Muscleman to defend world title

Defending champion Pham Van Mach has left for India to defend his world bodybuilding title on October 30-31 in Varanasi.

Mach who competes in the men's 55kg category will face tough competition this year from much improved rivals.

His biggest opponent, Iranian Ehsan Khajavi, beat Mach to the gold medal in August's Asian Championships while in 2009, Mach easily overcame him to triumph at the world championships in the UAE.

However he said he would strive to retain his title.

The world tournament has lured more than 600 participants from 85 countries and territories.

They will take part in qualifiers on Saturday and successful contestants will go on to compete in the final on the following day.

VN rank third in student ping pong

Le Tien Dat and Nguyen Huu Duc won the only gold for Viet Nam at the Asian Table Tennis Student Championships at Hai Duong Gymnasium.

Their victory took Viet Nam to third in the medal tally behind China, who topped the table with five golds and five silvers, and Hong Kong.

It's the first time Viet Nam has hosted the student tournament, which drew 300 athletes from eight countries and territories.

Football tourney tickets go on sale

Tickets for an international football tournament, the VFF SONHA Cup, will go on sale at outlets in Ha Noi on Sunday, the organising committee has announced.

The tickets, priced between VND150,000-80,000 ($7.5-$4), will also be available at www.aleale.com.

The annual tournament has drawn four Vietnamese teams, South Korea's U-23s, Singapore and North Korea, who will battle it out in a round-robin format.

Viet Nam meet South Korea in the opening game at My Dinh National Stadium on November 2.

Colleges vie for football cup

HCM City's National University defeated Da Nang's Architecture College 3-1 in the opening match of the National Football Student Championships at Chi Lang Stadium yesterday.

The event has attracted 16 teams, who will be competing in four groups with the two qualifying for the quarter-finals.

The winners will walk away with a VND50 million (US$2,500) cash-prize. — VNS

Related Articles

• Green cars begin world race
• Hanoi T&T win first V-League after scoreless draw
• Germany's '54 World Cup win could be drug-tainted - study
• Assoc insists on power price hike despite protests
• Visit hell then heaven

Uncle Ho’s poems translated into Mongolian

Poems from the “Prison Diary” written by the late President Ho Chi Minh
have been translated into Mongolian by President of the Mongolia-Vietnam
Friendship Association (MVFA) Doctor Sonomish Dashtsevel.

Dr.
Dashtsevel, 67, has spent nearly 10 years on the project with the hope
that it would help introduce President Ho Chi Minh’s patriotism,
simplicity and greatness to younger generations of Mongolians.

“When reading the Prison Diary, I felt closer to Uncle Ho’s personality.
The poems demonstrate his determination, patriotism and love for his
people,” said Dr. Dashtsevel.

He has spent considerable
time studying the collection’s translated versions in Russian, English
and French languages and made great efforts to preserve the spirit and
philosophy of the poems, besides the rhyme and meaning of the words.

As MVFA President, Dr. Dashtsevel has served as a bridge linking the
two countries through friendship groups and the economic and trade
cooperation of businesses.

The Mongolian Doctor, a former
student of the Literature Department, Hanoi University , has a
boundless love for the late Vietnamese president and his poems.

He has been married to a Vietnamese lady and his regular trips to
Vietnam aim not only to visit his wife’s hometown but also to find out
more about the culture and people of Vietnam./.

Related Articles

• Poor rural children blaze education trail

UK ambassador plays last soccer match

Mark Kent (red jersey) plays his last soccer match in Hanoi in his 3-year tenure in Vietnam as UK ambassador

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Last weekend Mark Kent and his son Alexandre played a soccer match with a bunch of youngsters in Hanoi, their last in Vietnam before the British ambassador returns home at the end of his tenure.

Mark had chosen to play the sport to relax during his three years in Hanoi and his soccer friends gave father and son a sendoff before the match.

“I only play 15-20 minutes in each half,” he said. He is now 44 years old.

Mark and Alexandre took turns to play as a striker.

“Lam ra lam, choi ra choi” (Work hard, play hard), the ambassador said in fluent Vietnamese.

After the match, the team went out to drink draught beer on the streets. In the UK, Mark will still play soccer with his son during weekends but will miss the Hanoi draught beer.

During his stay in the country since December 2007 he became famous for his Vietnamese blog to connect with the local online community and deepen the understanding between two countries.

Related Articles

• Timber-product exporters sign $3b deals
• Market moves up sharply
• Assoc insists on power price hike despite protests
• Cashew traders yet to embrace trading center system
• Thousands await relocation

Vietnam down Iran, go top

Vietnam downed Iran 2-0 to go two points clear in the AFC U-19 Women’s Championship second round qualifiers standings while Thailand and Uzbekistan played a 2-2 draw on Monday.

Vietnam, who defeated Uzbekistan 3-0 in their opener, went ahead in the eighth minute through Nguyen Thi Lieu and Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung doubled the advantage six minutes after the half hour mark. Maryam Rahimi pulled one back for Iran a minute before the final whistle.

Vietnam are now on six points after two games, two more than Thailand and Uzbekistan. Chinese Taipei are on three points while Iran are yet to open their account.

Taneekarn Dangda’s 28th-minute opener for Thailand was cancelled out by Feruza Turdiboeva at the stroke of half time. Pajaree Thaoto once again put Thailand ahead three minutes after the hour mark but Selime Gugueva made it 2-2 three minutes later.

Thailand will face Iran while Vietnam will meet Chinese Taipei on Thursday.

The second round features teams ranked 6-8 from the previous competition, along with the first-round group winners, for a total of five countries.

After a single round-robin, the top team will qualify for the tournament proper.

Top five teams from the last edition - Japan, Korea Republic, DPR Korea, China and Australia – have been given a direct entry into the Finals.

The six-team Finals will have a one-round league format to determine the champions.

Source: Asian Football

Related Articles

• Vietnam down Iran, go top
• Weightlifter grabs Vietnam’s first Olympic gold at Youth Games
• Timeout with a good book
• Saigon-Hanoi charity caravan heads north
• National Assembly Chairman places top priority on Lao ties

Vietnam U19 through, Myanmar exit from U-21 tournament

Vietnam U21 players celebrate their goal during their Thanh Nien Newspaper Cup football match against Singapore U21 in HCMC on Monday - Photo: Ba Chau

HCMC – Vietnam U19 beat Singapore U21 2-1 in their first game of the fourth International U-21 Football Tournament  2010, also called Thanh Nien Newspaper Cup, while Thailand thrashed Myanmar 4-0 in the earlier game at HCMC’s Thong Nhat Stadium on Monday.

A still scoreless Vietnam suffered a shock blow when The Son scored an own goal in the 38th minute. They regained composure quickly to dominate play but took 47 nailbiting minutes to equalize.

Quoc Phuong leveled for the Vietnamese team in the 85th minute and Van Thanh finalized the game at 2-1 just two minutes later, giving his team the important victory in the group stage of the competition.

With the victory, Vietnam U19 secured top of Group B with three points and secured the first semifinals ticket. Singapore U21, who tied 1-1 with Malaysia U21 in their opener on Saturday, and Malaysia U21 have one point each.

The second Group B’s semifinals ticket will be decided on Wednesday when Vietnam U19 play Malaysia U21. The Vietnamese still go through win or lose.

Earlier, Thailand U21 crushed their counterparts from Myanmar 4-0. The Thai side controlled the game and Sokjoho and Hongthong scored two goals each for their team.

Thailand U21 and Vietnam U21 have three points from their first win but the Vietnamese side rank first of Group A thanks to the goal difference while  Myanmar exited from the annual tournament after suffering two losses. The Myanmar side lost 1-5 to Vietnam U21 in the opening game on Saturday. 

Vietnam will play archrivals Thailand in their final game to decide the leaders of Group A on Wednesday and the two teams only need a draw to advance to the semifinal round.

On Wednesday, Vietnam U19 will take on Malaysia U21 in the final Group B match at 3:30 p.m. and Vietnam U21 will play Thailand U21 in their final game in Group B at 6:00 p.m.

The International U.21 Football Tournament, at HCMC’s Thong Nhat Stadium from October 23-31, drew four foreign U21 squads from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar together with Vietnam’s U21 and U19 teams.

The six teams play in round-robin format in two groups with the top two teams from each advancing to the semifinals. Group A comprises Vietnam U21, Myanmar U21 and Thailand U21 while Vietnam U19 are in Group B with Singapore U21 and Malaysia U21. 

The annual football event, which is sponsored by the Thanh Nien newspaper, is considered a key part of developing youth football talent in the country.

Related Articles

• Vietnam U19 through, Myanmar exit from U-21 tournament
• Vietnam Air accepts web check-in for int’l flights
• Ford rewards employee’s technician skills in contest
• Weightlifter grabs Vietnam’s first Olympic gold at Youth Games
• Vietnam down Iran, go top

Vietnam U19 through, Myanmar exit from U-21 tournament

Vietnam U21 players celebrate their goal during their Thanh Nien Newspaper Cup football match against Singapore U21 in HCMC on Monday - Photo: Ba Chau

HCMC – Vietnam U19 beat Singapore U21 2-1 in their first game of the fourth International U-21 Football Tournament  2010, also called Thanh Nien Newspaper Cup, while Thailand thrashed Myanmar 4-0 in the earlier game at HCMC’s Thong Nhat Stadium on Monday.

A still scoreless Vietnam suffered a shock blow when The Son scored an own goal in the 38th minute. They regained composure quickly to dominate play but took 47 nailbiting minutes to equalize.

Quoc Phuong leveled for the Vietnamese team in the 85th minute and Van Thanh finalized the game at 2-1 just two minutes later, giving his team the important victory in the group stage of the competition.

With the victory, Vietnam U19 secured top of Group B with three points and secured the first semifinals ticket. Singapore U21, who tied 1-1 with Malaysia U21 in their opener on Saturday, and Malaysia U21 have one point each.

The second Group B’s semifinals ticket will be decided on Wednesday when Vietnam U19 play Malaysia U21. The Vietnamese still go through win or lose.

Earlier, Thailand U21 crushed their counterparts from Myanmar 4-0. The Thai side controlled the game and Sokjoho and Hongthong scored two goals each for their team.

Thailand U21 and Vietnam U21 have three points from their first win but the Vietnamese side rank first of Group A thanks to the goal difference while  Myanmar exited from the annual tournament after suffering two losses. The Myanmar side lost 1-5 to Vietnam U21 in the opening game on Saturday. 

Vietnam will play archrivals Thailand in their final game to decide the leaders of Group A on Wednesday and the two teams only need a draw to advance to the semifinal round.

On Wednesday, Vietnam U19 will take on Malaysia U21 in the final Group B match at 3:30 p.m. and Vietnam U21 will play Thailand U21 in their final game in Group B at 6:00 p.m.

The International U.21 Football Tournament, at HCMC’s Thong Nhat Stadium from October 23-31, drew four foreign U21 squads from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar together with Vietnam’s U21 and U19 teams.

The six teams play in round-robin format in two groups with the top two teams from each advancing to the semifinals. Group A comprises Vietnam U21, Myanmar U21 and Thailand U21 while Vietnam U19 are in Group B with Singapore U21 and Malaysia U21. 

The annual football event, which is sponsored by the Thanh Nien newspaper, is considered a key part of developing youth football talent in the country.

Related Articles

• Vietnam U19 through, Myanmar exit from U-21 tournament
• Vietnam Air accepts web check-in for int’l flights
• Ford rewards employee’s technician skills in contest
• Weightlifter grabs Vietnam’s first Olympic gold at Youth Games
• Vietnam down Iran, go top

Paul the 'psychic' World Cup octopus dies: aquarium

Photo: AFP

Paul the octopus, who shot to fame during this year's football World Cup in South Africa for correctly predicting the outcome of games, has died, his aquarium in Germany said Tuesday.

"Management and staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Center were devastated to discover that oracle octopus Paul, who achieved global renown during the recent World Cup, had passed away overnight," the aquarium said in a somber statement.

“His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself,” www.rte.ie quoted Stefan Porwoll, manager of the center in Germany, as saying.

Paul predicted the winners of all Germany's World Cup clashes, and then of the final by selecting one of two boxes, each loaded with a mussel food treat and marked on the outside with one of the teams.

Staff at the center said his death was not entirely unexpected, since common octopuses generally only live a couple of years.

“We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine,” according to the website.

Related Articles

• Green cars begin world race
• Visit hell then heaven
• IFC: Vietnam needs to increase PPP to support economy
• Int’l arrivals in city take on faster track in Oct
• Weightlifter grabs Vietnam’s first Olympic gold at Youth Games