Swimmers excel, records fall

Going swimmingly: Da Nang-born swimmer Hoang Quy Phuoc set two new records at the National Sport Games, helping his team to second place in the swimming. — VNA/VNS Photo

HA NOI — The sixth National Sport Games saw 13 national swimming records set on Sunday on the second day of competition in the central city of Da Nang.

Among the record breakers was teenager Hoang Quy Phuoc, who smashed his own men's 100m record set at the National Swimming Championship last month by nearly two seconds with a time of 50.92sec. Phuoc was also part of the record breaking 4x200m freestyle team.

"These records will motivate me to try my best in training and compete for better results in the future," Phuoc said, with a smile.

Olympian Nguyen Huu Viet also broke his own record in the men's 50m breaststroke, with a time of 28.39sec, over half a second faster than the one he set three months ago.

Other records were set in the men's 200m breaststroke and 400m medley events.

On the women's side, Duong Thi Thom of Quang Ninh Province broke the 200m breaststroke record with a time of 2.21:22. Earlier, Quang Binh Province's Pham Thi Hue triumphed in the 50m breaststroke setting a new record of 32.46. HCM City-born Nguyen Thi Kim Tuyen, who was the youngest Vietnamese swimmer to compete at Guangzhou's Asian Games, marked her presence with a gold medal and a record in the 200m medley.

HCM City are leading the swimming medal tally with three gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Da Nang are in second position, having won two golds, two silvers and one bronze. Quang Binh are third with one gold, one silver and one bronze. — VNS

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Student wins online short film festival

Thinking of You by Vietnamese-American Vu Quang Huy has won the Golden
Heart prize for best film at YxineFF, Vietnam's first online short film
festival.

The chemical biology student from the University of California (UC) also
received prizes for best director and best cinematography at a ceremony
held at HCM City's BHD Cinema Star on Dec. 26.

American student of the UC, Christy Yang won the prize for best actor.

Huy's film, produced in 2009, is a vignette about a quirky flower-shop girl and the elusive "object" of her desire.

He is polishing the script for a movie version of the film he hopes to make in the next two years.

The five-minute version also won the Audience Award at Hidden Genius, a
short film competition sponsored by the Vietnamese-American Arts and
Letters Association.

It has been screened at various festivals like the Vietnamese International Film Festival and San Diego Film Festival.

At the YxineFF, animated film The Journey Unknown by Do Dang Thuong of
HCM City grabbed the best script and best film editing prizes.

The 4-minute-40-second film depicts the journey of an unnamed,
faceless character that jumps out of a book's page through the book that
takes it through heaven, destruction, urbanisation, and war.

Thuong said he actually created the character and background from
paper before resorting to stop motion, an animation technique.

The film is the 23-year-old's first production and was screened at the
Future Shorts Festival, which is organised by the global short film
community, held in Vietnam last year.

The organisers
of YxineFF, the Sai Gon Media Company and local film aficionados, gave
away the Red Heart prize for best film chosen by audiences to L.O.V.E by
Vu Ngoc Phuong, an overseas Vietnamese from the Philippines.

Up in the Tree, directed by Bui Quoc Thang of Hanoi, won the New Heart prize for the film with creative and new ideas.

All the award-wining films can be watched at the festival's website at www.yxineff.com.

The festival, which was launched in May, aims to broaden the
independent film-making community in Vietnam and offer local film-makers
an opportunity to promote their works worldwide.

It
showed 20 films in the Competition category for 10-minute films, 21
films in the Panorama category for 30-minute shorts made in the last
three years, and 12 films made by young directors in the In Focus
category./.

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Swimmers excel, records fall

Going swimmingly: Da Nang-born swimmer Hoang Quy Phuoc set two new records at the National Sport Games, helping his team to second place in the swimming. — VNA/VNS Photo

HA NOI — The sixth National Sport Games saw 13 national swimming records set on Sunday on the second day of competition in the central city of Da Nang.

Among the record breakers was teenager Hoang Quy Phuoc, who smashed his own men's 100m record set at the National Swimming Championship last month by nearly two seconds with a time of 50.92sec. Phuoc was also part of the record breaking 4x200m freestyle team.

"These records will motivate me to try my best in training and compete for better results in the future," Phuoc said, with a smile.

Olympian Nguyen Huu Viet also broke his own record in the men's 50m breaststroke, with a time of 28.39sec, over half a second faster than the one he set three months ago.

Other records were set in the men's 200m breaststroke and 400m medley events.

On the women's side, Duong Thi Thom of Quang Ninh Province broke the 200m breaststroke record with a time of 2.21:22. Earlier, Quang Binh Province's Pham Thi Hue triumphed in the 50m breaststroke setting a new record of 32.46. HCM City-born Nguyen Thi Kim Tuyen, who was the youngest Vietnamese swimmer to compete at Guangzhou's Asian Games, marked her presence with a gold medal and a record in the 200m medley.

HCM City are leading the swimming medal tally with three gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Da Nang are in second position, having won two golds, two silvers and one bronze. Quang Binh are third with one gold, one silver and one bronze. — VNS

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Ha Noi T&T meet Song Lam Nghe An in Super Cup

HA NOI – Defending V-League champions Ha Noi T&T are ready for a tough season opener against Song Lam Nghe An in the Super Cup at Hang Day Stadium next Sunday.

The Hanoian team, who won the premier league in June, will play their long-term rivals and National Cup winners Nghe An in a widely anticipated match before hosting Hoa Phat Ha Noi in the opening game of the national championships on January 22.

T&T boast a string of stars including goalie Duong Hong Son, the 2008 player of the year and captain Brazilian Cristiano Roland as well as maestro Le Hong Minh and Brazil's Cauce Benicio along with attacking midfielder Cao Sy Cuong.

Top striker Le Cong Vinh has yet to recover from a knee injury, but the team welcomes the services of newly-signed left winger Thach Bao Khanh from Thanh Hoa and striker Iuril from the Ukraine.

"We have kept our key players who helped the club clinch the first trophy for a Hanoian team in 12 years. I expect Vinh to be back in action soon," said the club chairman, Nguyen Quoc Hoi.

Team coach Phan Thanh Hung has been watching the 24-year-old Iuril at the on-going Hoa Phat Football tournament before he is due to sign a contract next month.

However, Nghe An are not likely to go down without a fight and are planning on giving Ha Noi T&T a run for their money having just finished an intensive month of pre-season training.

They pose a serious attacking threat with the combination of Raiko Vidovic, Abdulrazak Ekpoki and Mitrovic Dalibor up front.

Nghe An go into the game full of confidence after defeating two-time V-League champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai 1-0 in the National Cup final in August.

They also have the added incentive of winning the Super Cup for a fourth time.

Super Cup glory

The Super Cup winners will receive a VND150 million (US$7,000) cash prize, with the runners-up pocketing VND70 million ($3,300).

Former The Cong, or the Army team won the first Super Cup in 1999. Nghe An took home the cup in 2000, 2001, and 2002. They were finally beaten by Hoang Anh-Gia Lai, who held the title for the next two years.

Binh Duong also grabbed the title twice.

This is the 12th year that the event will be organised by the Tien Phong (Vanguard) Newspaper and the Viet Nam Football Federation. The 584 Group is the cup's sponsors. -- VNS

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Uyen Linh proclaimed “Vietnam Idol 2010”

Tran Nguyen Uyen Linh beat Van Mai Huong in a vote of mobile phone users
to be named ‘Vietnam Idol 2010', in a live televised finale in HCM City
on Dec. 25 night.

In their final performances of the
competition, Uyen Linh sang a duet with diva My Linh while 16-year-old
Huong peformed alongside veteran singing star Hong Nhung.

Uyen
Linh, a 22-year-old graduate of the Academy of Diplomacy, was a comeback
of sorts, as she failed to win enough audience support during the sixth
round of the competition to continue in the competition. But competitor
Anh Khoa withdrew from the competition, allowing her to advance.

On
Saturday night, Uyen Linh also expressed her gratitude to Khoa, saying,
"It's you who gave me the chance to become Vietnam Idol."

Uyen Linh said she would dedicate her upcoming debut album as a "thank you" to all the people who supported her in the contest.

"I
would like to say congratulations to Uyen Linh," said Vietnam Idol
judge Quang Dung. "Not only because young fans became crazy about her,
but also because many older people sympathised with her and voted for
her."./.

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Swimming records fall

HA NOI – The sixth National Sport Games saw 13 national swimming records set on Sunday on the second day of competition in the central city of Da Nang.

Among the record breakers was teenager Hoang Quy Phuoc, who smashed his own men's 100m record set at the National Swimming Championship last month by nearly two seconds with a time of 50.92sec. Phuoc was also part of the record breaking 4x200m freestyle team.

"These records will motivate me to try my best in training and compete for better results in the future," Phuoc said, with a smile.

Olympian Nguyen Huu Viet also broke his own record in the men's 50m breaststroke, with a time of 28.39sec, over half a second faster than the one he set three months ago.

Other records were set in the men's 200m breaststroke and 400m medley events.

On the women's side, Duong Thi Thom of Quang Ninh Province broke the 200m breaststroke record with a time of 2.21:22. Earlier, Quang Binh Province's Pham Thi Hue triumphed in the 50m breaststroke setting a new record of 32.46. HCM City-born Nguyen Thi Kim Tuyen, who was the youngest Vietnamese swimmer to compete at Guangzhou's Asian Games, marked her presence with a gold medal and a record in the 200m medley.

HCM City are leading the swimming medal tally with three gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Da Nang are in second position, having won two golds, two silvers and one bronze. Quang Binh are third with one gold, one silver and one bronze. – VNS

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Sibling walkers set Sports Games records

Simply the best: The opening ceremony of the National Sports Games in Da Nang. — VNA/VNS Photos Ngoc Truong   Walk on by : Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc finishes first in the 20km walk

HA NOI — Walker Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc from Da Nang finished first in the women's 20km walk at the sixth National Sport Games, which kicked off in Da Nang city on Saturday.

She clocked a one hour 40 minute finish to win a gold medal and a new national record, beating Phan Thi Bich Ha from Vinh Phuc, who came in second, and Lai Thi Hoa of Thai Binh, who finished third.

Her younger brother Nguyen Thanh Ngung then added another gold and set up a new record of 1:31.32 in the men's division.

Marathoner Nguyen Dang Duc Bao of Khanh Hoa finished first in the men's marathon with time in 2:31.32, while Pham Thi Hien from Thai Binh came first in the women's event at 2:53.02.

With 29 sports already finished in 20 localities nationwide, Ha Noi continued to dominate the medal tally in the ongoing National Sports Games by claiming top position with 153 golds, 112 silvers and 113 bronzes.

HCM City trailed with 102 golds, 88 silvers and 114 bronzes, while the Military team ranked third with 56 gold, 71 silver and 64 bronze medals.

The Sports Games, which are organised every four years, will close on Friday. — VNS

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