philippines in 2005.

Three years ago, Huong competed at the Beijing Olympics but was disqualified during the quarter-final.

HCM City-born Truong Thanh Hang, who won two Asian Games silver medals in the 1,500 and 800, needs to sustain her best time of 2:00.91 in the 800 to earn a spot at the London Games. — VNS

Murray subdues Ferrer to get third crack at slam

Andy Murray of Britain celebrates his victory over David Ferrer of Spain at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 28, 2011

Photo: Reuters

Andy Murray bludgeoned his way through a brick wall named David Ferrer on Friday to reach the Australian Open final and give himself a third crack at ending Britain's interminable wait for a men's grand slam champion.

Pretenders to end the nation's embarrassing 75-year drought have come as close before but few can have shown the skill, persistence, and self-belief that Murray summoned up to beat the inspired Spaniard 4-6 7-6 6-1 7-6 on Rod Laver Arena.

"He's an unbelievable athlete, and unbelievable competitor, it was an unbelievably tough match and I managed to come through," said Murray, who will meet fellow 23-year-old Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final -- only the second of the last 23 men's grand slam finals not to feature either Roger Federer or world number one Rafa Nadal.

The Scot will hope the victory does not turn out to be pyrrhic as there can be little doubt that Serbian third seed Djokovic would have been delighting in every second of the energy-sapping three hour, 46-minute duel as he lounged in his hotel room eating popcorn.

Murray lost his previous two grand slam finals to Roger Federer, including tearfully here last year, and came perilously close to kissing goodbye to his chance of a third as an inspired Ferrer moved to within a point of a two-set lead.

Afterwards, Murray admitted he was oblivious to his precarious position but he saved the set point at 4-5, 30-40 with a thumping serve to keep alive his hopes of becoming his country's first winner of a major since Fred Perry in 1936.

murray 2

Andy Murray of Britain celebrates his victory over David Ferrer of Spain at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 28, 2011

Spaniard Ferrer had reached his second grand slam semifinal at his 33rd attempt after beating an injury-hit Nadal in the quarters but began as if to prove a point.

For most of the first two sets the 28-year-old seventh seed proved a formidable barrier to Murray's more cunning game, scurrying from side to side to send back everything Murray could throw at him with some interest and no little skill.

After coming off second best through a few lengthy, leg-buckling rallies, Murray's nadir in the match came when he was serving to stay in the 73-minute second set and Ferrer had a grabbed a set point.

Incredibly, Murray was blissfully unaware of quite how much trouble he was in.

"You are probably not going to believe this but I actually thought it was 4-3, I didn't know until the umpire called five all at the end of the game, he said.

"I was so focused, I was pretty wrapped up in it and lost track. I hope it doesn't happen again."

Aggressive approach

The Briton knew he had to change something and, having chuntered at his entourage including mum Judy and dispatched a bunch of rackets off to be re-strung, he altered his tactics to a more aggressive approach.

"I felt I was able hit through the ball better, came into the net a lot, finished a lot of the points quicker because from the back, he's like a brick wall, he never misses," Murray, who dominated the second set tiebreak, said.

Ferrer's resistance crumbled in the third set and he kicked an advertising hoarding over in anger after being given the run-around by Murray who produced one exquisite lobbed half volley that soared over the Spaniard's head.

Murray broke early in the fourth set but the match had another twist with Ferrer changing his shirt, saving double break points, and roaring back to lead 5-4 and 6-5, only for his opponent to snuff out any danger with some deadly first serves.

"He started to play better and my level dropped, which happens a bit towards the end of a five-set match but I managed to find it at the end of the set when I needed it," said Murray who again called the shots in the tiebreak.

Job done, Murray played down the historical importance of Sunday's showdown with Djokovic despite the growing sense of hope taking hold on the other side of the world.

"The historical thing, it's not something that I've thought about that much, but it's something that obviously for me personally I want to try and win, he said.

While Murray, described by Ferrer as a "very, very great player", faces an anxious day counting down the hours to his third grand slam final, one piece of Australian Open silverware has already been inscribed.

Argentine Gisela Dulko and Italy's Flavia Pennetta also came from behind to beat Belarus and Russian duo Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko 2-6 7-5 6-1 to win the women's doubles.

ferrer

David Ferrer of Spain reacts during his semifinal match against Andy Murray of Britain at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 28, 2011

Friday, January 28, 2011

Their time to shine

A group of 52 artists from HCM
City is presenting an overview of current lacquer paintings at their
exhibition at the HCM City Fine Arts College.

Son Mai Sai
Gon 2011 (Sai Gon Lacquer) features more than 50 works in different
styles, using the traditional material of lacquer.

Being a
native of the northern province of Ha Tay (now part of Hanoi ),
the influence of Le Xuan Chieu's birthplace can be seen in his art
works.

The lecturer of the HCM City Fine Arts College
highlighted work is Ho Guom (Sword Lake), featuring Vietnamese girls
in traditional costume ao dai (traditional long dress) at Ho Guom, a
landmark of Hanoi .

Like Chieu, landscapes and
beautiful women are also sources of inspiration of veteran artists like
83-year-old Hoang Tram's Ha Long (Ha Long Bay) and Ca Le Dung's Xom Cau
Van (Cau Van Village).

This year's exhibition features
works of artists born in the 1980s, including students of the Fine Arts
College Tran Thi Ngoc Linh and Vu Thi Thuy Dung.

The
youngest participant, Linh of the college, brings a modern breath and
image to her lacquer work. Linh's Toi Dang Lang Nghe (I Am Listening)
portrays a girl in modern clothes listening to music with an earphone.

Held for the first time last year, the event falls on December 21 of
the lunar calendar, the day that honours the memory of the ancestor who
founded Vietnamese lacquer-making.

The exhibition remains
open until February 12 at the Applied Arts Gallery at HCM City Fine Arts
College, 5 Phan Dang Luu Street, Binh Thanh District./.

Lack of strikers blights Vietnam’s AFF campaign

Vietnam's football coach Henrique Calisto

Injuries to key strikers and an interminable pre-tournament training camp were the reasons for Vietnam’s early exit from last month’s Southeast Asian Football Championship, officials and coaches who reviewed the fiasco at a meeting Thursday agreed.

The Vietnam Football Federation’s National Board of Coaches said the squad had virtually no forwards following injuries to Cong Vinh and Viet Thang.

Things got worse after four other key players, defenders Quang Thanh and Viet Cuong and midfielders Tai Em and Trong Hoang, had to sit out the second leg of the semifinal against Malaysia in Hanoi due to injuries and bookings.

In the event, Vietnam were held to a goalless draw and crashed out. They had lost the first leg 2-0.

Malaysia went on to beat Indonesia in the final to win the title.

Vietnam’s Portuguese coach Henrique Calisto and officials also admitted that the two-month training camp before the tournament in December drained the players.

The VFF and Calisto decided that in future camps will be no longer than three weeks.

The National Board of Coaches said errors by goalkeeper Tan Truong and Calisto himself were partially to blame for the loss.

Calisto will, however, continue to be in charge at the 26th SEA Games in Indonesia and World Cup qualifiers this year. His contract with Vietnam only expires in 2013.

He gets a monthly salary of US$22,000 and other perks, including accommodation, flight tickets to Portugal for his annual vacation, health insurance, and possible bonuses for good performances.

Calisto took over the squad in March 2008.

Sprinters to eye on London Olympics

HA NOI – Sprinter Vu Thi Huong will enrol at a six-month training course in Germany to prepare for the World Athletics Championship in Deagu, South Korea this August.

Meanwhile, middle-distance runner Truong Thanh Hang will train in Bhutan after Tet before he heads off for additional training in Kunming, China.

The two runners have set their sights on earning a berth at the London Olympics in 2012.

The record is congruent with the Olympics automatic berth criteria for the women's 200m for the London Games.

The 24-year-old has to clock a time of 11.38sec in the 100m at the World Championship if she wants to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.

In 2007, Huong finished the 100m with a time of 11.33 seconds, a personal best, at the Asian Athletic Championships.

She was also the first Vietnamese female runner to win a gold medal at the SEA Games in the 100m race in the Philippines in 2005.

Three years ago, Huong competed at the Beijing Olympics but was disqualified during the quarter-final.

HCM City-born Truong Thanh Hang, who won two Asian Games silver medals in the 1,500m and 800m, needs to sustain her best time of 2:00.91 in the 800m to earn a spot at the London Games. – VNS

Martial artist gets cash prize boost

Karate star Le Bich Phuong has received a cash prize of VND100 million (US$5,000) from Viet Nam Football Media JSC for her gold medal at the Asian Games last month.

She won Viet Nam's only gold medal at Asia's biggest sporting event, at which the 260-member squad bagged a modest haul of one gold, 17 silver and 15 bronze medals.

The 19-year-old athlete was also awarded VND100 million ($5,000) by cable TV provider Audio Vision Global (AVG), and VND30 million ($1,500) by the National Sports Administration for her performance at the Guangzhou Asian Games last December.

She is expected to receive a further VND45 million ($2,200) from the National Sports Administration at a ceremony this week.

The National Sports Administration also awarded prizes to the other 32 athletes who won medals at the Games, before Tet (Lunar New Year) begins next Wednesday.

Viet Nam seeks top-three ranking at regional games

The Viet Nam sports delegation aims to finish in the top three at the 26th Southeast Asia Games in Indonesia this year.

According to reports at the Viet Nam National Administration of Exercises and Sports' end-year meeting, Viet Nam plans to compete in 28 of 41 sports in the Games at Palembang and the capital of Jakarta in November.

The events include track and field, swimming, diving, archery, shooting, badminton, billiards, canoeing/kayak, cycling, boxing, pentaque, fencing, football, volleyball, table tennis, chess, rowing, Vovinam, sepak takraw, pencak silat, taekwondo, judo, karatedo, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling, wushu and gymnastics.

Besides the SEA Games, the administration is also focusing on the Olympic qualifications in some major sports such as track and field.

HCM City sports facility employs new boss

The privately owned Thanh Long Sports Centre, HCM City's best known sporting facility, has a new boss.

Le Trong Tri, who takes over as chairman from Quach Thanh Lai, said he sees huge potential in the centre which has been become a regular training and stopover place for football teams from all over the country.

The Binh Chanh District-based centre will remain focused on sports and its facilities will be expanded so that it can hold international events in future, he said.

Lai will, however, remain involved with running the place, which has two football pitches, tennis and badminton courts, and a pool.

Built in 2001, it is 60 per cent owned by young seafood entrepreneur Tri. — VNS

Thousands flock to flower festival

Thousands of people in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi began visiting
the annual spring flower festival that opened on Jan.26.

A Spring Flower and Drinks Fair which opened in Hanoi will see some
last-minute politicking for the selection of Vietnam 's national
flower.

The fair will also feature a photo
exhibition by HCM City-based photographer Tran Bich dedicated to the
lotus, a leading candidate for designation as the national flower.

Bich is dedicated to photographing the lotus, and his images capture
the many shapes of the lotus, from bud to faded flower.

Orchids, peach and ochna blossoms are also in contention for the title of national flower, however.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will gather votes on the
national flower, national costume and national wine during the festival,
and the national flower will be announced on Jan.28 at the Vietnam
Lotus Spirit Gala.

At the Lotus Spirit Gala,
artisans from Hanoi , Hue and HCM City will create crafts and
artworks celebrating the lotus, including lotus lanterns and sculpture
and silk lotus.

"We have used many materials to
celebrate the lotus," said Hanoi-based artist Nguyen Manh Hung. "Since
it's not the season of the lotus in the north now, we have received
fresh lotus from the southern province of Dong Thap ."

The competition to select the national costume hasn't gone as smoothly.

"The ao dai is already the national costume for women, but it's
difficult to choose the national costume for men," said Vi Kien Thanh,
chief of the ministry's art, photography and exhibitions department.

Meanwhile, the selection of a national wine plan is still in the
survey stage, Thanh said. Over the past three years, the Ministry of
Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the
Vietmam Alcohol, Beer and Beverage Association have nominated ruou can
(wine drunk from a jar), rice wine, coconut wine and apricot wine for
the honour.

The Spring Flowers and Drinks Festival will continue through Jan.30 at the Culture and Art Centre at 2 Hoa Lu street .

The fair will exhibit and offer prizes for wines and spirits made by
both traditional and modern methods, offer opportunities to sample
wines, tea and coffee, and will feature performances, folk games, an ao
dai (traditional long dress) fashion show, and calligraphy exhibition,
as well as recreate customs such as the Kitchen Gods Festival. At least
50 enterprises will also display products for Tet, including decorations
and ornamental trees.

Ha Giang province will take
the spotlight, recreating a provincial market day with local
specialities, cuisine and festivities of the province's ethnic people,
including pan-pipe dance and folk duets.

The
week-long event, which will last until February 1, a day ahead of the
Lunar New Year, displays the beauty of Vietnamese flora in Phu My Hung
Residential Area, HCM City .

This festival
hopes to attract around 500 booths, displaying all kinds of flowers,
plants, birds, fish, ceramics and calligraphy.

This
year's flower festival in HCM City is expected to attract
thousands visitors with a rich assortment of blossoms.

The Phu My Hung Spring Flower Festival 2011 features a contest of
special Vietnamese flowers and ornamental trees, called Hoa Dong Co Noi
(Flower of Countryside).

Nguyen Thien Tich, vice
chairman of the municipal Association of Orchids and Ornamental Trees,
said, "It's a chance for everyone to explore the abundant flora in the
country."

The country has more than 12,000 flowers and other kinds of plants.

Along with the contests, the week-long festival will include other
activities such as a ceremony to release flowers and garlands, and
floating lanterns on Ban Nguyet Lake .

The lake will be decorated with giant lotus flowers, which will be lit for photo opportunities.

Different festival areas include Cat Square with flowers arranged
in the shapes of cats, the ochna, apricot and peach blossom section, 12
animal designations of the lunar calendar and the legend about the man,
Mai An Tiem, who discovered the watermelon.

There will be music shows at the festival every night until the evening of February 1.

The festival, co-organised by Phu My Hung Joint Venture Company and
HCM City Ornamental Creature Association, expects to attract more than
500 enterprises displaying flowers, fruit and Tet (Lunar New Year)
products.

Last year, more than 500,000 visitors visited the flower festival held in the residential area.

The majority of these products were produced in the city and outlying areas.

Also on Jan.26, 30 flower markets opened around the city to welcome
city dwellers shopping to decorate their houses during the New Year's
days.

Flower exhibitions will be held at major parks
like Gia Dinh, Le Van Tam and September 23. Ochna, kumquat and daisy
are among the most popular.

In District 8, flowers
carried by boats from the Mekong Delta are being displayed along the
canal at Ben Binh Dong. The market recalls the hectic trading activity
of Sai Gon 100 years ago.

Around 25 flower markets in districts 5, 6, 10, 11, Go Vap, Tan Phu, Thu Duc, Binh Tan and Cu Chi have opened./.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Djokovic out to rock Federer from the off

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is seeking a fast start when he takes on defending champion Roger Federer on Thursday with a place in the Australian Open final at stake.

The 23-year-old Serb beat the Swiss at the corresponding stage at Melbourne Park on his way to winning his only grand slam title in 2008 and believes he is playing well enough to give himself a chance of another upset.

"Definitely you have to start well," Djokovic said after destroying Thomas Berdych in the quarter-finals. "You have to try to get him on the run as much as you can and try to let him know you're there to win.

"I felt like I'm starting to play my best tennis in the last five, six months," he added. "I have more experience on the court. Physically I'm fit. I'm hitting the ball better and I have more variety in the game.

"Serve has been much better, which is very encouraging fact because it's been an issue for me in the last 12 months."

Though nowhere near the intensity of the Federer-Nadal duel that has defined men's tennis for the last seven years or so, Djokovic has developed something of a rivalry with the 16-times grand slam champion.

Djokovic came out on top at their last grand slam meeting in the semi-finals of last year's US Open, clawing his way back from two match points down to beat the Swiss in five sets.

Federer got a measure of revenge in their last meeting, however, when he crushed Djokovic 6-1 6-4 in the last four of the ATP Tour finals in London last November.

Victory for Federer, who holds a 13-6 advantage in their head-to-head, would mean a sixth Australian Open final for the second seed, who agreed with Djokovic that the match was likely to be decided by just one or two key points.

"The U.S. Open was a close match," recalled Federer. "I think I had two match points ... I guess I should have won really. I mean, I was playing good enough to win.

"But I was a bit confused mentally maybe... maybe I just felt like I have to get out of this match as quick as I could to save energy to play Rafa the next day.

"In the end, it was a shot here and there. He whacked those forehands in the corners the way he had to turn the match.

"He's a quality player who plays really offensive, he takes it to the opponent. I enjoy playing against him because of the shot-making we are able to create really."

Injured world number one's Rafa Nadal shock exit from the tournament on Wednesday means in-form British fifth seed Andy Murray or Spaniard David Ferrer will await the winner in Sunday's final.

HCMC sports official spells out tasks

HCM CITY — Mai Ba Hung, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, told Viet Nam News about his agency's main tasks this year.

What are your main tasks in 2011?

The city will continue to strengthen major sports and support elite athletes.

The city will speed up the process of setting up a management unit to manage the Rach Chiec Sports Complex.

The city is also seeking permission from the Government to host a continental- or regional-level sports event like the 2018 Southeast Asian Games and Asian Youth Olympics.

Another main task this year is to develop a multi-sport complex at Phu Tho and continue to mobilise resources to develop sports.

How is decentralisation helping develop city sports?

It has allowed the Department to better manage affiliated units and take advantage of their ability to contribute to the development of sports in the city.

This way the Department only works with the units that are assigned to oversee the sports.

For example, the department assigned the Phu Nhuan Sports Centre to manage men's volleyball. The Centre will manage the funds allocated by the city and work with the team sponsor.

What about policies to help elite athletes?

The city will help elite athletes like Nguyen Hoang Thien, Le Quang Liem, Nguyen Thi Kim Tuyen, and others take part in international competitions.

Thien will get VND500 million ($25,000) to cover the costs of foreign travel while Tuyen will begin training in China next month. The support for Liem will be decided this Saturday.

The city is planning to help Pham Hoang Nam play in international badminton tournaments. — VNS

Cyclists to race to Phnom Penh

Cyclists from Laos, Cambodia and Thailand will take part in a four-day Viet Nam cycling race to Cambodia to mark the latter's New Year Festival in April.

The 600km race will start in HCM City and finish in Phnom Penh on New Year's day, which usually falls on April 13-14 at the end of the harvesting season.

The race, which is being co-organised by Viet Nam's People's Army Newspaper and the Viet Nam Cycling Federation, offers prizes totalling VND2 billion (US$100,000).

"It will be a good opportunity for Vietnamese athletes to hone their skills," said race organiser Do Nam Thang.

The organising committee will offer prizes to the overall yellow jersey (the best time rider); green jersey for the best stage finish athlete and white jersey, for the best young cyclist.

In 2004, the newspaper organised a 1,212km race from Ha Noi to Dien Bien Province to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Viet Nam's victory over French forces.

In 2006, a HCM City Television cycling race was held between HCM City and Laos.

Calisto to review Cup failure

Viet Nam Football Federation and Portuguese coach Henrique Calisto will meet to review the failure of the men's football team at the ASEAN Football Championship, AFF-Suzuki Cup last year.

The team, who won the regional event in 2008, were defeated 2-0 on aggregate by old rivals Malaysia in a two-leg semi-final.

Malaysia eventually went on to clinch the title after a 4-2 win over Indonesia in the final.

VFF's National Team Coaching Department will discuss with Calisto, who recently returned to Viet Nam after a holiday in Portugal, the team's performance at the AFF Cup, which was co-hosted by Viet Nam and Indonesia, and plan for the 2012 London Olympics and 2014 World Cup Qualifiers.

The 58-year-old took over the U-23 team and the national team at the same time as part of a three-year contract signed in 2008.

The national team also failed to qualify for the 2011 Asian Cup, in Qatar.

Course targets golfing talents

A rules and umpire training course will be held at the Twin Doves Golf Club in the southern province of Binh Duong on March 15, announced the Viet Nam Golf Association (VGA) yesterday.

The course, the first of it's kind, will be co-organised by the VGA in conjunction with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) for Vietnamese golfers and umpires.

Lecturers from R&A will hold three short-course classes for Vietnamese trainees.

The VGA is developing a programme to identify talented young golfers in schools across the country from next year.

Adventure races at Cat Tien

The fourth edition of the Madagui Trophy will be held on March 5-6 at Cat Tien National Park.

Madagui Trophy is an adventure sport event with three different entrant levels: Adventure is for sport fans who are beginners to adventure racing; Extreme is for high level sportsmen and Ultra is for experienced racers only.

Athletes will learn to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and find their through adversity to reach the finish line, organisers said.

Entrants from China, the US, the UK, Switzerland, France, New Zealand, Singapore and Viet Nam will compete in the event.

For more information see www.vietadventure.vn. — VNS

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Exhibition focuses on ever-changing Indochina

A photo exhibition by French photographer Sebastien Laval, entitled
Communities Through Time, has opened at L'Espace, the French cultural
centre in Hanoi.

The black-and-white photos portray the life and
culture of people in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, as well as
Cambodia's Angkor Wat and Luang Prabang in Laos. Laval's treatment of
floating houses, flickering cooking fires, the innocent smiles of kids,
the austere expression on the face of an ethnic man, or a tobacco pipe
between a woman's lips, captures the enigma that endures in this region.

The
photos include portraits and depict both traditional customs and
changes in people's lives. Images in opposition, such as traditional
clothes and satellite dishes, old roofs and asphalt roads, reflect the
changes in the lives of the ethnic people. The images have no titles,
allowing the viewer to freely think, feel and discover the characters,
to "try to meet them, talk to them, look at them and understand them,"
Laval said.

"The way I take photos is not to tell people that I am taking photos," Laval said. "I make no arrangement for the images."

One
morning, Laval said he came to a Lao village and met a young girl
carrying her brother in front of her house. By the afternoon, she had
become acquainted with Laval, who was able to capture a photo of her
sitting on sand with a radiant smile.

"If I hadn't come closer to
her, I wouldn't have had that smile," he said. "I realised that people
still speak and have a mutual understanding even if they don't use the
same language."

Born in 1973, Laval discovered photography when
he was given a camera by his father. He moved to Paris to work as an
assistant for a photo studio in 1992 and subsequently began working as a
professional in Poitiers.

Laval visited Vietnam for the first
time in 1995 and has accumulated thousands of images of people in about
20 Vietnamese ethnic groups, which he intends to publish in a book.

The current exhibition runs through February 11 at L'Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street, in Hanoi. /.

Aggressive Zvonareva charges into Melbourne semis

Vera Zvonareva of Russia celebrates during her quarterfinal match against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 26, 2011

Photo: Reuters

Vera Zvonareva came a step closer to her maiden grand slam on Wednesday, muscling her way into the semifinals of the Australian Open with a 6-2 6-4 win over rangy Czech Petra Kvitova.

The Russian bullied the 20-year-old's serve with a fierce display of clean hitting from the baseline then weathered a late fight-back to close out the match in 75 minutes.

"She's (had) a great run here," Zvonareva said in a courtside interview of Kvitova, who knocked off seeds in her path to the quarterfinals but struggled to find her line against the Russian.

"I was just trying to hang in the there and fight for every point, just try to stay aggressive and that's about it."

The world number two mowed through the first set in 29 minutes and marched to a 3-0 lead in the second before Wimbledon semifinalist Kvitova snapped out of her stupor under leaden skies at Rod Laver Arena.

The sound of booming cannons fired as part of celebrations for the country's national holiday on Wednesday challenged the players' concentration, while what appeared to be an elderly spectator collapsing held up play for a couple of minutes.

Kvitova seemed to recover quickest from the distractions, breaking Zvonareva at 3-3 after a fierce baseline battle that ended with the Russian poking a forehand into the net.

"It was a bit of a difficult moment there... It was a little bit distracting," said Zvonareva, finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open last year.

However, the 26-year-old held her nerve to break straight back then benefited from a net cord deflection at 5-4 that stopped the ball dead on Kvitova's side.

Kvitova, serving to stay in the match, scrambled forward to keep the ball in play, but Zvonareva calmly lobbed her to bring up match point and pumped her fists in celebration when the tiring Czech clubbed a forehand long to surrender.

Zvonareva will play the winner of Agnieszka Radwanska and Kim Clijsters for a place in the final.

kvitova

Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic throws her racket during the women's quarterfinal match against Vera Zvonareva of Russia at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 26, 2011

Tet traditions honour Kitchen Gods

Vietnamese families on the 23 rd of the last month of the lunar year
are busy to stage a farewell ceremony for the Kitchen Gods (Tao Quan)
on their yearly visit of Heaven.

The Kitchen Gods,
the chief guardian spirit of the kitchen, are believed to comprise two
male gods and one female, who bless the household and keep up the
kitchen fire, making every member of the family happy and wealthy.

As the legend goes, the Kitchen Gods will ride carps to Heaven on the
day to deliver an annual report on the household’s activities to the God
of Heaven.

As Tao Quan makes their journey on the
back of fish, it is traditional to release live carps into lakes or
rivers, which is considered a kindhearted deed to pray for good luck.

On that day, people also burn paper clothing,
including hats, robes and boots, intended for use by Tao Quan on the
trip beyond.

After the Kitchen Gods go to Heaven,
Vietnamese normally tidy and decorate their houses to usher in the New
Year as they believe that a clean house represents a fresh star.

Although Vietnamese in regions across the country pay their homage to
Tao Quan in their own special ways, they remain important figures in the
rich texture of Vietnamese New Year.

Beliefs about
the Kitchen Gods have also changed over the year and a number of
Vietnamese families now welcome the ceremony earlier and use paper carps
instead of real offerings to suit the modern life.

The fire in the kitchen is the symbol of not only warm family union,
but also a bumper harvest and agricultural development of Vietnamese
people. The custom of worshipping the Kitchen Gods reflects Vietnamese’s
respect of family happiness as well as their fine tradition lifestyle
on the new year occasion./.

Female ref to attend London Olympics

Two female Vietnamese referees have been assigned by FIFA to officiate in the preliminary round of football for the London Olympics, the Viet Nam Football Federation announced yesterday.

Mai Hoang Trang of HCM City and assistant Kieu Thi Thuy of Ha Noi will be in charge of the women's qualifiers next year.

Trang and Thuy were approved by FIFA in 2007.

Viet Nam has three FIFA accredited female referees and two assistants.

Last year, FIFA also called up four male referees – Vo Minh Tri, Phung Dinh Dung, Nguyen Ngoc Ha and Nguyen Hoang Minh – to officiate over two men's qualifiers.

The federation has also submitted Vo Quang Vinh of Khanh Hoa and Hoang Anh Tuan from Ha Noi to FIFA for approval this year.

FIFA regulations state that member countries should nominate 20 men as qualified referees or linesmen each year, but Viet Nam presently lacks qualified personnel.

After match fixing scandals rocked the nation in 2007, around 40 referees and officials were suspended pending a police investigation.

Volleyball Federation to get new head

The Volleyball Federation of Viet Nam (VFV) will appoint a new general secretary for the next five-year term, the federation announced at a recent press conference.

Current VFV general secretary, Tran Duc Phan who was assigned as head of the national sports administration's elite sport department last year, decided to withdraw from the federation after an executive board meeting last week.

At the meeting, the VFV also agreed to hire a foreign coach for the men's national team, and host the Asian Women's Clubs Championship on May 15-25.

Volleyball was the second sport, after football, to become professionalised four years ago.

Thien anticipates Auckland progress

Teenager Nguyen Hoang Thien will compete in the Auckland 18 and Under ITF Summer Championship from January 31 to February 5.

Thien, 16, who became the first ever Vietnamese player at the Australian Open Junior Championship last week, will spend Tet (Lunar New Year) in New Zealand in preparation for the event.

The HCM City boy, who has gained 40 singles wins, is hopeful of reaching the International Tennis Federation's top 100 junior ranking within the next two years.

He moved up 10 places from 232nd to 222nd in the ITF's ranking this month. — VNS

Photos a unique documentary of Giong festival

A unique exhibition displaying veteran
photographer Van Tho's collection of 100 photos of the Giong Festival
has opened at the Phu Dong Temple, in Gia Lam district on the
outskirts of Hanoi.

The photos document the dances
and worshipping ceremonies as well as the domestic and foreign officials
that attend the festival and even the festival preparations.

All of the photos are in colour except for the artist's first image taken in 1970.

"I cannot count the number of photographs I've taken of the annual
festival," Tho said since 1970, "I have selected the 100 best as my gift
to celebrate the recognition of the festival as an intangible cultural
heritage by UNESCO."

The artist was born in 1943 in Phu
Dong Village himself. At the age of seven, he played a soldier in
Saint Giong's 90-soldier team in the festival. He recalled falling into
the pond in front of the temple and racing home to dry his clothes so
that he could finish his role in the event.

"Taking part in the festival is a great honour," he said, "That's why the villagers have happily made contributions."

After the exhibition, Tho plans to build a house in which to store his works and memories of the festival.

"If the project is approved [by local authorities], I will select
quintessential photos of the festival by many photographers for
display," Tho said.

"The exhibits may also include small
models of objects used at the festival so that visitors to the temple
can learn how the festival is organised, what it symbolises and what
activities take place. They can also practise the traditional dances if
they want."

A ceremony was held at the temple on Jan.22 by
the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Hanoi Municipal
People's Committee and the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO to
bestow the UNESCO Certification recognising the Saint Giong Festival as a
world intangible heritage.

The festival was the third
element of Hanoi's heritage recognised by UNESCO in last year, joining
the 82 doctoral stone steles in the Temple of Literature and
relics of the Thang Long Royal Citadel.

The festival is
dedicated to Saint Giong, born in Phu Dong village in the reign
of King Hung VI. According to legend, he was a man of great strength who
fought the northern invaders. After his victory, he flew back to heaven
on his iron horse over Soc Mountain, which locates in today's Soc
Son district.

There are many festivals held in the
northern region to honour Saint Giong. The most popular are the ones in
Phu Dong Village in Gia Lam district and Soc village in Soc
Son district.

The event in Phu Dong is annually held on
the ninth day of the fourth lunar month and in Soc Son, on the sixth day
of the first lunar month./.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Federer, China’s Li through to Melbourne semifinals

Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a shot during his men's quarterfinal match against compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 25, 2011

Photo: Reuters

Roger Federer flattened his close buddy Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1 6-3 6-3 while in the women’s division, Li Na of China also advanced to the Australian Open semifinal on Tuesday.

Defending champion Federer, the Melbourne second seed, overpowered Wawrinka in an hour and 47 minutes in the first grand slam quarter-final contested by two Swiss men.

Ripping winners from all angles, Federer tore through the first set in just 29 minutes before seizing complete control by adding the second with a looping backhand.

Master broke apprentice again at the start of the third before sealing victory with another vicious backhand, which was too hot for his dazed opponent to handle.

Federer, bidding to extend his record haul of grand slam titles to 17, faces either third seed Novak Djokovic or number six Tomas Berdych in the last four.

Li Na recovered from early stumbles in both sets before blowing away German Andrea Petkovic 6-2 6-4 with a ruthless barrage of clean hitting to storm into her second successive Australian Open semifinal.

li na

Li Na of China celebrates during her match against Andrea Petkovic of Germany at the women's quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 25, 2011

Li, her country's first top-10 player, was broken in the first game of each set but attacked the German's serve furiously to close out the match in 80 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.

Petkovic appeared nervous on her grand slam quarterfinal debut and sprayed two forehands to concede the first set.

Serving to stay in the match in the second, Petkovic slapped a forehand long to hand her Chinese opponent victory, Li celebrating the win by yelping "Yeah!" and grinning at her husband and coach Jiang Shan in the stands.

Li will play either top seed Caroline Wozniacki or Francesca Schiavone for a place in the final.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Thanh Long stadium rumored to be sold

An authority told Tuoi Tre Sunday that the 10ha Thanh Long Sports Center in Ho Chi Minh City is soon to be handed over to a banking tycoon for management.

The source which wanted anonymity said there will be a change in the management board at the Thanh Long Culture and Sports Services Limited Liability Company which currently manages the Center in Binh Chanh district.

Tuoi Tre contacted the center's current owner - Mr. Quach Thanh Lai, nicknamed Hung who spent around VND150 billion (US$7.7 million) building the Center in 2001.

But Hung said he had no information to reveal to the press for now.

However, the anonymous businessman told Tuoi Tre that he and Hung have signed a memo about transferring the center.

“We haven’t signed the final negotiation, but it is expected to be done at the end of this month”.

He said that if the transfer is successful and he is the new boss, he would keep the center unchanged.

“But it’s hard to say anything about the future as I have no experience about sports”, the source added.

One year ago, the center was supposed to be transferred to the city Culture, Sports and Tourism Department but the department had little interest because it wanted to encourage private enterprises to invest in sports.

The reason for the transfer was cited as Hung’s poor health condition.

Thanh Long Center consists of four football fields including one with a dome and international-standard lighting system for night matches. In addition, the center has four mini artificial grass pitches, one pool and four tennis courts.

It also boasts one 1,200-seat theatre, 6 restaurants, four 3-star hotels with 180 rooms and other entertainment facilities.

Many international competitions have been held here including U-20 ASEAN 2007 and Asia Female Qualifier 2008.

Ha Noi T&T draw first blood

Rapid attack: Striker Gonzalo (right) of Ha noi T&T vies for the ball against Hoa Phat Ha Noi's goalkeeper Nguyen Viet Nam and a defender in their clash in the V-League opener. T&T won 2-1. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI — Argentinean striker Gonzalo Marronkle scored a goal in the third minute of injury time to help Ha Noi T&T to their 2-1 local derby defeat of Hoa Phat Ha Noi 2-1 in the national football championship, V-League opener on Saturday.

The win put defending champions in third place behind Thanh Hoa, who defeated Ha Noi ACB 3-0 to top table, and SHB Da Nang, who beat Hoang Anh Gia Lai 2-1.

Marronkle, who has become something a talisman for the Ha Noi club after top striker Le Cong Vinh was ruled out with a knee injury last year, made little impression for most of the game, but he netted the ball in the last minute to seal a lucky win for V-League defending champions.

Striker Nguyen Ngoc Duy scored in the 42nd minute with a powerful shot after a quick rapid attack, but Nigerian Anjembe Timothy equalised in 83rd minute.

Last year's V-League top scorer Argentinean Merlo Gaston also scored a goal from a spot kick in the 81st minute to help hosts Da Nang beat Hoang Anh Gia Lai 2-1 on Saturday.

Referee Hoang Anh Tuan booked nine players and gave a red card in a tempestuous match at Chi Lang Stadium.

In the other matches Hai Phong overcame Khanh Hoa 1-0; Binh Duong drew 1-1 with Ninh Binh; Dong Tam Long An were held to a 2-2 draw by Song Lam Nghe An and Navibank Sai Gon ended with a goaless draw against Dong Thap.

The next round of V-League fixtures will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. — VNS

Benzema goal leads Real to win over Mallorca

Real Madrid's French forward Karim Benzema celebrates after scoring against Mallorca during their Spanish League football match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid

Photo: AFP

Misfit striker Karim Benzema reminded Jose Mourinho of his talents Sunday, scoring the 60th-minute goal in Real Madrid's 1-0 win over Real Mallorca which cut Barcelona's lead back to four points.

Mourinho said Benzema, a EUR 35-million (US$47.6 million) signing from Lyon, needed to step up his game and the 23-year-old responded as Real made it a perfect 10 home wins.

"He (Benzema) has an introverted character but he has opened up and has the whole support of the dressing room," said Real captain Iker Casillas. "He is young and has a lot of talent.

"It is a difficult January with lots of games and, apart from the Almeria game (1-1), we are doing well and getting good results."

Barcelona had piled on the pressure with a 3-0 home win over Racing Santander on Saturday to go seven points clear and Madrid looked tense early on at their Santiago Bernabeu home.

Mallorca, who drew 0-0 with Real in Mourinho's first league game in charge, had scored a meagre eight goals on the road but should have taken the lead on 13 minutes.

A quick counter-attack saw Real caught out and Emilio Nsue's shot had Casillas beaten but the effort rebounded off the left hand post.

Casillas was furious at his defence and had some heated words with Brazilian left back Marcelo.

Marcelo almost opened the scoring himself with Real's first attack, but his shot was deflected for a corner.

It was a poor first half showing from Real and an unhappy Mourinho responded with a double substitution with Xabi Alonso and Mesut Ozil coming on for Fernando Gago and Kaka.

Cameroon striker Pierre Webo forced a diving save from Casillas minutes after the break which spurred the below-par hosts into action.

Madrid pressed and on the hour mark the goal came.

Benzema, at the centre of a midweek row between Mourinho and Real general manager Jorge Valdano over the French striker's under-employment, cut inside on to his left foot before drilling in for only his second league goal of the season.

Mourinho has been trying to sign a striker in the transfer window with former Real star Ruud van Nistelrooy, currently at German club Hamburg, the main target.

Benzema was desperate to convince the Portuguese coach of his ability and he should have scored again before Madrid almost paid the price for his misses in the dying seconds when Webo was denied by Casillas.

Villarreal moved back into third place with a 2-1 comeback win at home to Real Sociedad.

Italian international Giuseppe Rossi scored both goals in the 40th and 47th minutes to take his league tally to 11 as Villarreal made it 10 wins from 11 at home to go third, two points above Valencia.

It was the perfect tonic for Villarreal who were knocked out of the Kings Cup in midweek by holders Sevilla.

Almeria warmed up for Wednesday's Kings Cup semi-final against Barcelona with a morale-boosting 3-2 home win over Osasuna to move off the bottom.

A brace from Argentine Jose Ulloa, in the 10th and 54th minutes, helped Almeria to their first home league win of the season as they moved up to 18th with Levante replacing them at the foot of the table.

Almeria, one point from safety, now turn their attention to tackling Barcelona, who thrashed them 8-0 in the league, in the first leg of their cup clash at Camp Nou.

Espanyol produced a sterling second half comeback to down rivals Getafe 3-1 and move two points off the top four.

Venezuelan striker Miku Flores put Getafe ahead on 13 minutes but Espanyol hit back in the second half scoring three goals in 11 minutes to turn the game on its head.

Atletico Madrid fell nine points off the Champions League places with a 1-0 loss at Sporting Gijon.

David Barral scored the winning goal to heap more misery on Atletico who suffered a painful Kings Cup quarter-final loss to city rivals Real Madrid on Thursday.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Wozniacki reaches Australian Open quarter-finals

Caroline Wozniacki

Photo: AFP

Denmark's top seeded Caroline Wozniacki moved into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-4 win over unseeded Latvian Anastasija Sevastova.

It is the first time the 20-year-old world number one has progressed past the fourth round in Melbourne and keeps alive her hopes of winning a maiden Grand Slam title.

Wozniacki failed to dominate her unheralded opponent and struggled to hold serve throughout their Sunday's 80-minute encounter.

However she prayed on Sevastova's mistakes while hardly making any of her own, committing just 14 unforced errors to the Latvian's 36 over the two sets.

"Anastasija's a tough opponent – she mixes her game up so well," Wozniacki said.

"She can play hard and then slows the ball down and it makes it hard to play against her."

Wozniacki has had to answer questions all week about the legitimacy of her world number one ranking after she reached the pinnacle without having won a Grand Slam.

But she has now won all four matches in Melbourne without dropping a set.

She next takes on either dual Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova or reigning French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in the quarter-finals.

Fergie confident of United staying power

Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov (2nd right) tries to avoid Birmingham's Alexander Hleb (2nd left).

Photo: AFP

Sir Alex Ferguson saw Manchester United maintain their impressive unbeaten start to the season and claimed his club has the depth and experience to hold onto their position at the top of the Premier League.

A Dimitar Berbatov hat-trick, with additional goals from Ryan Giggs and Nani, eased United to an emphatic 5-0 victory over Birmingham and allowed Ferguson to take key players such as Patrice Evra and Ryan Giggs out of the fray to rest for matches ahead.

United's next match is a re-arranged fixture at Blackpool on Tuesday – a game for which Rio Ferdinand (groin) and Michael Carrick, who injured his ankle in the first half against Birmingham are both doubtful – although the United manager believes his in-form team can cope.

"It helps our goal difference, no doubt about that," said Ferguson of a victory which extends United’s unbeaten run to 22 league games this season, 27 dating back to last term.

"We have some tough games ahead of course. Hopefully the players can grasp the nettle. They have good experience, we've got the squad and hopefully we can manage all the games ahead.

"I was pleased with a good team performance. What helps is you score the early goal, getting a goal after a minute, they have to open up. It's a different perspective you have to face and we capitalized on that.

"It was a good scoreline at half-time and I was able to take Patrice Evra off, gave him a break by bringing on Fabio, and take Ryan Giggs off which was important because we have a big game on Tuesday."

Giggs turned in an eye-catching display, which featured a goal, on the weekend that the 37-year-old has declared that he wishes to spend at least one more season playing for the only club of his illustrious career.

"Ryan Giggs can easily play another year," said Ferguson. "He's as fresh as a daisy, we look after him the right way and he manages himself the right way. Being able to take him off was a bonus."

However, Berbatov – who has now scored 18 goals this season, 17 in the league, including three hat-tricks – was the real star of United’s performance.

His pairing with Wayne Rooney looks particularly explosive at present although the England forward continues his modest goal production.

Having missed at least one glaring chance, Rooney has now scored just two league goals this season, one of them from the penalty spot.

"We hope so," said Ferguson when asked if Rooney’s return to scoring form is imminent.

"He deserves it, he's working his socks off. He was involved in some great football today and involved in the fourth goal just after half-time with fantastic control from a ball from Edwin van der Sar coming out of the clouds, then setting up Ryan.

"Dimitar was marvelous. He could have scored more and we were a bit wasteful at times with our finishing but you can't complain at that performance, that was the important thing.

"His link-up with Wayne was very good. The third goal was a very, very exciting goal. Berba won the ball then his interplay with Wayne, and the ball from Wayne to Ryan was fantastic. It was an exciting goal and, on the stroke of half-time, killed off the match."

Beaten Birmingham manager Alex McLeish conceded that he and his team were distracted slightly by the looming League Cup semi-final second leg tie with West Ham on Wednesday.

"I had one eye on that," he said. "You can play your best team or shut up shop. We decided to go with some of the forward players who would play to their strengths.

"But we never got our passing game going. We had a small spell when we got behind them but we gifted a second goal and it was verging on the amateur. You can play your best and most experienced defenders and still lose.

"We were perhaps a bit bold and sometimes you get punished and sometimes it pays off – we were punished here. We shot ourselves in the foot. We have a group of players who bounce back well. Taking a drubbing today, people will ask whether if will affect confidence but in the dressing room, they are more angry than anything else."

Van Persie scores treble as Arsenal down Wigan

Arsenal's Robin van Persie celebrates scoring his second goal during their English Premier League.

Photo: AFP

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hailed Robin van Persie's hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Wigan, but warned the Dutchman that he cannot risk burnout as the Gunners target a four-trophy sweep.

Van Persie, who also missed a penalty on Saturday, is now back to his best after missing three months at the start of the season with an ankle problem but Wenger insists the striker cannot expect to play every game.

"He's back in form," said Wenger. "He was already fit and sharp last week.

"It's important to have him back but we have plenty of offensive players so let's hope we can keep him fit until the end of the season and it's up to us to use him in the right proportion of games we play.

"We rotate, we have no choice. I think we have nine matches in January. That's the most we have ever played. So we need to rotate from game to game. But we have fantastic players on the bench.

"He handles it alright. He is intelligent but of course he wants to play."

Arsenal's win put them two points behind leaders Manchester United, but they have played a game more.

Wenger believes the performance over Wigan justified his decision not to act hastily in the January transfer market.

With Thomas Vermaelen a long-term absentee with an Achilles problem and Sebastien Squillaci out with a hamstring injury, Wenger has admitted he would like to bring in a new centre back.

But he insists he will not pay over the odds and is adamant he will only move if the right player is available.

Wenger has been linked with swoops for Bolton's Gary Cahill and Everton's Phil Jagielka, but after seeing his side keep a fourth successive clean sheet in the league, he is determined there will be no change in approach.

"We look more and more stable defensively," he said. "We were questioned on that front. Maybe the fact I am asked every press conference when I am buying a defender keeps them on their toes. And I will tell them you asked me again.

"If the right opportunity turns up we will take it. We are not desperate. Vermaelen will play a big part to the end of the season and Squillaci could come back next Sunday.

"It's not two weeks to make your mind up, it's two weeks to find the right players. It's not just that you want to buy, it's that you find exactly what you need.

"So trust us and if the opportunity is there we will take it and if it's not we will play with the players we have and we will not use it as an excuse if we don't win trophies."

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez acknowledged his side had no chance in Saturday's after captain Gary Caldwell was sent off in the 70th minute for a foul on Cesc Fabregas that led to a penalty.

Van Persie missed the spot-kick but Martinez believes Fabregas helped influence referee Kevin Friend's decision.

"I think Cesc was very, very clever to get Gary sent off. Gary doesn't try to make a challenge and the contact is minimal," Martinez said.

"He comes from a different culture. If you take a decision from the ref it's because you're clever and you are getting a decision for the team.

"In England to do that it's cheating. In South America, Spain, even Italy, to try to get a decision from the referee is just being clever and to gain advantage and everyone is allowed to do it. It's down to your culture really.

"That action in Spain gets a well done by everyone. In England you'll get people who are not too happy with it because there's a completely different approach to the game."

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Plan to preserve UNESCO heritage launched in Hanoi

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Jan. 22 launched a
national action plan to preserve and develop the value of the Giong
festival, which has been recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage
of Humanity by the UNESCO.

The plan was announced at a ceremony held in Phu Dong commune, Gia Lam
district of Hanoi to receive the certificate of recognition of the
UNESCO title.

At the ceremony, UNESCO Chief Representative in
Hanoi Katherine Muller-Marin stressed that the Giong festival has been
deeply impressed in the life of residents in the Red river delta as a
part of their characteristics, passing from generations to generations.
The recognition of the festival as an intangible cultural heritage of
humanity is expected to accelerate humans’ creativeness and dialogues
between cultures.

The ceremony was held in an open air of a
northern countryside with an incense offering to Saint Giong at the
beginning and then, the performances of ceremonies of the festival.

UNESCO
officially honoured Vietnam’s Giong festival as an Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity at a meeting of its Inter-Governmental Committee in
Nairobi, Kenya, on November 16, 2010.

The festival was Hanoi’s third heritage honour presented by the UNESCO in 2010.

The other sites include 82 steles engraved with names of doctorate
holders for centuries in the Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam, Vietnam’s first
university, which have been recognised as Documentary Heritage of the
Memory of the World programme. The central site of the Thang Long Royal
Citadel has won the title “World Cultural Heritage”.

The
Giong festival is held annually in several parts of northern Vietnam,
most typically in the Phu Dong and Soc Temples in Hanoi, to commemorate
Saint Giong, one of the immortal quartets in the Vietnamese legends.

Legend has it that under the sixth King Hung’s reign (around 500 BC)
Vietnam was threatened by the Kingdom of Yin, to the north of Vietnam.

A little boy, who was unable to crawl, roll over and say a single word
at the age of three, had surprisingly grown up to a giant man in just
several days after getting news on the foreign invasion. He used local
bushes of bamboo to defeat aggressors and flew into the sky with his
iron horse after the final victory.

In order to show their gratitude to the hero of Giong village, people proclaimed him Saint Giong.

The festival meets all qualifications for an intangible cultural
heritage of humanity as it has been conserved by the community as part
of the national cultural identity, handed down from generations to
generations, holds creativeness of humanity and represents aspiration
for prosperity by every family and peace for the nation and the world./.

V-League season promises drama, greater professionalism

Game on: Le Tan Tai of Khanh Hoa (left) tries to get past Tran Tuan Anh of HCM City team in their V-League match last year. Khanh Hoa meet Hai Phong team in their V-League opener away today. — VNA/VNS Photo Quang Nhut

The new season of the national football championship, V-League, begins this weekend. It is the first time all clubs are now operating as official businesses. It also marks the biggest-ever prize money for the victory team as well as a TV broadcast deal with a private company. Viet Nam News spoke to Le Hung Dung, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF), about the new season, the use of sponsorship money and the plans to improve the quality of V-League and make it more professional.

The new V-League football season will begin today. The tournament definitely has new features compared to the 2010 season. Could you tell us what they are?

This is the first season all 14 participating clubs are recognised as businesses, according to regulations of the FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Besides that, this year's V-League also has other new features. The quality will improve because of the bigger prize money, which is strong motivation for clubs to play their best. I think there will be many aggressive matches.

There are also more matches to be broadcast live than in previous seasons and this will help further enhance the brand and image of the V-League.

Are there any changes in the regulation of the number of foreign players on the pitch at one time?

National football championship kicks off with Ha Noi derby

The new season of the 2011 national football championship, Eximbank V-League 2011, will start this weekend with seven matches across the country.

Some notable first-round matches include defending champions Ha Noi T&T vs Hoa Phat Ha Noi, Becamex Binh Duong vs Ninh Binh, SHB Da Nang vs Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

The champions will receive a total of VND3 billion ($150,000), thrice higher than that of 2010. The runners-up pocket VND1.5 billion ($75,000) and the third team gets VND750 million ($37,500).

In addition, the organisers will also award a fair play prize of VND200 million ($10,000), and a prize of VND20 million ($1,000) for the best coach of the season.

The best scorer also pockets VND20 million ($1,000), the best fan club, VND20 million ($1,000), and the best team of the month, VND30 million ($1,500).

This year, the federation will apply the 4-3 rule. Each club will be allowed to register four foreign players on the team list and they are allowed to field a maximum of three on the pitch at once instead of last year's 5-3 rule.

I support the use of foreign players in the V-League. Not only is it an inevitable trend but it also brings benefit to Viet Nam football.

Foreign players help improve the quality of local players, which, in turn, contributed to the increasingly improved quality of the national team. The evidence is that Viet Nam are playing well in recent years.

The team no longer fears taller opponents and can even play with many strong teams from the Middle East on an equal footing. We have the disadvantages of size and physical strength as well as a poor training facility.

I think that V-League is the best foundation for the national team. However, we limit the number of foreign players playing on the pitch for the sake of the national team. I support players of Vietnamese origin like American player Lee Nguyen The Anh, who could receive Vietnamese nationality and play for the national team.

Does VFF has any policy to encourage clubs to give talented young players more opportunities to play in order to create sources for the Olympic team in the 26th SEA Games in Indonesia this year?

VFF will create a legal framework to encourage and allow clubs to do that but it is the owners and coaches who have the right to field the players on the pitch. The federation does not have the right to tell clubs which players they should field.

The Viet Nam Export Import Commercial Joint-Stock Bank (Viet Nam Eximbank) decided to sponsor V-League for three successive seasons, with the sponsorship value of VND90 billion (US$4.5 million). How will VFF use the money to make the V-League better?

I need to make it clear that Viet Nam Eximbank will sponsor V-League three successive seasons, with sponsorship value of the next season being higher than the previous season by 10 per cent. So the total sponsorship value of all three seasons would be VND100 billion ($5 million).

After every season, Viet Nam Eximbank and VFF will sit down and talk about how VFF used the money and what Viet Nam Eximbank gained from this sponsorship.

The sponsorship deal will be stopped if it does not bring the desired effect in terms of the promotion to the bank and if the quality of V-League declines.

The federation will have plans to use the money it gets from V-League. I am responsible for financial issues of the federation, so I will ask the general secretary and related divisions to carefully use the money to ensure that it is used efficiently and for good purposes. — VNS

Saturday, January 29, 2011

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