VietNam Culture: Vietnamese

Showing posts with label Vietnamese. Show all posts

Monday, February 14, 2011

Thien notches doubles victory in New Zealand ITF championship

Vietnamese teenager Nguyen Hoang Thien and his partner Jack Schipanski of Australia have won the men's doubles event at the Tennis Central U18 ITF Summer Championship in New Zealand.

Thien and Schipanski defeated Mouslay Bradley-Li Tu of Australia 6-3, 6-0 in around 60 minutes on Friday.

Later in the tournament, Thien lost 3-6, 3-6 to his partner in the men's singles semi-finals.

It is the third time in a year that Thien has triumphed in an U18 tournament. The two previous occasions were in Viet Nam.

His victory was a step towards breaking into the top 200 players in the world, a feat he plans to achieve this year.

Thien was the first Vietnamese player to be invited to play in the Australian Open.

Liem on track to defend Moscow championship crown

International Grand Master (IGM) Le Quang Liem is sitting at the top of the Russian Aeroflot Chess Festival after his first draw on Saturday in Moscow.

Liem won his first four games but could only manage to tie with host rival GM Evgeny Tomashevsky in his fifth round match.

The Vietnamese star is right on track to defending his title after defeating tournament favourite and former world champion Gata Kamsky of the US on Friday.

Liem, who is attempting to become the first Vietnamese super IGM this year, will next face GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan who is currently in fourth position.

The tournament will conclude on Saturday with a prize of US$20,000 going to the winner. — VNS

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

I want to play for Vietnam: Russian volleyballer

Kim Nhung (left)

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Playing a key post in the high-profile volleyball team Vietsovpetro of Vietnam, Russian-born player Merliakovax Ira now sets her sight on being included in the Vietnamese national team after she was naturalized in August, 2010.

The 27-year-old player told Tuoi Tre she has been working hard after holding Vietnamese citizenship so that she will be enlisted in the Vietnamese team for the 2011 Southeast Asian Games to be held in November in Indonesia.

Le Kim Nhung, her Vietnamese name, who is 1.85m tall and weighs 72kg, had a talk with Tuoi Tre.

What are your feelings of the Lunar New Year festival in Vietnam after spending 6 years working here?

In previous years, I usually joined my teammates to visit club’s coaches and spread them our wishes, and in return, we were given lucky money.

But during this 2011 Tet, I had to return to my homeland in Russia for some work.

Can you tell us something about your Vietnamese name Le Kim Nhung?

I think it’s better to have a pure Vietnamese name than combining both foreign and local names.

I consulted my friends and teammates in Vietnam and they all like it.

Can you give us a brief info of your family?

My father is a retired volleyball coach and my mom is a kindergarten’s music teacher. She also played volleyball as an amateur.

Before moving to Vietnam, I played for Dynamo Kiev in Russia.

You won the Best Attacker of the VTV Binh Dien Cup last month

I won that kind of title many times at many other tournaments during my six years in Vietnam. However, the latest one is the most meaningful to me as it marked the first title I won after being granted Vietnamese nationality.

What do you think about volleyball in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia?

To be frank, the development of Vietnamese volleyball is still amateur. What Vietnam need most now is to organize more events for local teams to compete and exchange.

In the region, Thailand is taking the lead and many Thai players are holding key positions at clubs here.

However, I wish the Vietnamese national volleyball team will beat Thailand at this year’s SEA Games. I also hope my Vietsovpetro club will gain best results at this year’s season.

Le Kim Nhung is qualified to be included in the national team to compete at the coming SEA Games, said Vietnam Volleyball Federation general secretary Tran Duc Phan.

In addition, she has never played for a Russian national team at any international tournament.

“We will soon discuss all aspects of the matter to admit her in our national squad,” said Phan.

“Vietnam will become stronger with her service.”

kimnhung 2

Russian-born volleyball player Merliakovax Ira (L), who was given Vietnamese citizenship in August, 2010. She is now playing for Vietnam's top-flight club Vietsovpetro

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Japanese fall in love with Vietnamese village

When volunteering for the Japanese International Cooperation Agency
(JICA), two Japanese girls fell in love with the ancient unique
architecture in Duong Lam village.

Yamaguchi Yoriko and Inoue
Aiko work as technical advisors for preserving and restoring ancient
architectural works in Duong Lam village, which is Vietnam ’s
national relics.

After living with the villagers for nearly two
years, Yoriko feels the Vietnamese spirit from the village’s banyan
trees, wharf and old houses and has fallen in love with this land.

Meanwhile,
Aiko has turned into a country girl, following the farmers to the
fields to harvest rice and corn. She is also always ready to work as a
tourist guide and an interpreter and even prepare meals for guests.

As they are so close to the villagers, they show the Duong Lam villagers how to balance tourism, preservation and development.

According
to Aiko, Duong Lam’s attraction is not only in the beauty of its
ancient houses, but also because it has preserved the atmosphere and
feel of a Vietnamese village.

Ha Nguyen Huyen, the owner of a
160-year-old house and the first local person to open his house to
visitors, said volunteers like Yoriko and Aiko have helped Duong Lam
villagers to know the value of their houses and their home village.

Moreover,
JICA-funded projects have helped people in Duong Lam to develop tourism
on a sustainable basis and improve their living conditions.

Located
60km far from Hanoi city centre, Duong Lam village is the only
place to have an undamaged collection of an ancient Vietnamese village.

The
village has nearly 1,000 traditional houses. Of them, about 30 are over
200 years old and a few of them were built over 400 years ago./.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Restoring portraits of ancient Vietnamese

A group of scientists has tried to restore the faces of ancient
Vietnamese people who lived thousand years ago, revealing interesting
stories about their lives.

Eight years ago, people discovered
human skulls and skeletons dating back to the Dong Son age – 2,100 years
ago – in a tomb in Dong Xa, Kim Dong district, Hung Yen province.

With
a desire to discover more about the life of ancient Vietnamese people,
Dr. Nguyen Viet, Director of the Southeast Asia Prehistory Centre and
his colleagues reconstructed the face of a 17 to 18-year-old girl living
in Dong Son age, from the skull they found.

To do that the
scientists had to X-ray 100 people in Hung Yen province to check, adjust
and find out fundamental parameters of the figure of ancient people in
Dong Xa.

After this step, scientists continued to
restore the faces of three more women and a man, of whom the oldest was
about 40-45 years old. The scientists rebuilt not only the shape, but
also facial appearances.

Viet’s research on 60 Dong Son age
skeletons unearthed in Dong Xa showed that the average height of women
at that time was about 1.40m-1.50m and men, between 1.45m-1.65m.

For
long-term research, Dr. Viet built a place to store 70 skeletons of
ancient Vietnamese people, including the remains of those of Hoa Binh
culture dated tens of thousands of years ago, at Pham Huy Thong museum
in Quang Ninh province.

Scientists of the Southeast Asia
Prehistory Centre also worked with foreign counterparts to study and
detect common diseases of ancient Vietnamese people as well as the
reasons for their deaths.

They also studied samples of collected clothes, finding that the clothes were made from flax fibre.

Dr. Viet said that he plans to open the first museum of wax models of
ancient Vietnamese people and cooperate with US experts to restore the
faces and figures of these people using 3D technology./.

Hanoi through eyes of French photographer

Wednesday, 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./.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

An elegant symbol of Vietnamese culture

The image of the Ao dai (Vietnam’s traditional long dress) is often
associated with images of the country and is a beautiful symbol of
Vietnamese culture.

Bich Hue Boivineau, wife of the
French Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, shared her feelings on
Vietnam’s traditional long dress, on the eve of the first ever
“non-border Ao dai festival” scheduled to be held in Ho Chi Minh City on
January 21.

She said that she and her husband and
two children agreed to take part in the festival because it is a
charitable cultural event that aims to raise funds for 70 poor
households in Phong Dien district in the central province of Thua
Thien-Hue. The funds will also be used to buy a boat for pupils in Quang
Trach district in the central province of Quang Binh to go to school.

“One interesting thing when we wear the Ao dai is
that it highlights the strong points and hides the weak points of our
body,” she said, adding that women in Ao dai look graceful, shapely and
elegant.

She said she owned a big collection of Vietnam’s traditional long dresses and wears them on both festive and normal days.

When presenting the Ao dai to international friends, we will take a
variety of dresses to portray the non-borders characteristic of the
Vietnamese traditional dress, Bich Hue Boivineau noted.

The festival, organised by the Vietnam Long Dress Association, will
draw the participation of representatives from the consulate generals of
ten countries, including the US, France, Russia, Germany, Cuba, Japan,
the Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia and Laos as well as five foreign
organisations and businesses operating in Vietnam./.

Minh wins first Malaysia Open match

Nguyen Tien Minh opened his new year with a victory in the first round of the Proton Malaysia Open Super Series in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The nation's top badminton player defeated Japanese Sho Sasaki 21-10, 25-23 in 42 minutes. It was an easy match for the Vietnamese who is ranked No 8 in world against his unseeded rival. Minh will meet Japanese, Kazushi Yamada in the second round today. Yamada earlier beat Chetan Anand of India 21-14, 21-17

Minh is the only Vietnamese representative left as his female team-mate Nguyen Thu Huyen was eliminated in the first qualifier on Tuesday. Huyen lost 17-21, 19-21 to Malay Yi Lyn Evelyn Chee in only 30 minutes.

VN to host women's volleyball tourney

Viet Nam is to host the Asian Volleyball Women's Clubs Championships this year following an announcement by the Asian Volleyball Confederation.

The tournament will be held from May 14-25 in the northern province of Vinh Phuc.

Details of participants and the schedule have not yet been announced.

In the previous event in Indonesia, Thailand's Federbrau beat Zhetysu Almaty of Kazakhstan 3-1 to take the female title.

Vietnamese representative VTV Binh Dien Long An ranked seventh overall.

The men's tournament will be in held Palembang, Indonesia, from July 23-31. — VNS

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Experts praise Vietnamese folk values

Don ca tai tu (music of the talented) should be recognised as an
intangible heritage of the country to curb the impact of Western music's
influence on indigenous musical forms, according to international
scholars at a conference on preservation of the art form.

Speaking at the three-day event in HCM City , Professor Sheen
Dae-cheol of the Republic of Korea (RoK) said Don ca tai tu, which began 100 years
ago, holds an important position in Vietnam.

The
history of Don ca tai tu is similar to Gagok of the RoK and Nanyin
of China, both of which began as amateur music and developed into more
sophisticated forms.

Don ca tai tu, however, has retained its original characteristics.

Because it does not require a stage, it quickly became popular in every
corner of society and could be performed under a tree, in a house, on a
boat, or under the moonlight.

The Korean professor said
he was impressed with the musical instruments. Some of them have only
one, two or three strings, such as the monochord, two-chord fiddle and
the three-string fretless box spike lute.

"The feeling and
soul of the Vietnamese people are embedded in tai tu music. The music,
which is an invaluable heritage, applies the yin-yang theory of the
East," he said.

"The value of gender equality is also
mentioned in Don ca tai tu. Since it began, it has always been performed
with the participation of both men and women. Everyone considers Don ca
tai tu amateur music, but it is not amateur at all. It is noble amateur
music. It deserves to be considered as a world cultural heritage," he
added.

Dr Joe Peters of Singapore , who noted that Don
ca tai tu was important to the Vietnamese people's life, said that video
and audio clips on the art form could be found on the internet.

Prof Yamaguti Osamu of Taiwan 's Nanhua University said
improvisational music like Don ca tai tu appears in other countries,
including India and, especially, Africa .

The music is transmitted orally and has no printed musical notation.

More recordings of the music must be done so that documents can be
submitted to UNESCO and the art form can be approved and recognised as
an intangible cultural heritage of the world.

Gisa
Jaehnichen, a professor in the music department at University Putra
Malaysia , praised the charm of Don ca tai tu and the instruments used
in performance.

The music is traditionally played in informal venues, often in a close friend's home or in a neighbour's garden.

Its standard orchestra includes a dan tranh (16-string zither), a dan
kim (two-chord guitar), a dan co (two-chord fiddle), a ty ba
(pear-shaped, four-chord guitar), a doc huyen (monochord zither) and a
flute.

Professor Tran Van Khe, musician Nguyen Vinh Bao, who are
experts in Vietnamese traditional music, and other local artists said
they were highly impressed about the knowledge of the foreign experts
who spoke about Don ca tai tu at the conference.

Experts said that
performing the music on a big stage or during tourism festivals, which
has been done in recent years, was not true to its original nature./.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

“Xuan Que Huong” welcomes OVs returning home for Tet

“Xuan Que Huong” welcomes OVs returning home for Tet
A special programme will take place at the
southern gate of Doan Mon of the Thang Long Royal Citadel in Hanoi
on Jan. 28 to welcome Vietnamese expatriates who return home for 2011
Lunar New Year festival.

According to Pham Hai Bang, Head
of the Culture-Information Department of the State Committee for
Overseas Vietnamese (SCOV), the event, entitled “Xuan Que Huong”
(Homeland Spring), will see the presence of 700-800 overseas Vietnamese
together with high-ranking Party and State leaders and representatives
of foreign diplomats.

This year’s programme is to
celebrate the successful hosting of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang
Long-Hanoi and the 11th National Party Congress. It is also to mark
100 years since Ho Chi Minh left Nha Rong Wharf on board a
French ship to seek ways to liberate the country and 60 years since he
returned homeland, Bang said.

The programme, jointly held by
SCOV under the Foreign Ministry and other related agencies, will start
with a incense burning ceremony at the Kinh Thien palace in the royal
citadel.

Vietnamese artists at home and abroad will perform at the programme./.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Traditional Tet food specialties go abroad

Pickled Welsh onion, square sticky
rice cake, traditional jams, sugar-coated fruit and many other
Vietnamese favourites in the lunar New Year festival (Tet) have so far
been shipped to Japan, Europe and the US in service of Overseas
Vietnamese.

The south-based Tran Gia Company,
for example, has exported 30 tonnes of square and cylindrical sticky
rice cakes and phrynium leaves (used in wrapping the cakes) to France
and the US, homes to large Vietnamese communities, as Tet is
approaching.

The Ngoc Lien food company in Ho
Chi Minh City has shipped three containers of Tet specialties,
including pickled Welsh onion and rice paper to make spring roll
wrappings, to the US. The company owner, Pham Thi Ngoc Lien, said
demand for these products on the threshold of Tet was huge.

Exporters said specialty exports have risen between 25 and 30 percent
in the two months before Tet over previous months, while prices
increased by 10 percent year on year.

They said
regular shipments of such Vietnamese Tet specialties are now sent abroad
year round and have become popular in supermarkets in foreign markets,
instead of just during Tet or in Vietnamese markets.

In an effort to promote these products abroad, domestic enterprises
have not only taken part in international food trade fairs but also
built their own websites featuring traditional Vietnamese specialties./.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Vietnam pencak silat chief assaulted by Indo hooligan

An Indonesian fan made a flying kick at Vietnamese delegation chief Nguyen Ngoc Anh, who was making a verbal protest Thursday during the World Pencak Silat Championships in Indonesia.

The video clip posted on Youtube and other media sites shows that Anh, chief of the Vietnamese pencak silat delegation to Indonesia and deputy head of Elite Sports Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, protested to desk referees regarding a decision of the match’s umpire between Vietnamese and Indonesian players.

Suddenly, a man from the fans’ area ran towards Anh and threw a flying kick at his face.

He timely evaded the attack of the Indonesian man, who then lost balance and fell down. Another man from the Vietnamese side struck the fallen rioter with some punches until referees and security force intervened.

“The brawl was stirred up by frenzied fans of the hosts after my protest,” said Ngoc Anh after the incident.

The World Pencak Silat Federation, the Indonesia Pencak Silat Federation, and organization board sent their apologies to Vietnam and other participants for the incident.

The 2010 World Pencak Silat Championship was held from December 12-17 with 425 fighters from 32 nations partaking.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Malaysia beat Viet Nam 2-0 in AFF

Best foot forward: Midfielder Nguyen Vu Phong (right) attempts to get past a Malaysian defender in the team's semi-final first leg encounter of the ASEAN Football Championship, AFF-Suzuki Cup in Kuala Lumpar yesterday. Malaysia won 2-0. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI — Striker Safee Sali's brace saw Malaysia beat Viet Nam 2-0 in the first leg of the ASEAN Football Championship AFF-Suzuki Cup semi-final yesterday.

The loss will mean defending champions Viet Nam will face a hard task in the second leg match at Ha Noi's My Dinh National Stadium on Saturday.

Although starting the game well in the first minutes, the Vietnamese side did little to trouble the well-organised Malaysian defence.

In the 15th minute, captain Minh Phuong launched a grass-skimming 25m rocket heading for the far corner, but Malaysian keeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat made a good save.

The hosts replied five minutes later when Safee's powerful header tested Vietnamese keeper Bui Tan Truong.

Midfielder Vu Phong closed the goalless first half time with a free kick in the 40th minute, which was pushed away by goalie Khairul.

After the break, Coach Henrique Calisto brought on midfielder Nguyen Minh Chau and striker Nguyen Viet Thang to try and force a goal; however, they failed to have much of an impact against Malaysia's well-organised team.

Safee gave Malaysia the lead in the 61st minute as his well-taken free kick beat Vietnamese keeper Truong.

Truong once again held some of the blame for the second Malaysian goal in the 80th minute.

Midfielder Safiq Bin Rahim in a rapid attack fired a 25m shot from the right hand edge of the penalty area, but despite Truong comfortably getting a hand to ball, the Vietnamese contrived to palm it out to a borderline off-side Safee who doubled his goals for the night with a nicely placed shot through the despairing Vietnamese keeper.

Despite Vietnam attempting to rally for the last 10 minutes of the match, sloppy passing and a lack of urgency meant they created few chances of note.

Indonesia will host the Philippines in the other semi-final in Jakarta today. — VNS

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Vietnam - Cuba cultural exchange held in Cuba

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in Havana , Cuba , and the
Federation of University Students (FEU) on December 9 held a cultural
exchange to mark the 50 th anniversary of Vietnamese-Cuban diplomatic
ties (December 2, 1960 – December 2, 2010) .

Attending the event were the vice rector of Havana University Cristina
Diaz Lopez, representatives from the Cuban Ministry of Universities, the
Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cuban Institute for
Friendship with the People (ICAP).

During the event,
Vietnamese and Cuban students performed variety of songs and dances as
well as traditional dances from both nations.

The
Vietnamese students put on a display of many fine arts and hand-made
products such as embroidered pictures, lacquered flower vases and silk
flowers. They also organised a small photos exhibition on the friendly
and close relationship and traditional links between Vietnam and
Cuba .

The event helped to strengthen the mutual
understanding between Vietnamese and Cuban youngsters as well as
consolidate friendship and solidarity between the two nations./.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Masters set for showdown

Vietnamese masters will take part in the first Southeast Asian Individual Chess Championship in Singapore next week.

The tournament will be held every two years by the Southeast Asian Chess Federation with a view of developing the regional chess movement.

Eight or nine delegations will join this debut event, which is also an opportunity for players to warm up ahead of the next December's SEA Games in Indonesia.

General Secretary of the Viet Nam Chess Federation Dang Tat Thang said Viet Nam would participate in both men's and women's categories.

After the championship, the Vietnamese players will enjoy a short break before being summoned in early 2011 to a range of international tournaments.

Seminar spotlights VN taekwondo

How to boost the capacity of Vietnamese taekwondo athletes and improve Viet Nam-South Korea co-operation in this martial art topped the agenda of a seminar in Ha Noi on Saturday.

The seminar was co-organised by the Viet Nam Taekwondo Federation (VTF), the South Korean Cultural Centre and the South Korean Taekwondo Instructors Association (RTIA) in Viet Nam.

Head of RTIA in Viet Nam Kim Jung-sik said the athletes' rapid adaptability to scientific devices and modern technology plays an important role in achieving success, as they help them to achieve high results in international and regional competitions.

This is a lesson the Korea has drawn from its failures at ASIAD 16, especially after one of the country's athletes lost to his Iranian rival because he had yet to adapt to changes in the electronic breastplates.

VTF General Secretary Truong Ngoc De said Viet Nam needed to build effective competition methods and improve the quality of athlete selection if it wanted to regain its top regional position and win gold medals in ASIAD and the London Olympics in 2012.
Taekwondo has developed strongly in Viet Nam in recent years, with more than 40,000 athletes training across the country.

Japanese perform martial arts

The Japanese Embassy, in co-ordination with the Aikido Yukishudokan and Kendo Ha Noi Clubs, held an Aikido and Kendo performance in the capital on Saturday.

Speaking at the event, Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Yasuaki Tanizaki said that Aikido and Kendo were Japan's two traditional martial arts which represent the unique cultural identity of people from the country of cherry blossoms.

He expressed his wish that the performance would help Vietnamese people, especially young people, understand more about the Japanese culture, and strengthen the friendship and mutual understanding between the two nations.

Formed 1,200 years ago, Kendo uses bamboo sticks to attack with the aim of strengthening physical and spiritual health as well as improving concentration in study and work. — VNS

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Vietnamese athletes bag two more silvers at ASIAD

Vietnam's Vu van Huyen celebrates winning his men's 100m decathlon heat at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on Wednesday - Photo: Reuters

HCMC – Vietnamese athletes brought home two more silvers on the 12th day of competition at the 16th Asian Games (ASIAD) in Guangzhou, China. The track and field team showed their excellent performance when Vu Thi Huong and Truong Thanh Hang qualified for the finals in the women’s 200m and 800m events respectively.

Vietnam’s last hopes for taking a gold medal at the Games failed when karate athlete Vu Thi Nguyet Anh and the women’s sepaktakraw team, who were expected to change the color of the medals for the Vietnamese sport delegation, missed the final games.

Anh, who won the gold medal at the 15th Games in Doha, Qatar four years ago, defeated Jang So Young from South Korea 2-0 in the semifinals of the women’s kumite under 50kg category. However, the Vietnamese athlete was 0-2 beaten by Li Hong from host China in the final game.

Nguyen Hoang Hiep exited from the men’s kumite under 55kg category after losing 0-2 to Hsieh Cheng Kang from Chinese Taipei earlier in the day.

The women’s sepaktakraw team comprising Nguyen Hai Thao, Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy and Luu Thi Thanh failed to defend their champions at the Games in the women’s regu event after losing to archrivals Thailand 1-2 in the finals on Wednesday. Earlier, the Vietnamese team received the bronze in the women’s team event as they suffered a 0-2 loss to Thais in the semifinals.

The Vietnamese were 15-21 defeated by the Thais in the first set but they bounced back to win the Thai players in the second set 21-14. The Thais took the match in a deciding tie-break 15-11, to win 2 sets to 1, taking the gold medal.

Sprinter Vu Thu Huong, who gained the bronze medal in the women’s 100m category on Monday, reached the final round of the women’s 200m category when she finished first in her group of the qualifying round with 24.05 seconds. Takahashi Momoko from Japan also qualified for the final round with 24.13 seconds.

Truong Thanh Hang secured the final’s ticket in the women’s 800m category as she came second in her group of the qualifying round with 2:03.28 minutes while Matsko Margarita from Kazakhstan was clocked in 2:03.28 minutes, also grasping the final’s ticket.

Meanwhile, Vu Van Huyen, another hopeful of Vietnam, had a good debut when he ended five categories of the men’s decathlon event with 4,002 points, currently ranking fourth in the ranking table.

Karpov Dmitriy from Kazakhstan, who held Asian decathlon record, collected 4,245 points followed by Kim Kun Woo from South Korea with 4,021 points and Alquraya Mohammed Jassim M from Saudi Arabia with the same points as the Vietnamese athlete.

Huyen finished first in the men’s 100m category with 10.76 seconds and second in the men’s 400m category with 48.93 seconds. on Thursday, the athletes will be competing in five remaining categories of the men’s decathlon event.

Nguyen Dinh Cuong exited from the men’s 800m competition after coming last in the qualifying round. Earlier, Cuong also failed to qualify for the final round after crossing last in the men’s 1500m category.

In archery, Hoang Ngoc Nhat had a 4-2 win over Salem All Ahmed from Qatar before 0-4 loss to Kim Woojin from South Korea in the men’s individual category while his teammate Dao Trong Kien was 1-5 knocked out by Rai Tarundeep from India in the same category.

With two silvers on the 12th day of competition, the Vietnamese sport delegation is still in 26th position in the medal tally with 14 silver and 12 bronze medals.

China is in the lead with 173 golds, 93 silvers and 86 bronzes, followed by South Korea with 71 golds, 59 silvers and 81 bronzes and Japan with 36 golds, 66 silvers and 74 bronzes.

Medals Standings (at 10:00 p.m. Vietnamese time)

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	173	93	86	352
2 South Korea	71	59	81	211
3 Japan	36	66	74	176
4 Iran	16	10	19	45
5 Chinese Taipei	12	12	33	57
6 Thailand	9	7	30	46
7 Hong Kong	8	14	15	37
8 Malaysia	8	14	11	33
9 Kazakhstan	7	14	31	52
10 India	7	13	26	46
26 Vietnam	0	14	12	26

Friday, November 26, 2010

Old Quarter celebrates culture

Hanoi's Old Quarter is hosting a tea ceremony and an exhibition of
vintage timepieces until Nov. 27, as well as a discussion of traditional
culture in the capital city.

The tea ceremony will take place at
28 Hang Buom Street, while the collection of clocks will be displayed
at Dong Lac Temple, 38 Hang Dao Street.

The Vietnamese often
drink tea, chew betel or smoke a cigarette as a prelude to conversation,
reflecting the folk saying, "A quid of betel starts the ball rolling".

Tea
drinking is an integral part of many Vietnamese cultural rituals, from
holidays to wedding, and it brings friends and family together in
conversation and celebration.

"Brewing Vietnamese tea is a
sophisticated artform which takes a lot of time to master," said
researcher Hoang Anh Suong. "But it can also be enjoyed in a very simple
manner.

Simply boiled green tea leaves can bring people closer in an informal conversation."

At
the tea ceremony, Suong and other researchers will speak about the
history of tea culture, the manner of drinking, and the differences
among Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese tea drinking.

Meanwhile, at Dong Lac Temple, collector Nguyen Trung Dung will display over 50 historic clocks.

Clock-collecting
has been a popular pastime among intellectuals in the capital city
since the 19th century, Dung said, with collectors fascinated by the
different designs and decorations and the way in which the sound of the
ticking clocks reflects the passage of time and the value of every
moment of life.

Finally, the old house at 87 Ma May Street will
host a talk by researchers Giang Quan and Nguyen Vinh Phuc about Hanoi's
culture, helping visitors understand the way Hanoians live and receive
guests. The discussion, held to accord greater respect the value of
Hanoi's traditions, was organised as part of the celebrations of the
Vietnam Heritage Day on Nov. 23./.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Vietnam clinches two more silvers at Guangzhou ASIAD

Vietnam’s U-23 football team eliminated; women’s team suffer second loss

International grand master Le Quang Liem shows his silver medal at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China on Tuesday - Photo: TTXVN

HCMC – Vietnamese athletes took home two more silvers and four bronzes at the 16th Asian Games (ASIAD) in Guangzhou, China on Tuesday. With four silvers and seven bronzes on the fourth day of competition, Vietnam climbed to the 13th place on the ranking table.

Vietnamese wushu team continuously showed good performance when Nguyen Thanh Tung grasped the silver in the men’s taijiquan - taijijian all-round event.

Tung earned 8.67 points in the taijijian category on Tuesday morning and 9.65 points in the taijiquan category in the afternoon. The gold medal went to Wu Yanan of China, who secured 9.9 points each in the taijiquan and taijijian categories.

Nguyen Minh Thong brought home the bronze after losing 0-2 to Kim Tun Yul from South Korea in the semifinals of the men’s sanshou 60kg category and Vuong Dinh Khanh was defeated 1-2 by Cai Liangchan from Macao, China in the semifinals of the men’s sanshou 70kg category, gaining the bronze medal.

Wushu team now leads the Vietnamese delegation in medal tally, taking two silver and four bronze medals.

International grand master Le Quang Liem failed to grasp the gold medal in the men’s individual of the chess event though he had two final victories over Sasikiran Krishnan from India and Megaranto Susanto from Indonesia in rounds 8 and 9 on Tuesday.

Kasimdzhanov Rustam from Uzbekistan and Liem secured 7.5 points each but the Uzbekistan player gained the gold thanks to his win over the Vietnamese player in round 7 on Monday.

Vietnamese billiards players suffered unlucky when they lost to their opponents in the semifinals of the billiards event later Tuesday, clinching the bronze medals. Ly The Vinh just gained the bronze after losing 36-40 Suzuki Tsuyoshi from Japan in the men’s carom 3 cushion singles event.

Duong Anh Vu was defeated 29-40 by Kai Joji from Japan in the same category, taking the bronze while Luong Chi Dung also lost 4-9 to Dang Jinhu from China in the qualifying round of the men’s 9-ball pool singles.

Vietnamese women’s sepaktakaw team beat Japan 3-0 in the qualifying round on Tuesday while Vietnam lost 20-25, 16-25, 23-25 to India in the men’s volleyball event.

* Vietnam’s U-23 football team were ended their remarkable performance at the Asian Games after losing 0-2 to North Korea in the knock-out round on Tuesday. The loss means Vietnam surpassed its target set before ASIAD of reaching the last 16 round.

The North Korean players tested the Vietnamese defenders from the beginning but it wasn’t until the 34th minute that Choe Kum Chol opened for his team with a header.

Vietnam faced more difficulties in the 45th minute when midfielder Chu Ngoc Anh was sent off with a red card, however, the Vietnamese side suffered disadvantage again when Nguyen Van Hieu also received the second yellow card in the first minutes of the second half.

North Korea dominated possession in the second half and Choe Myong Ho finalized the game at 2-0 in the 90th minute with a penalty kick.

In the women’s football event, Vietnam were also eliminated from competition after suffering a 0-1 loss to powerhouse China in their second game on Tuesday.

Although the Chinese players had the most possession over the game and managed to create dozens of chances, the Vietnamese side defense resiliently held out to keep a clean sheet.

China took an advance in a controversial goal when the referee gave China a free kick in the penalty box in the last minutes. Qu Suansan made no mistake in her free kick, giving her team the second win in the group of the competition.

Earlier, Vietnam lost 1-6 to South Korea in the opener. Vietnam are now still at third place with no point in hand. Vietnam will face Jordan on Thursday in the final game in the group stage while South Korea and China, who reached the quarterfinals, will meet each together for the top position of the group.

Medals Standings (at 10:00 p.m. Vietnamese time)

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	77	28	28	133
2 South Korea	22	17	27	66
3 Japan	15	34	29	78
4 North Korea	3	6	9	18
5 Chinese Taipei	3	5	13	21
6 Hong Kong	3	5	3	11
7 Kazakhstan	2	5	9	16
8 Uzbekistan	2	5	6	13
9 India	1	4	7	12
10 Malaysia	1	1	3	5
13 Vietnam	0	4	7	11

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Vietnam beats Bahrain in Asian Games opener

Vietnam beats Bahrain in Asian Games opener Vietnam’s Under-23 squad scored a 3-1 upset against Baharain in their Group B opener at the 16th Asian Games at Guangdong People’s Stadium, on Monday.

The Vietnamese youths scored one goal in the first half and another two goals in the second before Bahrain pulled one back in the final minutes.

Before the event began, coach Phan Thanh Hung and the Vietnamese U23s said they believed they could advance to the second round.

The impressive win over Bahrain certainly made for a good start.

The two top squads, in each of the tournament’s six groups will advance to the second round along with the four third-place teams with the best results.

The Vietnamese U23s will clash with Turkmenistan in their next game on Wednesday before facing off against Iran on Friday.

In the other Group B match on Monday, Iran thrashed Turkmenistan 4-1 to come out on top of the group.

In Group A, Malaysia defeated Kyrgyzstan 2-1 while hosts China lost 0-3 to Japan.

In Group C, North Korea beat South Korea 1-0 while Palestine and Jordan fought to a scoreless tie.

On Sunday, Kuwait beat India 2-0 while Qatar drew 0-0 with Singapore in Group D; and in Group E, Uzbekistan hammered Bangladesh 3-0. The U.A.E drew 1-1 with Hong Kong.

In Group F, Oman defeated Maldives 3-0 while Thailand crushed Pakistan 6-0 with Thong Lao and Teerasil Dangda each scoring a double.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010