New season of the V-League to kick off in January

Defending champions Ha Noi T&T will meet Hoa Phat Ha Noi in the opening match of the V-League on January 22.

The new season will see 14 teams competing for a cash-prize of VND3 billion (US$150,000) in the national championship.

The most anticipated match of the first round will see 2008 champions Da Nang battling it out against two-time champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai at Chi Lang Stadium.

Yesterday, Eximbank officially signed a 3-year sponsorship deal with the national V-League worth a total of VND90 billion ($4.5million).

The Viet Nam Football Federation said it would officially announce that cable TV provider Audio Visual Global (AVG) won the exclusive television rights to the V-League in a ceremony on Saturday.

Disciplines named for 2014 SEA Games

Karate had been included on the schedule for the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea in 2014, announced Vu Son Ha, head of the national sports administration's karate department.

The martial art and cricket were the last two sports to be selected by the Olympic Council of Asia after a meeting in Oman on Tuesday.

The Incheon Asian Games Organising Committee plans to host 35 sports, including 28 Olympic sports as well as baseball, bowling, kabaddi, sepak takraw, soft ball and wushu.

The national sports administration also selected karate as one of 10 key sports that would receive special investment as part of a 2011-20 strategy.

Capital's fencers take golds at SEA Champs

Young Hanoian fencers have bagged six golds at the on-going Southeast Asian Youth Fencing Championships in Brunei.

Nguyen Thanh Van clinched a gold medal in the women's individual epee, while Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan added another in the sabre.

Le Thi Bich and Nguyen Tien Nhat also took golds in the women's foil and men's sabre late on Tuesday.

There was more success for Viet Nam in the team events, with the men's team winning the sabre and the women taking the epee gold. — VNS

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Vietnam confident ahead of showdown with Malaysia

HCMC – The Vietnamese national football team is confident ahead of the first leg semifinals game against Malaysia in the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Malaysia on Wednesday though many key team members won’t be playing.

Head coach Henrique Calisto said he was pleased with his players for securing the semifinals berth and believed they would beat Malaysia.

Calisto told the media that injuries had forced his team to make many important changes with Nguyen Huy Hoang, Nguyen Minh Chau and Tran Dinh Dong making their debut in the game.

Veteran player, Hoang will replace halfback Huynh Quang Thanh, who suffered an ankle injury in the match against Singapore, while Tran Dinh Dong will replace Doan Viet Cuong and Nguyen Minh Chau will replace Phan Van Tai Em.

Defender Doan Viet Cuong and midfielder Phan Van Tai Em remained doubtful for the game in Malaysia as neither player could train on Sunday. Viet Cuong, who showed a good performance against Singapore despite being injured, has still to fully recover while his teammate Tai Em is also suffering from a knee injury.

Vietnam also lost midfielder Nguyen Trong Hoang, who played well in the qualifying round in Vietnam. Hoang has been suspended after being given a red card in the game against Singapore last Wednesday.

However, striker Nguyen Viet Thang, who has recovered from an injury, may be returning to join strikers Nguyen Anh Duc and Le Sy Manh. Thang, a first-choice striker of head coach Calisto, was not on the list made at the beginning of the tournament.

The Portuguese coach remains optimistic about the fitness of goal keeper Bui Tan Truong, midfielders Nguyen Vu Phong and Pham Thanh Luong, captain Nguyen Minh Phuong who all played well in the qualifying round.

The Vietnamese side reached the semifinals as they finished as Group B leaders with six points ahead of runners-up Philippines, who collected five points. Vietnam crushed Myanmar 7-1 in the opener, and then lost 0-2 to Philippines and had a 1-0 win over archrivals Singapore in their final group stage game. 

Meanwhile, hosts Indonesia came through the group stage unbeaten to top Group A while Malaysia were the runners-up in the group. Malaysia earned four points   after losing 1-5 to Indonesia, drawing 0-0 with Thailand and earning 5-1 win over Laos in their group stage.

The 2010 ASEAN Football Federation Cup, also called AFF Suzuki Cup 2010, is co-hosted by Vietnam and Indonesia and attended by eight countries in the region - Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos.

The semifinals are set for December 15, 16, 28 and 19 on a home and away basis. The two legs for the finals will be on December 26 and 29 also on a home and away basis.

The other semi-final between host Indonesia and the Philippines will be played on Thursday and Sunday at the Geloga Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

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• Culture Vulture

Better nude than rude = more goals, less clothes

À la sexy Larissa Riquelme and stocky Diego Maradona, Vietnamese teens have promised to strip naked if their team win the Suzuki Cup 2010.

Vietnam did win the Cup two years ago but back then, little skins were shown. However, it is more promising this time.

This picture was taken at a major street in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Thanh District on December 2 when Vietnam crushed Myanmar 7-1. The girl is so sublime.

Celebrating teens threw all-night parties, no-holds-barred boozes, partook in fast-and-furious motorbike racing while fluttering our dear national flags. Shouting wildly, flashing multi-colored robes, lingerie, teasing friends, raving, ranting, they turned to stripping.

If Vietnam continue their winning streak, they announced they would remove their troublesome trousers. And in case Viet take the Cup, they would bare it all.

It would be a feast for the eyes. Prepare to be popped.

It is rude not to show true sportsmanstrip and as certain fans know, it’s better nude than rude.

God bless Vietnam! May our team win!

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War memorabilia goes on display in Hanoi

Many never return from war. Through keepsakes and photographs, however, it is possible to keep their memory alive.

On display are 1,033 personal possessions and war memorabilia selected from 11,000 items donated over the last three years.

The
museum's campaign, launched in July 2008, received the support of
surviving war veterans and martyrs' relatives. US veterans and their
families also donated precious keepsakes in response to the appeal.

Major-General
Le Ma Luong, the museum's former director, said it is vital to preserve
the memories of those who lost their lives in Vietnam's various war so
that younger generations can fully appreciate the great sacrifice made
by their forebearsfor the country’s.

General Vo Nguyen Giap was
the first person to respond to the museum's appeal, donating many of his
most precious war memorabilia.

Memorabilia from the French and
American wars was donated by martyrs' relatives and veterans themselves
such as former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu, General Pham Van
Tra and Colonel Nguyen Van Ich. Their private letters to their relatives
are also on display.

Former American serviceman Henry Prunier,
86, donated 200 documents, pictures and videos to the collection – the
largest contribution by a foreign veteran. Prunier was a member of the
US intelligence Deer Team, who answered Ho Chi Minh's call to join the
war against the Japanese in Tan Trao in northern Tuyen Quang province in
1945.

Even though the personal belongings are intrinsically of
little value, visitors to the exhibition will be able to understand more
fully what the dead and their surviving relatives had to endure . One
such item is the bicycle belonging to Lang Si Thuy.

Thuy was
injured in battle and sent to a military hospital in central Thanh Hoa
province. Even before the young soldier's wounds had healed he begged to
be allowed to rejoin his comrades at the front in Quang Tri, where the
battle was very fierce. Despite doctors' objection, he discharged
himself from hospital and borrowed his sister the bicycle, which he
pedalled 450km to Quang Tri to be with his companions. He left the
bicycle at a local woman's house in Vinh Linh district and told her he
would come back to collect it after the war. If he was killed, he told
the woman, his sister would collect the bicycle for him, and he left his
sister's name and address. His sister later collected the bicycle on
her dead brother's behalf.

Accounts such as these have been published in two books by Cong An Nhan Dan (Pubic Security) Publishing House.

The
exhibition organisers – the Museum of Military History and Tien Phong
(Vanguard) newspaper under sponsorship of North Asia Bank – will also be
granting prizes to the winners of the War Memorabilia Writing Contest
launched by Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's Army) newspaper that has been
running since April.

The exhibition's closing ceremony on December 19 will be broadcast live on VTV1./.

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Swimmer tastes freestyle gold at Asdian Para Games

Swimmer Vo Thanh Tung clocked a time in 35.56sec to win a gold in the
men's 50m freestyle at the Asian ParaGames for disabled athletes in
Guangzhou, China, on Dec. 14.

Tung, 25, was faster than Siga
Tamery from Malaysia, who came in second with 38.68sec, and Kaewkham
Voravit of Thailand, in third with 39.93sec at Aoti Aquatics Centre.

It's the first gold for Vietnam in the second day of competition.

Tung competes in the 50m butterfly on Dec . 15 and 100m freestyle on Dec. 16.

Earlier,
Nguyen Anh Tuan only managed a bronze medal in the men's long jump with
a 5.33m leap, 63cm behind gold medallist China's Li Duan.

Thailand's Punthong Jakkit grabbed the silver with 5.38m.

On Dec 13, weightlifter Nguyen Thi Hong bagged a bronze medal in the women's weightlifting.

ietnam team now ranks in 10th place in the medal tally.

At
the send-off ceremony in Hanoi, sponsors announced they would provide
cash awards of 20 million VND (1,000 USD) to gold medal winners, in
addition to a 25 million VND(1,200 USD) award from the Government./.

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Malaysia look to beat Vietnam 2-0 today

Malaysian national football team at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010

Photo: AFF

Malaysian experts and press are looking forward a 2-0 win over Vietnam today in the Suzuki Cup 2010’s first-leg semifinal before arriving at Hanoi to play the second-leg match.

But their former coach Wan Hassan, who used to lead Malaysia to the final at the AFF Cup 1996, admitted it was very hard to defeat Vietnam.

However, “it’s not impossible. We used to win them 1-0 in the opening match at the Sea Games in Jakarta in 1997.”

He advised Malaysia’s coach Krishnasamy Rajagobal to press in on the Vietnamese players, allowing them little space in between so as to frustrate their tactics.

“A 2-0 victory over Vietnam will offer Malaysia big advantage in Hanoi,” said Rajagobal. “However, we'll be careful and try to keep a clean score sheet because Vietnam desire to score.”

Rajagobal is worried his players are not experienced enough.

“Only ten out of 23 players who used to compete in Sea Games 25 are serving the team [Malaysia] while the rest here are around 19 or 20 years old and they need more experience.”

Malaysian media predicted a tough game for their side.

“I think the game may end in a draw,” said correspondent Harris Rajadin from Berita Harian. “Vietnam are strong and they eliminated Singapore with a single goal, set up just after only two passes.”

Correspondent Sayed Ismail from TV3 TV Channel forecast Malaysia have a 70 percent chance of winning the game.

“It is very difficult to defeat Vietnam, but I think Rajagobal will have good tactics,” said The Star Online’s correspondent Eric Samuel.

Devidner Singh from New Straits Times is confident Malaysians will win because “they are in Kuala Lumpur, not in Hanoi. I guess Malaysia will win 1-0.”

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Vietnam wary of Malaysian coach’s praise

Malaysia's coach Krishnasamy Rajagobal

Vietnamese players have said they will not be lulled into complacency by the Malaysian coach’s claim Vietnam will easily beat his team in the first-leg of the Suzuki Cup semifinal in Kuala Lumpur today.

Krishnasamy Rajagobal had said earlier Vietnam will sail into the final.

“I am impressed with… his skills in controlling the match, making precise passes, and hitting dangerous free kicks,” he had said of the Vietnamese captain Minh Phuong.

Phuong shrugged off the compliment saying he is not a star and just wants to do his best for the team.

Midfielder Vu Phong is wary of the sweet talk.

“I have a feeling that Malaysia is selling us a dummy, especially with its coach paying us such compliments,” he said while thanking Rajagobal for his kind words.

He would never underestimate Malaysia, he said.

“If we show respect to the opposition, it is easy for us to achieve good results.”

“We will try our hardest to beat Malaysia,” he added when Vietnamese fans are heading for Malaysia in huge numbers to watch the match.

Another team member said: “It is not easy to conquer Malaysia’s young players. They are strong and have nothing to lose. Therefore, if we underestimate them, we will pay the price.”

Calisto is wary of a team that stole the gold medal from Vietnam at the Sea Games two years ago.

Rajagobal: We qualified from group A without some key players. Fortunately, they have fully recovered from injuries for the semifinals. We are determined to beat Vietnam 1-0 or 2-0 to take an advantage into the second-leg in My Dinh. "We will do our best for a berth in the final," he added. Calisto: “We will not play for a draw against Malaysia because it is very dangerous to play that way. They have young players who are clever at controlling the game, especially forwards Fadee and Talaha. I don’t have many choices because of the absence of four key players with injury. If we want to get a good result, we should always be in full command.”

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