VietNam Culture

Friday, September 10, 2010

Minh set for Tokyo badminton tourney

World badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh is seeded No 8 at the Japan Super Series Open which will start in Tokyo on September 21.

Minh who unexpectedly lost in last month's world championships will again face rivals including Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia, Peter Hoeg Gade from Denmark, China's Lin Dan and Chen Jil and Taufik Hidayat and Soni Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia.

The tournament which will finish on September 26 will provide US$200,000 in prize money to the winners.

Ladies represent VN in Barbados boxing bout

Ngo Thi Chung and Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai will be the Vietnamese representatives at the World Women's Boxing Championship in Barbados from September 10-19.

Chung will compete in the 75kg category while Mai who is the defending champion of the Asian Indoor Games and SEA Games in 51kg pool against more than 300 rivals from 45 countries and territories in 10 weight categories.

After the tournament, the duo will join their team-mates for training in China for the forthcoming Asian Games in Guangzhou in November.

Women's U16 team prepare for qualifiers

The national U16 women's team will meet on Sunday in preparation for the first qualifying round of the Asian Football Championship 2011.

Twenty-seven players from Ha Noi, HCM City and Viet Nam Coal and Minerals, have been called up. They will be coached by Nguyen Duy Hung.

The team will have one month of intensive training before leaving for the Philippines qualifier.

Viet Nam in Group A will face hosts Philippines, Singapore and Guam who will compete from October 15-24. Only one team will qualify for the next round to be organised in December.

The final round will include the best two teams from the second qualifier, the host team who has not been identified and five teams who won wild cards (South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Australia and China). — VNS

Mercedes masters set for match play thriller at Song Be

Professional golf in Vietnam will break new ground this year when it witnesses its first ever match play tournament at the Mercedes-Benz Masters Vietnam.

The US$60,000 tournament, which will also be the first Mercedes-Benz Tour match play event, will be at Song Be Golf Resort from September 30 to October 2.

“The Mercedes-Benz Tour was created to provide playing opportunities for young golfers and so this is a perfect match for Vietnam, where the game of golf starts to develop,” said Udo F. Loersch, general director of Mercedes-Benz Vietnam.

A field of 32 players will compete in what will be the penultimate tournament on this season’s Mercedes-Benz Tour, which boasts 10 events.

Match play golf is arguably one of the most exciting forms of the game, which sees players compete against one another head to head.

On the opening day a total of 16 matches will be played and by the third and final day only two players will face each other in the final.

“We are looking forward to welcoming back to Vietnam the finest young golfers in Southeast Asia for the fourth Mercedes-Benz Masters Vietnam,” Loersch said.

The Mercedes-Benz Masters Vietnam was first played in 2007 and Filipino Mars Pucay took the title. The following year Thailand’s Wisut Artjanawat took top spot while his compatriot Namchok Tantipokhakul triumphed last season.

Juvic Pagunsan currently leads the Mercedes-Benz Tour Order of Merit with winnings of US$22,450. The Filipino won the Mercedes-Benz Masters Thailand by seven strokes in June.

Singaporean Mardan Mamat was successful in the Mercedes-Benz Masters Malaysia, which was the most recent event played on Tour.

Another first for this year’s event is the fact that Song Be in Binh Duong Province is hosting its first professional golf tournament. Song Be now boasts three nine holes courses – the Lotus, Palm and Desert courses.

Only the top-60 players following the Mercedes-Benz Masters Vietnam are eligible to play in season-ending Mercedes-Benz Masters Indonesia, which is the Tour championship. So it will be a tough battle in Vietnam to book a place in Indonesia.