HCM City plan to set pancake record

A national record for the largest “banh xeo”, or savoury rice pancake,
will be set at the Taste of the World Culinary Festival to be held in
HCM City later this month.

It will be larger than 1.2m
across, La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the city Department of
Culture, Sports and Tourism, said without specifying its size.

One of the dishes voted into the " HCM City – 100 Interesting
Things" programme, this southern specialty is made from flour, turmeric
powder, coconut milk, slivers of fatty pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts.

It is a popular dish served in many restaurants in the city's downtown area.

"The organisers plan to have the 10 best dishes listed in ‘ HCM City
– 100 interesting things' to be served at the festival," Khanh said
in a press conference on Dec.7.

Taste of the World
Culinary Festival, to be held at the September 23rd Park from December
26 to January 2, will feature 60 city restaurants that offer cuisines
from 24 countries.

"It will be the first time the festival will last eight days," Khanh said.

The organisers will have volunteers who can speak English introducing Vietnamese food and culture to foreigners, he added.

The festival will open with a colourful, multi-cultural parade through
Pham Ngu Lao, Do Quang Dau and Le Lai Streets on December 26.

The World Food Culture Centre of the Republic of Korea will take
part in the festival to promote Korean food, art and music, Khanh said.

Besides all the food on show, there will also be a bartending performance.

There will be traditional dances from the Republic of Korea ,
Russia , Germany , while the host country will showcase pastoral
harmonies and folk melodies through performances titled Dan Ca Ba Mien
(Folk Songs of Three Regions), and Am Thuc Muon Mau (Multicolour
Gastronomy).

Visitors will have a chance to feast their
eyes on a montage created from pictures of the Vietnamese “ao ba ba”
(loose-fitting blouse worn in the south) and ao dai (traditional long
dress), the Korean hanbok, and the Japanese kimono.

From 7pm to 9pm on December 31, visitors will get discounts during the "Golden Hours" at the end of the year.

A music show will count down the New Year.

The festival will be organised by the Department of Culture, Sports and
Tourism, the HCM City Tourism Association, and Youth Advertising Joint
Stock Company.

The organisers expect around 5,000 visitors to attend the festival./.

Related Articles

• NA Committee debates Law on Denunciations
• Local firm expands BreadTalk-franchised store chain
• VN approaches target of all rural households getting access to power
• Gov’t orders check on Guang Lian steel project
• Visit hell then heaven

Nguyen, Hue to swim at world championships

HA NOI – Vo Thai Nguyen and Pham Thi Hue will represent Viet Nam at the World Swimming Championships in Dubai from December 15-19.

Nguyen, who was the only Vietnamese athlete to qualify for a final at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, last month, will compete in the men's 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly events.

His teammate, 16-year-old Hue, will participate in the women's 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke events.

The athletes will depart for Dubai on Friday.

The competetion will take place in the spectacular new Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex, the first time a FINA World Swimming Championships has been held in the Middle East.

The Championships are set to be the biggest in FINA's history, with more than 700 of the world's best athletes from over 139 countries visiting to Dubai to take part in five days of top-class racing.

Among the world's best swimmers set to take part in the tournament are Geoff Huegill and Leisel Jones of Australia, Ryan Lochte and Rebecca Soni from the USA, China's Liu Zige, Alain Bernard of France, Italy's Federica Pellegrini and Japan's Ryosuke Irie. – VNS

Related Articles

• Young stars raise profile of Vietnam chess
• Tiger Woods and wife divorce after sex scandal
• Visit hell then heaven
• Wozniacki cruises to win at Montreal Cup
• Nadal installed as top seed for US Open

VN beat Singapore 1-0 in AFF quarters

Running wild: Vietnamese midfielder Quang Thanh (left) wins the ball in Viet Nam's AFF Cup quarter-final match against Singapore yesterday. Vu Phong scored the only goal of the game, putting the home side and defending champions through to the next round. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI — Ten-man Viet Nam defeated Singapore 1-0 to go through to the semi-finals of the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup yesterday at Ha Noi's My Dinh Stadium.

Millions of Vietnamese flooded the streets of the city to celebrate the victory. If Viet Nam had drawn with Singapore, they would have failed to qualify for the next round and Singapore would have gone through instead.

Nguyen Vu Phong scored the only goal of the game with a gentle tap past goal keeper Hassan in the 32nd minute of the match. Phong's goal followed a three-pass combination started by midfielder Nguyen Trong Hoang and which took in diminutive Thanh Luong.

"My players have played very well in all of their matches, not only today's. Whenever they have had a chance to attack they attacked, and they also defended very well," said Viet Nam's manager Henrique Calisto.

"Today, Viet Nam created many chances and one was turned into a goal but we lost control of the game when Trong Hoang was sent off [in the 63rd minute]. That forced me to replace talented Thanh Luong with a defender and Viet Cuong was sidelined because of injury," Calisto said.

"I have to thank the fans for their great support, which was important to raising my players' spirits in a difficult situation," he added.

The Portuguese coach also praised left defender Cuong, who asked to continue playing despite being injured in the first half.

Most of Singapore's players dropped to the ground when the final whistle came, having missed out on several opportunities to level the match.

"My players tried their best but we were unlucky today. We had enough chances during the game and I am disappointed they did not get a goal," said Singapore's coach Radojko Avramovic.

"Meanwhile their failed corner kick was the start of the Vietnamese counter-attack, from which they scored."

The Serbian coach wished Viet Nam good luck at the end of the match, but criticised some of the refereeing.

"My goalkeeper was given a yellow card [for time wasting] when he was simply considering his options. Meanwhile, Vietnamese players who tried to waste time received nothing," he said.

Calisto meanwhile said Singapore's elimination from the tournament was a pity because they were a good team.

When asked about Malaysia, who Viet Nam will meet in the semis, Calisto would not be drawn, and said simply he wanted to savour the quarter-final victory.

The other semi-final will see the Philippines, who for the first time have qualified for the knock-out stages of the competition, will play Indonesia, who sent title favourites Thailand packing on Tuesday with a 2-0 victory at home.

The first leg of the semi-finals will take place on December 15-16. The second leg will be three days later.

Vietnamese players have been promised a bonus of VND7 billion (US$350,000) if they successfully defend their title. — VNS

Related Articles

• Tevez on target as Man City beat Liverpool 3-0
• Viet Nam and China sign pack on human trafficking
• Food promotions at Grand and First hotels
• NA Committee debates Law on Denunciations
• Prime Minister discusses relations, co-operation with Lao counterpart

Malaysia through, Thailand exit from AFF cup

(L-R) Indonesia's Ahmad Bustomi, Bambang Pamungkas and Irfan Haarys Bachdim celebrate after beating Thailand during their qualifying round soccer match at the 2010 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup soccer tournament in Jakarta on Tuesday - Photo: Reuters

HCMC – 2008 runners-up Thailand ended their campaign at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 after losing 1-2 to hosts Indonesia in Jakarta on Tuesday while Malaysia secured another semifinal’s ticket as they crushed Laos 5-1.

It was the biggest surprise after the favorite Thailand dropped out of the tournament though the Thais joined the tournament aiming for their fourth AFF title.

The match between Indonesia and their bitter rivals Thailand attracted much attention from the public. The Thai side wanted a victory to qualify for the semifinals in the make-or-break match while the hosts, who had already took the semifinals berth as the group leader, showed a great determination to win the game.

The hosts started the game without midfielder Firman Utina in their lineups and Thailand began the game with strongest players, including midfielder Thonglao and strikers Dangda and Kirati. 

The visiting team dominated the game from the first minutes and they placed more pressure on their opponents aiming to open the score while the Indonesian players played defensively and relied on rare counter attacks.

With strong attacks, Thai players created some scoring chances in the first half but their players lost all the chances, leaving the score at 0-0 upon the referee’s whistle at the end of the half.

After the break, Thailand continuously organized more attacks on Indonesian defending lines but the Thais had to wait until the 68th minute when Suree Sukha opened for his team with a superb kick from inside the box. 

However, two late goals by veteran Bampang Pamungkas destroyed a victory for three-time champions Thailand. Substitution Bampang made no mistake in two penalty kicks in the 80th and 88th minutes to seal Indonesia’s third win from as many matches.

Meanwhile, both Malaysia and Laos began the game quickly, Malaysia having a good chance in the first minutes and Mohd Amirulhadi Zainal opened the score for his team just four minutes into the game with a header.

Lamnao Singto leveled for Laos just four minutes later with an unstoppable header before Amri helped the Malaysian side advance in the 41st minute after receiving the ball from Norshahrul from the right wing.

The Malaysian side dominated throughout the second, substitution Bin Zainal restoring the lead in the 74th minute and Bin Talaha netting for Malaysia just three minutes later before Bin Jasuli finalized the game at 5-1 in the 90th minute.     

With the victory, Malaysia went through to the semifinals as the group runners-up, five points behind leaders Indonesia. Third-placed Thailand had two points and bottom-placed Laos just had one point.

Group B will be decided on Wednesday when co-hosts Vietnam take on three-time champions Singapore at My Dinh National Stadium at 7:30 p.m. and the Philippines meet Myanmar at Nam Dinh’s Thien Truong Stadium in the same time.

The hosts, who lost 0-2 to Philippines on Sunday, must win to book a place in the semifinals while the Philippines just need a draw with their opponents to guarantee their progress to the last four stage.    

After two games, the Philippines and Singapore have four points each but the Philippines topped the standings of group B thanks to the goal difference. Third-placed Vietnam secured three points from one win and one loss, whereas Myanmar exited from the tournament with two losses.

Related Articles

• Malaysia through, Thailand exit from AFF cup
• Viet Nam and China sign pack on human trafficking
• NA Committee debates Law on Denunciations
• Prime Minister discusses relations, co-operation with Lao counterpart
• Tiger Woods and wife divorce after sex scandal

Malaysia through, Thailand exit from AFF cup

(L-R) Indonesia's Ahmad Bustomi, Bambang Pamungkas and Irfan Haarys Bachdim celebrate after beating Thailand during their qualifying round soccer match at the 2010 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup soccer tournament in Jakarta on Tuesday - Photo: Reuters

HCMC – 2008 runners-up Thailand ended their campaign at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 after losing 1-2 to hosts Indonesia in Jakarta on Tuesday while Malaysia secured another semifinal’s ticket as they crushed Laos 5-1.

It was the biggest surprise after the favorite Thailand dropped out of the tournament though the Thais joined the tournament aiming for their fourth AFF title.

The match between Indonesia and their bitter rivals Thailand attracted much attention from the public. The Thai side wanted a victory to qualify for the semifinals in the make-or-break match while the hosts, who had already took the semifinals berth as the group leader, showed a great determination to win the game.

The hosts started the game without midfielder Firman Utina in their lineups and Thailand began the game with strongest players, including midfielder Thonglao and strikers Dangda and Kirati. 

The visiting team dominated the game from the first minutes and they placed more pressure on their opponents aiming to open the score while the Indonesian players played defensively and relied on rare counter attacks.

With strong attacks, Thai players created some scoring chances in the first half but their players lost all the chances, leaving the score at 0-0 upon the referee’s whistle at the end of the half.

After the break, Thailand continuously organized more attacks on Indonesian defending lines but the Thais had to wait until the 68th minute when Suree Sukha opened for his team with a superb kick from inside the box. 

However, two late goals by veteran Bampang Pamungkas destroyed a victory for three-time champions Thailand. Substitution Bampang made no mistake in two penalty kicks in the 80th and 88th minutes to seal Indonesia’s third win from as many matches.

Meanwhile, both Malaysia and Laos began the game quickly, Malaysia having a good chance in the first minutes and Mohd Amirulhadi Zainal opened the score for his team just four minutes into the game with a header.

Lamnao Singto leveled for Laos just four minutes later with an unstoppable header before Amri helped the Malaysian side advance in the 41st minute after receiving the ball from Norshahrul from the right wing.

The Malaysian side dominated throughout the second, substitution Bin Zainal restoring the lead in the 74th minute and Bin Talaha netting for Malaysia just three minutes later before Bin Jasuli finalized the game at 5-1 in the 90th minute.     

With the victory, Malaysia went through to the semifinals as the group runners-up, five points behind leaders Indonesia. Third-placed Thailand had two points and bottom-placed Laos just had one point.

Group B will be decided on Wednesday when co-hosts Vietnam take on three-time champions Singapore at My Dinh National Stadium at 7:30 p.m. and the Philippines meet Myanmar at Nam Dinh’s Thien Truong Stadium in the same time.

The hosts, who lost 0-2 to Philippines on Sunday, must win to book a place in the semifinals while the Philippines just need a draw with their opponents to guarantee their progress to the last four stage.    

After two games, the Philippines and Singapore have four points each but the Philippines topped the standings of group B thanks to the goal difference. Third-placed Vietnam secured three points from one win and one loss, whereas Myanmar exited from the tournament with two losses.

Related Articles

• Malaysia through, Thailand exit from AFF cup
• Viet Nam and China sign pack on human trafficking
• NA Committee debates Law on Denunciations
• Prime Minister discusses relations, co-operation with Lao counterpart
• Tiger Woods and wife divorce after sex scandal

Malaysia through, Thailand exit from AFF cup

(L-R) Indonesia's Ahmad Bustomi, Bambang Pamungkas and Irfan Haarys Bachdim celebrate after beating Thailand during their qualifying round soccer match at the 2010 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup soccer tournament in Jakarta on Tuesday - Photo: Reuters

HCMC – 2008 runners-up Thailand ended their campaign at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 after losing 1-2 to hosts Indonesia in Jakarta on Tuesday while Malaysia secured another semifinal’s ticket as they crushed Laos 5-1.

It was the biggest surprise after the favorite Thailand dropped out of the tournament though the Thais joined the tournament aiming for their fourth AFF title.

The match between Indonesia and their bitter rivals Thailand attracted much attention from the public. The Thai side wanted a victory to qualify for the semifinals in the make-or-break match while the hosts, who had already took the semifinals berth as the group leader, showed a great determination to win the game.

The hosts started the game without midfielder Firman Utina in their lineups and Thailand began the game with strongest players, including midfielder Thonglao and strikers Dangda and Kirati. 

The visiting team dominated the game from the first minutes and they placed more pressure on their opponents aiming to open the score while the Indonesian players played defensively and relied on rare counter attacks.

With strong attacks, Thai players created some scoring chances in the first half but their players lost all the chances, leaving the score at 0-0 upon the referee’s whistle at the end of the half.

After the break, Thailand continuously organized more attacks on Indonesian defending lines but the Thais had to wait until the 68th minute when Suree Sukha opened for his team with a superb kick from inside the box. 

However, two late goals by veteran Bampang Pamungkas destroyed a victory for three-time champions Thailand. Substitution Bampang made no mistake in two penalty kicks in the 80th and 88th minutes to seal Indonesia’s third win from as many matches.

Meanwhile, both Malaysia and Laos began the game quickly, Malaysia having a good chance in the first minutes and Mohd Amirulhadi Zainal opened the score for his team just four minutes into the game with a header.

Lamnao Singto leveled for Laos just four minutes later with an unstoppable header before Amri helped the Malaysian side advance in the 41st minute after receiving the ball from Norshahrul from the right wing.

The Malaysian side dominated throughout the second, substitution Bin Zainal restoring the lead in the 74th minute and Bin Talaha netting for Malaysia just three minutes later before Bin Jasuli finalized the game at 5-1 in the 90th minute.     

With the victory, Malaysia went through to the semifinals as the group runners-up, five points behind leaders Indonesia. Third-placed Thailand had two points and bottom-placed Laos just had one point.

Group B will be decided on Wednesday when co-hosts Vietnam take on three-time champions Singapore at My Dinh National Stadium at 7:30 p.m. and the Philippines meet Myanmar at Nam Dinh’s Thien Truong Stadium in the same time.

The hosts, who lost 0-2 to Philippines on Sunday, must win to book a place in the semifinals while the Philippines just need a draw with their opponents to guarantee their progress to the last four stage.    

After two games, the Philippines and Singapore have four points each but the Philippines topped the standings of group B thanks to the goal difference. Third-placed Vietnam secured three points from one win and one loss, whereas Myanmar exited from the tournament with two losses.

Related Articles

• Malaysia through, Thailand exit from AFF cup
• Viet Nam and China sign pack on human trafficking
• NA Committee debates Law on Denunciations
• Prime Minister discusses relations, co-operation with Lao counterpart
• Tiger Woods and wife divorce after sex scandal

Beach games open in Oman

HA NOI – The second Asian Beach Games started in Oman this morning with more than 2,000 athletes and coaches from 45 countries and territories participating.

The country's first multi-sport continental sports extravaganza in the capital, Muscat, is part of its 40th National Day celebrations.

International Olympic Committee, IOC, Chairman Jacques Rogge and Olympic Council Asia, OCA, Chairman Shaikh Ahmed al Fahad al Sabah were among the dignitaries, including sports men and women, who attended the opening in the purpose-built Al Musannah Sports City.

"It's the first Asian Beach Games held in Oman – the second overall – and the first major games in which Oman is involved," said IOC member and OCA deputy chairman Habib Macki.

But these games were also different because of the variety of sports that had been added to volleyball, football and basketball, he said.

Games such as woodball, beach kabaddi and sepak takraw would be introduced to Oman and in the region.

The athletes will compete in 12 beach sports.

HCM City Sports and Physical Training College principle Lam Quang Thanh leads the 14-strong Viet Nam team which will contest seven events.

The team pocketed two gold, five silver and three bronze medals and was ranked eighth of 42 at the last games has set a target of one to two gold medals this time.

Success will put them in the top ten.

Bodybuilders Pham Van Mach and Nguyen Van Lam are favoured to meet the challenge.

World champion Mach won silver in the men's 55kg class last Games and Lam is defending men's 65kg champion.

The women's sepak takraw team, which will compete in a round-robin format of five teams including tough Thailand, is also a chance.

The games end on Thursday, December 16.

The biannual Games were first held in Bali, Indonesia in October 2008 and Haiyang, China, will host the next. – VNS

Related Articles

• Blue seas and unspoiled beaches
• Woman gets life for selling state-owned $13 mln mansion
• For Children’s Sake
• Vietnam On A Shoestring
• Mothers share sorrow of war