Finnish quartert, Russian chorus to perform

Audiences in Hanoi this week will be treated to classical music from a
Finnish quartet and performances by a Russian folk troupe as part of a
diverse entertainment programme being held to mark the capital city's
1,000th anniversary.

The quartet from Finland's Seinajoki City Orchestra will perform with
Vietnamese artists tonight at Hanoi Opera House. The set list includes
Finnish and Vietnamese pieces such as Tugging Waltz and Vietnamese song
Ve Que (Back to the Home Village).

The highlight of the
concert will be a joint performance by the quartet and Vietnamese
monochord artist Hoang Anh Tu playing Avec Maria by Schubert and
Vietnamese folk song Beo Dat May Troi.

The Seinajoki
Quartet was formed in 1977 by the principal string players of the
Seinajoki City Orchestra. The quartet's repertoire includes classics by
composers such as Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven as well as contemporary
Finnish and international music.

Performing at the
Cultural and Friendship Palace in Hanoi at 8 pm on Oct. 9, the
Pyatnitsky Russian Folk Chorus promises some lively song and dance to
mark "Moscow Days", a programme aimed at showcasing Russian culture in
Hanoi from Friday through Sunday.

The 62-member troupe was
established by Mitrofan Pyatnitsky in 1910, when the group was
comprised of 18 peasants. Today, the chorus has more than 100 members
and has won numerous awards in Russia.

The performance
will officially launch the Walking around Moscow photo exhibition, which
showcases images by photographers who work for Russia's Itar-Tass news
service.

Other foreign arts troupes taking part in Hanoi's
millennial celebrations include groups from Germany, Britain, France,
India, and Malaysia./.

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Canadian scrawls essay on conical hats

Canadian Steven Tait created quite a stir when he was the only foreigner
to enter a writing contest on the history and culture of Hanoi, and to
top it off his entry was written in his own hand on five conical hats.

"My country is 857 years younger than Hanoi," said Tait, a Canadian,
working and volunteering in the field of information technology. "I
admire the capital and I feel very lucky to have lived and worked here.

"Because the city has existed for 1,000 years, I thought it’s a good reason to participate in the contest."

The contest was a joint effort by the Hanoi People's Committee and the Hanoi Moi (New Hanoi) newspaper.

In order to answer 12 questions asked of contestants, Steve tapped all
available sources, including the internet. He even called on his friends
and colleagues, since some questions were rather difficult.

The more he studied about Vietnam, the more interested he became, he said.

"I thought I would have to do something extraordinary with my entry, so it would express my admiration for the capital."

After many nights of pondering, Tait said it came in an epiphany how
his work should be presented: on the non la (palm-leave conical hat)
which is probably as old as Vietnam itself.

"Conical hats
and long traditional dresses are the specific characteristics we
attribute to Vietnamese people. I feel inspired whenever I see a young
Vietnamese lady wearing them."

Tait spent five hours a day writing his entry, a struggle because his knowledge of the Vietnamese language is minimal.

"I found it difficult to write on the hats because they are round and it required care and patience."

He also enclosed several images of Hanoi to illustrate the text and make it more attractive.

One of Tait's colleagues, Nguyen Thi Phuong, said she was impressed with his work and the conical hat idea.

"Steve Tait is a foreigner, but he is very hard-working and always
wants to learn more about Vietnamese people and culture. He always asks
for help whenever there is something he doesn't know," Phuong said.

It is reported that this year's contest attracted over three million
entries, aged between seven and, believe it or not, 100 years old.

Tait said he joined just for fun, so he was surprised when he heard his contribution had been singled out for special praise.

He said he also wanted to join the Vietnam Idol singing contest.

"Let me check my schedule," he joked./.

International Sailing Festival to be held in Binh Thuan

Sailing teams from 20 countries and territories will take part in an
International Sailing Festival in Mui Ne, which is the first ever to be
held in the southern province of Binh Thuan , from Dec. 8-11.

The festival entitled “"Yachts-Sea-Sun" will include an exhibition of
200 yachts of international groups, demonstration of professional
yachtsmen and art performances by artists from Vietnam , the US , the
Republic of Korea , Australia and Russia .

During the event, a seminar on building Vietnam marine trademarks will be held.

In
announcing the festival on Oct. 7, Deputy Chairman of the Binh Thuan
People’s Committee Nguyen Van Thu said that the event was aimed at
promoting Vietnam ’s sea tourism, particularly Binh Thuan and Mui Ne
to domestic and foreign visitors, as part of the national sea strategy
till 2020.

He also said that the festival is expected to become
an annual event in Binh Thuan, along with the international paragliding
and windsurfing tournaments.

With 192 km of coastline, Binh Thuan
has many beautiful beaches, historical and cultural relics and a lot of
unique traditional festivals, which are an advantage for the province
in developing sea tourism.

Mui Ne beach in Binh Thuan is rated as one of the best for sailing in Asia by the International Yacht Association./.

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Tien Minh advances to Vietnam Grand Prix Open quarterfinals

Nguyen Tien Minh

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Vietnamese ace Nguyen Tien Minh, the world No 9 and No 1 seed at the on-going Vietnam Grand Prix Open 2010, secured his spot to the quarterfinals after beating lower-ranking Thai rival Poodchalat Pisit in the third round Thursday.

Minh thrashed Singapore Youth Olympic gold medalist and world’s No 270 Pisit 21-12 21-16 after surpassing Evert Sukamta of Indonesia 21-10 21-17 in the second round.

Minh’s compatriot opponent Le Ha Tan Thanh withdrew in the first round of the main competition division.

Tien Minh is scheduled to take on Chinese Chen Yuekun, ranked 294 in the world at 13:00 GMT Friday at the Phan Dinh Phung sports house in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam sent a total of 32 players to the event but all of them -- excluding Tien Minh -- were eliminated in the qualifiers.

The Vietnam Grand Prix Open 2010 taking place from October 5-10 in HCMC attracted 274 players from 20 nations and territories in the world, with some high-ranking players such as Chinese Ma Jin, number 3 in the world; US Karyn Cecillia, No 32 in the world and Australian Prutsch Simone, the world’s number 75.

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Viet Nam fights to defend ‘Poomsae' medal tally

Vietnamese taekwondo artists will compete to defend their gold medal in the World Poomsae (Performance) Championship starting today in Uzbekistan.

Eight men and women under the leadership of coach Le Minh Khuong will each compete in singles, doubles and team events.

The tournament will close on Sunday.

In the previous championship, Viet Nam won two gold, one silver and one bronze medal.

Japan cruise into quarters with Viet Nam victory

Takashi Usami scored a hattrick as Japan booked their place in the quarter-finals of the AFC U-19 Championship following a resounding 4-0 defeat of Viet Nam at China's Zibo Sports Centre Stadium on Wednesday.

Mitsunari Musaka and Usami scored in the first half to put Japan in control of the match before the latter added a third midway through the second period.

Viet Nam almost scored when Ha Minh Tuan acrobatically launched an overhead kick towards Nguyen Hai Huy, who then produced the exact same move to hook a narrow miss towards the left upright as goalkeeper Goro Kawanami scrambled.

The lively Usami then grabbed his third and Japan's fourth in the 88th minute to put Japan at the top of Group C with six points in two games.

Viet Nam hold on with three points and still have the chance to join Japan in the last eight when they face defending champions UAE in their final group game today.

HCM City women win table tennis tournament

HCM City took the women's team title while the Military won the men's side of the National All-stars Table Tennis Championship at Ha Noi's Gia Lam Gymnasium.

In the final matches, HCM City easily beat the Ministry of Public Security 3-1 while the Military defeated Ha Noi 3-2.

The tournament will continue with singles and doubles events. — VNS

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Vietnam Olympic draws tough group for ASIAD

HCMC - Vietnam’s U-23 football team drew some of West Asia’s strongest teams in the group stages at 16th Asian Games (ASIAD), while the Vietnam women’s national football team will have to play powerhouse China and South Korea.

According to the draw, which took place in Guangzhou, China on Thursday, Vietnam has got stiff competition in Group B with Iran, Bahrain and Turkmenistan.

The men’s football event will have 24 teams compete in six groups with the top two teams of each group and four best third-placed teams qualifying for the last 16 round.

The hosts China will play against Japan, Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia in Group A. South Korea will face North Korea, Palestine and Jordan in Group C. Group D comprises defending champions Qatar, Kuwait, India and Singapore.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong will compete in Group E including Uzbekistan, UAE and Bangladesh while Thailand are in Group F with the last ASIAD runners-up Iraq, Maldives and Oman.

The women’s football event will have seven teams compete in two groups and top two teams of each group qualifying to the semifinals. Vietnam are in Group A with hosts China, South Korea and Jordan while Thailand will play in Group B together with defending champions North Korea and runners-up Japan.

The group matches of the men’s football event will be played from November 7 to 25 while the women’s football event will take place from November 14 to 23.

In a friendly tournament to prepare for the ASIAD, Vietnam’s U-23 football team won the international football tournament - Eximbank Cup 2010 after trouncing Iran U21 2-0 during the final match in HCMC last month. The round-robin tournament drew the U-23 teams of Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Iran U21.

During the last ASIAD, which was held in Qatar four years ago, Vietnam’s U23 football team finished third position, however, the Vietnam Olympic team failed to qualify for the last 16 team. Vietnam were in the same group with South Korea, Bahrain and Bangladesh.

The 2010 Asian Games, also known as the 16th ASIAD, which will be held from November 12 to 27 in Guangzhou, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. Guangzhou is the second city in China to host the Games after Beijing in 1990.

A total of 476 events in 42 sports will be contested by athletes, making it the largest event in the history of the Games. It will also be the last one to have such big events, as the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has enforced new hosting rules beginning with the 2014 Games.

The Vietnamese delegation grabbed three gold, thirteen silver and seven bronze medals at the 15th Asian Games in Qatar, ending in 19th place overall in the medal standings. The Vietnamese delegation had send some 365 athletes, coaches, referees and officials to Asia’s biggest sporting event.

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Thai striker joins Vietnamese volleyball club

Wanchai Tabwises, the captain of Thailand’s national volleyball team, has become a member of the Vietnamese club Duc Long-Fifth Military Zone.

Thailand’s number one striker, Wanchai, who stands 1.85 meters tall and weighs 85kg, landed in Hanoi on Sunday October 3 just in time for the second leg of Vietnam’s National Volleyball Championship  which will end on October 19.

The 24-year-old Wanchai made his debut with the Vietnamese club in the opener of the contest, which is being held in the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Ninh Binh.

Wanchai signed a five-year contract in December 2009 to play with Duc Long-Fifth Military Zone from January 2010 till December 2014.

However, he abstained from playing with the Central Highlands club because he was under contract with a club in Bahrain.

Duc Long-Fifth Military Zone is not a strong club and the club managers want to improve its position by signing excellent players like Wanchai.

Wanchai will earn US$7,000 per month –the highest grossing salary in the league.  Most foreign players’ average around US$2,000-2,500 per month.

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