National Cup semifinalists through

HCMC –Saturday’s victors, Thanh Hoa, Song Lam Nghe An, Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Navibank Saigon reached the semifinals of Vietnam’s 2011 National Football Cup.

Top Vietnamese League team, Song Lam Nghe An, beat first division team, Saigon Xuan Thanh, 4-2 in the central city of Vinh. Saigon Xuan Thanh started the game with Huynh Kesley, Lucas,  Nguyen Dinh Luat and Nguyen Thanh Trung in their line-up.

The HCMC-based team put pressure on Song Lam’s defensive line from the beginning resulting in a Huynh Kesley goal in the 10th minute with a penalty kick. Ngoc Anh leveled the score for Song Lam just two minutes later.

Striker Nguyen Duy Quang scored for the visitors in the 19th minute before Thierry leveled for the home side in the 62nd minute. Nguyen Quang Tinh and Kavin made sure Song Lam Nghe An advanced to the semifinals with two goals in the 67th and 68th minutes.     

Hoang Anh Gia Lai gained another ticket on the day after beating Khatoco Khanh Hoa 3-1 in the central coast city of Nha Trang. Nguyen Tang Tuan netted two goals for the visitors in the second and 30th minutes and Le Van Truong scored one goal in the 19th minute while Nguyen Manh Tu scored the only goal for the home side in the 43rd minute.

On the same day, Thanh Hoa secured the third ticket to the semifinals after eliminating XM The Vissai Ninh Binh 3-1 in a penalty shootout. The game was locked 1-1 at the end of official time. Dinh Hoang Max had opened for The Vissai Ninh Binh in the 50th minute and Trinh Quang Vinh then leveled for Thanh Hoa just seven minutes later.    

Navibank Saigon secured the last semifinal ticket as they beat Becamex Binh Duong 10-9 in a penalty shootout to decide the 1-1 draw. Hoang Anh Gia Lai will play Song Lam Nghe An on August 10 in Pleiku City, and Thanh Hoa will meet Navibank Saigon on the same day in HCMC.

The final will be held in the northern province of Ninh Binh on August 27.

Vietnam’s National Football Cup 2011 drew 27 teams from the country’s V-League and First Division, competing in a knock-out format.

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Ninh Binh, Signal Corps win big

Spiked: Pham Thi Yen of the Military Signal Corps spikes the ball over the defence of Vietso Petro in the women's final at the National All-stars Volleyball Championship at Hai Duong Gymnasium. The Military team won 3-1. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI — Trang An Ninh Binh and the Military Signal Corps won the men's and women's titles at the National All-stars Volleyball Championship in Ninh Binh and Hai Duong provinces.

Local star Ninh Binh, playing alongside Thailand's Juyavy Kaksakaw, beat Hoang Long Long An 25-20 in the men's final at Ninh Binh Gymnasium.

Kaksakaw was by far the more dominant player, his height proving decisive. Coach Nguyen Manh Hung had earlier instructed his players to give the Thai national every opportunity to score.

The visitors came back in the second set, thwarting Kaksakaw's dominance. However, Long An's strikers, in particular Le Quang Khanh, let the visitors regain their supremacy, and Ninh Binh took the second set 25-21. Long An came back in the third, winning 25-21; however, they failed to maintain their momentum in the fourth set, losing quickly 19-25.

Sacombank Border Guard finished the competition in third place.

On the women's side at Hai Duong Gymnasium, Military Signal Corps came from behind to beat Vietsov Petro 19-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-10 at Hai Duong Province Gymnasium.

Vietsov Petro spikers Le Kim Nhung and Russian national Katya were a force to be reckoned with in the first set, but Signal Corps' Tran Thu Trang managed to parry their attacks for the remainder of the match.

Signal Corps last won the tournament in 2008.

The third place went to VTV Binh Dien Long An. — VNS

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Semis loom at volleyball quest

Four top teams including defending champions Binh Dien Long An, PV Oil Thai Binh, the Military Signal Corps and Vietso Petro have qualified for the semi-finals of the women's National All-Star Volleyball Championship.

In the men's competition, Hoang Long Long An and the Border Guards also sailed through to the semis to join Trang An Ninh Binh and The Cong.

The bottom four teams in both competitions will compete in a round-robin for their premier league survival.

The championship has drawn 12 teams in both the men and women's events who have been battling it out in two groups of six.

The semi-finals will be held in Hai Duong and Ninh Binh from Saturday.

Teen tennis star marches on

HCM City-born Nguyen Hoang Thien beat Sweden's Solberg Christoffer 7-6, 6-1 in the quarters-finals of the Viet Nam International Junior Championship yesterday in the southern province of Binh Duong.

Thien, the top seed, fought hard to take the first set on a tie-break from the sixth seed Swede but wasted no time in cruising to a 6-1 second set victory.

He meets Han Sung-min of South Korea in the semi-final today.

The tournament was recognised as an annual junior tournament by the International Tennis Federation in 2008.

Viet Nam go down to Kuwait

Viet Nam's national football team suffered their second loss in a week after a 3-1 defeat to Kuwait in a friendly match at Jaber Al-Ahmad Stadium on Tuesday.

In last year's corresponding fixture, Viet Nam won 1-0.

The team also lost 3-1 to India in a friendly in Pune last Friday.

Viet Nam will clash with South Korea's U-23s, Singapore and North Korea in the VFF SONHA Cup at My Dinh National Stadium on November 2-6.

Ha Noi fan club wins vote

Ha Noi T&T's fan club has been voted as the best supporters group in the V-League, the Viet Nam Football Federation has announced.

The fan club, which was only started last year, won 14 votes to earn 38 points, edging Da Nang and Dong Thap.

Ha Noi T&T triumphed in the V-League for the first time last season.

Last year, Da Nang's fans won the title. — VNS

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Hanoi comes alive in autumn

Hanoi will celebrate its 1,000th anniversary and 56th Liberation Day on
October 10, making it an ideal time for tourists to explore the city.

Sai Gon Tourist Company is offering typical tours to favourite
destinations in the north including the Hanoi-Autumn season, Ancient
citadels of Vietnam, Sa Pa and Ha Long in Autumn.

Annually, the HCM City-based travel agency organises seasonal tours –
Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter – to tourism sites throughout the
northern provinces.

But this year, the Hanoi-Autumn season
is seen as the most attractive programme as it coincides with the
city's millennium celebrations.

"We hope tourists will
have more chances to witness numerous cultural festivities in Hanoi
during autumn. It's a special time," said a marketing staff of the
company, Hoang Thuy Linh.

"The Hanoi-Autumn programme has
hosted around 12,000 tourists since early this year and hundreds of
foreigners have flocked to the city this season," Linh added.

She also said the capital had lured tourists with the season of fruits, com (young sticky rice) flake and cool weather.

The travel agency began preparing the tour last year to meet the increasing demand to visit Hanoi.

The four day and three night tour will depart from HCM City and wind
through the Trang An tourism site in Ninh Binh Province, Hanoi and Ha
Long Bay.

It costs 4.2 million VND (215 USD) per person.

After arriving in the capital, tourists will visit the four historic
temples of Bach Ma (White Horse); Linh Lang, or Voi Phuc (Crouching
Elephant); Tran Vu and Kim Lien – the homes of the four gods of the
former royal capital – before touring part of the Royal Thang Long
Citadel and the Temple of Literature.

A pedestrian route from the Quan Chuong Gate and exploring the city's Old Quarter will close the first tour day.

"Tourists will go shopping at the biggest whole sale market of Dong
Xuan in the middle of the Old Quarter, which is a symbol of the ancient
capital," said head of the agency's Hanoi office Nguyet Nga.

The centre of Hanoi will be the main visit for the tour second day with
a visit to sites around Hoan Kiem (Returned Sword) Lake such as Ngoc
Son Temple and turtle tower.

"The lake is also the heart
of Hanoi and visitors can experience a quiet moment as they walk around
the lake and see the trees in the autumn.

The most visited
places during the day are buildings dating back to the French colonial
times including 1902-built Long Bien Bridge; the Opera House built in
1911 and 1931-constructed Museum of Vietnamese history.

The existence of buildings provides real samples of the capital's varied history.

Travellers can ask tour guides to take them to the night market, which
opens at 7pm and closes at midnight in Hang Ngang and Hang Dao streets,
which were the former silk trading centre of ancient town.

The third day will start with a two-hour visit to the Ho Chi Minh
Mausoleum and One Pillar Pagoda before going to Ha Long Bay – the World
Natural Heritage Site.

The seasonal programme also includes the vestiges of ancient imperial cities in a trip to the ancient capitals.

According Sai Gon Tourist's marketing section, Doan Thi Thanh Tra, the
tour offers visits to the former capitals of Hue, Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh,
Co Loa and the UNESCO recognised Thang Long Royal citadel in Hanoi.

"We have intentionally arranged destinations in a combined tour, to
help tourists gain a deeper understanding of Vietnamese history," Tra
explained.

"The destinations are quite well-known to
Vietnamese people, but we link a string of citadels that were built from
the country's foundation to the current capital."

Arriving in Hanoi on the morning flight, tourists will take a visit to
Co Loa spiral Citadel, which was built in the third century BC.

From Thang Long Royal Citadel in Hanoi, visitors will return to
country's former capital of Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh Province – 100km south
of Hanoi – in 968-1010.

"Hoa Lu was a capital nearly half
century before it was moved to Hanoi by King Ly Thai To. The route will
provide a real historical story of the former capital at Hoa Lu and
Hanoi today," Tra explained.

The former imperial capital of Hue will be the last place visited on the fourth day.

A night cruise on the Huong River with folk music will help people
relax prior to their departure for peaceful mind for HCM City.

Visit www.saigontourist.net for more information./.

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Jubilant, solemn programmes to celebrate Hanoi birthday

A jubilant and solemn programme was held in the northern province
of Ninh Binh on Oct. 1 in re-enactment of the announcement of the Royal
Proclamation on the relocation of the capital and the relocation
journey.

The programme started with a ritual at the temple of
King Dinh Tien Hoang and King Le Dai Hanh at the former royal capital of
Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh.

Then drum performance and unicorn and
dragon dances warmed up the atmosphere before King Ly Thai To’s
proclamation to move the capital city was read out.

King Ly Thai
To, who was the first king of the Ly Dynasty, made the strategic
decision to move the country’s capital city from Hoa Lu to Dai La (now
Hanoi ).

Artists from Hanoi and Ninh Binh dressed up as the
King, the Queen and members of the royal court got on a dragon boat to
leave for Hanoi, following the journey of the King in 1010.

The
same day, an exhibition of photos and documents entitled “Ho Chi Minh
City: renewal, development and integration” opened at Lam Son park in Ho
Chi Minh City as an activity to mark the 1,000 th anniversary of Hanoi
and the 9th municipal Party Congress to open on Oct. 5.

The 10-day exhibition is among many other activities being held in the city coinciding with the 10 festive days in Hanoi.

On
this occasion, the city is decorated with flags, colour lights, banners
and slogans to mark Hanoi's birthday and the municipal Party
Congress.

In the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, from late
September, many activities have been organised to celebrate the capital
city’s birthday.

An exhibition of nearly 300 photos of Hanoi
and Thua Thien Hue opened at the provincial Ho Chi Minh Museum and will
run until Oct. 15.

On this occasion, Pham Chi Luong, a craft man
of Truong Son drum establishment of Hue city made a pair of drums
with a height of 2.8m and a diametre of 2.2m for the celebration.

Another
craft man also from Phuong Duc ward of Hue, Nguyen Van Thuy, made a
giant bronze gong for performance at celebrations in Hanoi./.

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Projects mark Hanoi’s 1,000th anniversary

Businesses and individuals nationwide continue to present their unique
present to the capital city of Hanoi in celebration of the city’s
1,000 th anniversary this October.

A ceramic
mosaic mural along the Red River dike in Hanoi is scheduled to
complete on September 25, on time for the anniversary on October 10.

Painter Nguyen Thu Thuy, the brains of the project, said the 3,950m
mural has been recognised in the Guinness Book of the World Records as
the world’s longest ceramic picture.

Experts of the Guinness World Record are scheduled to visit Vietnam from October 2-5 to present the certificate.

Working since 2008, domestic and foreign artists have completed 21
stretches of the ceramic road which features the history, beautiful
sites and famous pottery villages of Vietnam .

As part of Hanoi ’s 1,000 th anniversary celebrations, the largest
personal collection of Hang Trong folk paintings, with 149 painting, by
Pham Duc Si opened in the VietArt Centre, Hanoi on September 9.

Si has spent almost 10 years to search for the paintings which are
unique to Hanoi but are falling into obsolescence, including dozens
of paintings based on Chinese legends and paintings for hanging on the
altar.

On this occasion, the Ninh Binh
provincial Business Association and Dong Thanh Craft Import and Export
Company on September 9 coorganised an inauguration ceremony of an
enormous embroidery.

The 35m × 3.5m embroidery,
weighing 250kg, using Italian wool and around 180kg of thread, has been
completed after one year.

The embroidery contains
images of significant events in the history of Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh
province), which was the capital under the reign of the Dinh, Le and Ly
dynasties.

Also, in celebration of the capital’s
anniversary, Dong Ngac commune, Tu Liem district, Hanoi on September 8
started the casting of a two-tonne incense burner, which is to be put
in front of the monument of King Ly Thai To in central Hanoi .

The lotus-form bronze burner, measuring 1.2m high and with a
circumference of 1.4 m, costs nearly one billion VND, funded by
donations from members of the Thang Long Antiques Association.

It is expected to complet on September 25./.

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Dong Thap to lose top players

Dong Thap are facing a mass exodus of players following the final game of this season's V-League after a number of players expressed a desire to leave.

Midfielders Duoc Em and Duy Khanh have received offers from HCM City's Navibank Sai Gon who successfully stayed in the V-League on the last day of the season on Sunday.

And following confirmation of their new sponsor, Quang Nam have put attractive offers in for defenders Van Tuan and Phuoc Thanh.

National keeper Tan Truong is also a target for many teams who are ready to pay a large transfer fee to Dong Thap who finished third in the national premier league.

Dong Thap are in a hurry to sign new deals with their players but it is likely that they will begin next season with just half of this year's starting 11.

Tai Em ponders possible new life

National team member Phan Van Tai Em's contract will expire next month and he is thinking about a new life after competing for Dong Tam Long An for nearly 10 years.

Tai Em has received offers from Ninh Binh, Becamex Binh Duong and Navibank Sai Gon but he will make his final decision after a talk with Long An's managers.

His teammates have also made plans. Thai Issawa is going to finish his three-year contract. He will also talk with Long An's managers before going home for a holiday. Issawa was strongly supported by his team during his time out injured and said his responsibility was to contribute more to Long An.

Coach Hai to leave Ninh Binh

Coach Le Thuy Hai will leave Ninh Binh after the team finished 11th in the V-League despite a number of promises when he took charge in March.

Hai said he would help Ninh Binh, who made their debut in the V-League this season, finish at least fifth in the league but they only narrowly avoided relegation.

Hai who pocketed a huge salary of VND100 million (US$5,100) per month has yet to be offered a new contract while Ninh Binh chairman, Hoang Manh Truong, said Hai and his team had failed to match target and he had no plans for the new season.

Young footballers head to Qatar

Three young Vietnamese have been chosen to participate in the final round of world football's talent contest at Aspire Football Academy in Qatar.

Le Van Chung, 15, Cao Thanh Hoe, 15, both from Da Nang, and Nguyen Viet Thang, 14, from Long An will compete against peers from 15 other countries to win a three-year scholarship to train at the academy.

The players were selected from 50 entrants, chosen from 25,000 young players nationwide, in the final round held early this month at the Thanh Long Sports Centre in HCM City.

Football Dreams is one of the world football's biggest talent contests, organised by Aspire Football Academy in countries across Africa, Asia and South America.

The project began in Viet Nam in 2008, and last year Nguyen Thai Sung, 16, from Da Nang became the first Vietnamese player ever to win a three-year scholarship to train at the academy. — VNS

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Hanoi T&T a draw away from V-League title

Hanoi T&T 's 1-1 away draw with Ninh Binh in the 24^th round on Sunday meant they lost their chance to win the top-tier V-League championship two rounds early.

However, the capital representatives are now just a draw away from the title with 45 points, six points clear of second-placed Hai Phong Cement, who suffered a 0-1 away defeat to Dong Thap at the Cao Lanh Stadium.

Hanoi T&T were calm and confident throughout the match, but it was the hosts Ninh Binh who took the lead after striker Viet Thang found the net 15 minutes into the match. Caue Benicio evened the score just five minutes later.

Ninh Binh fought hard but Hanoi T&T held on for a draw, and need just another tie in the remaining two games of the season to claim the championship this season.

The home draw with big rivals from the capital could only lift Ninh Binh one spot up to 10^th with 33 points.

Meanwhile, Hai Phong Cement needed a win to remain in the race for the title but Dong Thap players were a highly motivated lot after a VND200 million prize for a victory was upped to VND500 million (US$16,200).

The defeat destroyed the port city team's hopes of winning the championship, while Dong Thap moved up one place to fourth with 38 points and could finish the season in the top three.

In other V-League action, reigning champs Da Nang were nailed to ninth spot with 34 points after a disappointing two-all home tie at Chi Lang Stadium against 2007-08 champs Binh Duong, who fell three places to sixth with 37 points.

Bottom teams Nam Dinh’s 1-3 loss to Thanh Hoa at Thien Truong Stadium and Navibank Saigon’s 0-2 defeat to Khanh Hoa at Thong Nhat Stadium came as no surprise because they did not have any goals except pride to fight for.

Thanh Hoa are still third from bottom despite the win while Khanh Hoa climbed one position to third with 39 points.

Their 1-0 away win over Hoa Phat Hanoi at Hang Day Stadium lifted  2001 champions Nghe An one place to seventh with 36 points.

Meanwhile, 2003-04 champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) suffered a disappointing 0-2 home defeat at Pleiku Stadium to the 2005-06 champs Dong Tam Long An (DTLA).

DTLA jumped two positions to fifth with 37 points while HAGL slid one spot to 11^th with 33 points.

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