Binh Duong set sights on V-League title

by Tien Thanh

Driven: Becamex Binh Duong's striker Philani (centre) vies for a ball during a V-League match. His team has promised to take back the V-League crown that has escaped them for years. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HCM CITY — Two-time V-League champions Becamex Binh Duong have made their title aspirations for this season clear, revamping the team with some good players and working hard on the training pitch.

The new signings include Brazilian playmaker Leandro de Oliveira from Hai Phong and Nigerian striker Joshep Nwafor. Nwafor will fill the gap left by Brazilian-Vietnamese striker Huynh Kesley Alves who has left for Sai Gon Xuan Thanh.

Binh Duong's Portuguese coach Ricardo Formosinho told Viet Nam News that Leandro and Nwafor would help his team become more balanced than last year.

"We work hard every, thinking about the season and follow the plan we drew up before in order to increase communication and understanding among players and play well in the V-League. Everyday we think of that," said Formosinho, who came to Binh Duong after just one season with Dong Tam Long An.

Asked about the team's 2011 title chances, the Portuguese tactician said: "We will take it game by game and I want our players to be happy day after day." His main job was to convert Binh Duong into a really professional team in Viet Nam, he added.

The advent of Leandro has aroused many people's curiosity about how Formosinho will combine the Brazilian with Vietnamese American Lee Nguyen The Anh. Both are attacking midfielders.

"We are happy we have two very good players, Leandro and Lee Nguyen. It is certain that both of them will play in the same team," he said.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Vu Phong is yet to recover from the injury suffered during the Southeast Asian football championship, but the midfielder said that he was confident he would play in Binh Duong's opening V-League match.

South African striker Philani, who is applying for Vietnamese nationality, believed Binh Duong had a good chance to win back the title this season because of the new players.

"We have many good players but winning back the title would depend on how well we play with each other," said the 32-year-old who has played football in Binh Duong for around five years. — VNS

Related Articles

• Wozniacki cruises to win at Montreal Cup
• Tevez on target as Man City beat Liverpool 3-0
• Big enterprises benefit from tax mechanism
• HCMC begins to think about giving up meat
• Vietnamese teen star to compete in Australian Open

Gia Lai adopt new sponsors

The VP Bank will sponsor V-League's team Hoang Anh Gia Lai in a new one-year contract, the team's spokesman Quoc Anh confirmed yesterday.

Two-time V-League champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai, who have failed to win the premiership since 2004, will play 2008 champions Da Nang in the opener away from home on January 22.

The team is set to face Hoa Phat Ha Noi in the knock-out round of the National Cup in Ha Noi this Sunday.

The Central Highlands team had strengthened the squad with two Thai-born midfielders and a Brazilian striker, who have been granted Vietnamese citizenship.

Gia Lai also play with Croatian striker Mario Mijatovic, who played for Austrian First League Lustenau and Lask Linz, in the new football season.

Former Thai national team member Dusit Chalermsan, 41, will coach the team.

VN coach, referee win golds

Coach Mai Duc Chung and retired referee Do Dinh Hung were awarded with golden campaign medals from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for their contributions to football.

Chung, who has been coaching football for over 30 years, helped the national women's football team win the Southeast Asian Games twice in 2003 and 2005, while Hung,66, had an 18-year career and spent another 14 years working as a national referee instructor.

The AFC also rewarded three other Viet Nam Football Federation officials with silver and bronze campaign medals.

PetroVietnam to train in China

The PetroVietnam table tennis team will spend a month training in China this March, coach Truong Thoi Nhiem announced yesterday.

The Ha Noi-based team, who signed two-time Olympian Doan Kien Quoc for VND500 million (US$26,000) two years ago, will play in the National Table Tennis Championship in Da Nang city in April.

PetroVietnam were the first Vietnamese team to sign Chinese players Kou Lei and Yang Ce at the International Table Tennis Golden Paddle Tournament last year. — VNS

Related Articles

• Painters show works inspired by nature, nostalgia
• Tevez on target as Man City beat Liverpool 3-0
• Big enterprises benefit from tax mechanism
• Intel to fund high-tech computer lab at RMIT
• Tiger Woods and wife divorce after sex scandal

Hung wins HD Bank chess trophy

HA NOI — Viet Nam's Nguyen Mai Hung claimed the top spot at the International Chess Tournament – HD Bank Cup which ended in HCM City on Sunday.

The 17-year-old grandmaster grabbed 4.5 points over the nine rounds. By doing so, she equalled the scores of three other rivals but ended up taking the title because of her better sub-index.

Hung, from Bac Giang Province, had previously won a gold medal at the National Sports Games which helped her to become Viet Nam's No 1 master.

She needs just one standard to become Viet Nam's fifth – and youngest ever– International Female Grandmaster and is expected to earn this at a training course in Hungary this summer.

It was a great tournament for Viet Nam's women with Hung's teammates Pham Le Thao Nguyen and Nguyen Thanh An coming second and third at the HD Bank Cup.

On the men's side, the No 1 seed Le Quang Liem of Viet Nam had a disappointing event, earning fourth place overall with 6.5 points, half a point less than event champion Yu Yangyi of China.

Chinese Wen Yang and Filipino Gomez John Paul were the two runners-up on the men's side of the draw. Liem said he wasn't too worried about his performance here.

"In general, I had a fairly good tourney although I wasted several chances to improve my position. But this is normal in chess. I do not have to worry about my performance here because results at this tournament don't influence my Elo rating," said Liem who ranks 79th in the world.

"In 2011 my target is to reach the rating of 2,700, which is the level for a super International Grandmaster (IGM)," added Liem whose present Elo rating is 2,664.

Other male Vietnamese players failed to make top three. IGM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, the former world U10 champion was at fifth. While Nguyen Anh Dung and Dao Thien Hai suffered losses in early round. — VNS

Related Articles

• Young stars raise profile of Vietnam chess
• Banks scramble for mid-level managers
• Kesley Alves wins Golden Boot award
• VN singer wins top prize at Golden Voice Festival
• Hanoi model wins Miss Vietnam 2010

Most Outstanding Athletes 2010 selected

Japan's Momoko Takahashi (R), Vietnam's Vu Thi Huong (C) and Uzbekistan's Guzel Khubbieva run their women's 100m final at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, Guangdong province last month - Photo: Reuters

HCMC - Track-and-field athlete Vu Thi Huong, the “Queen of Speed” in Southeast Asia, has been selected the Best Athlete of 2010 followed by her teammate Truong Thanh Hang and Asian Games gold medalist Le Bich Phuong.

Vietnamese track-and-field athletes showed some excellent performances at the 16th Asian Games (ASIAD) in Guangzhou, China last month, taking home three silvers and two bronzes. Huong, along with fellow runners Truong Thanh Hang and Vu Van Huyen, were all nominated for Vietnam’s top 10 outstanding athletes.

Vu Thi Huong from the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, who won Best Athlete of 2009, secured the second consecutive title by making history for Vietnam athletics at ASIAD by winning Vietnam’s first ever medal at the games - a bronze medal in the women’s 100m event. She also won a silver in the 200m race.

Huong beat Hang to the title as she picked up 1,213 points, while Hang, who grasped two silver medals in the ASIAD in the women’s 800m and 1500m events, came second with 1,208 points.

Though athlete Le Bich Phuong won the only gold medal for Vietnam at ASIAD in the women’s karate 55kg category, she came third with 1,047 points.

The other winners in the top 10 were the world’s number seven badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh (631 points), track and field athlete Vu Van Huyen (582 points), chess player Le Quang Liem (558 points), weightlifter Thach Kim Tuan (331 points), shooter Ha Minh Thanh (274 points), wrestler Le Thi Lua (257 points), and swimmer Hoang Quy Phuoc (218).

For contributing to the track and field team’s great victory last year, coach Ho Thi Tu Tam from Danang Sports Training Center was voted Coach of the Year 2010 with 463 points, beating Karate head coach Le Cong from the Army team and track and field coach Nguyen Dinh Minh from HCMC, who won second and third places with 395 and 376 points respectively

Meanwhile, shooting coach Nguyen Thi Nhung from the General Department of Sports and Physical Training earned fourth position with 167 points, followed by chess coach Lam Minh Chau from HCMC with 138 points.

Swimmer Vo Thanh Tung from HCMC, who won a gold and a silver at the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China, won the best para-athlete award with 550 points, while badminton coach Le Thuy Ha received the nomination for most outstanding coach for disabled athletes in the vote by journalists and sports experts with 332 points. 

Hundreds of sports experts and journalists from Hanoi, HCMC and Danang voted over the weekend for the top 10 athletes, top five coaches, top five para-athletes and top three para-athletes’ coaches.

The annual vote was organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Vietnam Fund for Supporting Young Talent and The Thao Viet Nam (Vietnam Sports) newspaper.

Related Articles

• Hanoi model wins Miss Vietnam 2010
• Wrong diagnoses almost kill two in delta hospital
• Press conference on 11th National Party Congress
• Slump in morale hits shares
• VN singer wins top prize at Golden Voice Festival

Hanoi T&T win Super Cup 2011 in penalty shootout

HCMC – Hanoi T&T won the Super Cup for the first time after beating Song Lam Nghe An 4-2 in a penalty shootout at Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi yesterday, picking up VND150 million in cash.

They drew 2-2 in the official time, Edmun Owusu and Nguyen Trong Hoang scored for Song Lam Nghe An in the 53rd and 69th minutes but Cao Sy Cuong and Cristiano Roland leveled the score for the home side in the 81st minute and injury time.

Backed by thousands of spectators, the home team totally controlled the first half while Song Lam Nghe An played defensively and relied on rare counter attacks.

Both sides created scoring chances but the score was goalless upon the referee’s whistle at the end of the half.

In the second half, Song Lam placed more attacks on their opponent defenders in search for a goal and Edmun Owusu opened for the National Cup winners in the 53rd minute.

Hanoi T&T bounced back after the goal and their players dominated the ball possession but the home side forwards squandered chances.

Midfielder Nguyen Trong Hoang doubled for the visitors in the 69th minute. However, Cao Sy Cuong narrowed the score for Hanoi T&T in the 81st minute before Cristiano Roland leveled the score at 2-2 in the injury time.

In the shoot-out, Hanoi T&T goalkeeper Nguyen Duc Thang made a brilliant save from Nguyen Van Quyet’s kick to be the hero for his team while Tran Dinh Dong and  Nguyen Trong Hoang failed to score in their penalty shootouts for Song Lam Nghe An.

The runners up received VND70 million in cash. 

To mark the start of the football season, the Super Cup is held every year between the previous season’s National Football Championship winner and the winner of the National Cup.

Hanoi T&T won the premier league in June while Song Lam Nghe An defeated two-time V-League champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai 1-0 in the National Cup final in August.

Last year, National Cup winners Lam Son Thanh Hoa won the Super Cup after defeating V-League champions SHB Danang 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out at Ninh Binh Stadium in northern Ninh Binh Province. The Super Cup was organized for the first time in 1998.

It is the 12th year that the event has been organized by Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper and the Vietnam Football Federation. The 584 Group is the cup’s sponsors.

The National Cup 2011 began on Saturday. The tournament has attracted 27 teams from the premier V-League and the First Division, competing in knock-out format.

The Vietnam League will open on February 22 and the First Division Tournament will begin two days earlier. The two that are most important tournaments of Vietnamese football will close on August 21 and 20, respectively.

Related Articles

• Wozniacki cruises to win at Montreal Cup
• VN singer wins top prize at Golden Voice Festival
• Hung wins HD Bank chess trophy
• Hanoi model wins Miss Vietnam 2010
• Kesley Alves wins Golden Boot award

VN folk painting exhibition opens in Laos

A folk painting exhibition of Vietnam was held in the Lao Capital of
Vientiane on Jan.10 to mark the 81 st anniversary of the Communist
Party of Vietnam’s foundation (Feb. 3, 1930 - Feb. 3, 2011), the 11 th
National Party Congress and the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

The 3-day event is co-organised by Vietnam Fine Arts Museum and the Vietnamese Culture Centre in Laos.

Attending the opening ceremony were the Lao Minister of Information
and Culture Mounkeo Oraboune, the Lao Minister of Health Ponmek Dalaloy;
the Charge d’affaires of the Vietnamese Embassy to Laos Luong Quoc Huy
and other officials from the two nations.

On
display are typical folk paintings of Vietnam such as the Dong Ho
style (Bac Ninh province), the Hang Trong ( Hanoi ), the Kim Hoang (Ha
Tay province), the Lang Sinh ( Hue ) and the 19 th century’s ancient
worship paintings of Nghe An province.

Through its
profound contents, the exhibition helps spectators to further understand
the quintessential colours and meanings of the Vietnamese folk painting
genre, which are made of traditional materials with an original
artistry.

The exhibition, which also aims to
further strengthen friendly relations between Vietnam and Lao, will
be on display until March 10./.

Related Articles

• Experts praise Vietnamese folk values
• Centre opens for those who marry foreigners
• Painters show works inspired by nature, nostalgia
• Book show welcomes Party Congress
• Food promotions at Grand and First hotels

Sprinter Huong tops list of outstanding athletes

Sprinter Vu Thi Huong topped this year's
poll on Vietnam's most outstanding athletes and coaches.

Huong, 25, who won a bronze medal in the women's 100m and a silver in
the 200m in the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, notched up 1,213
points in the poll. She edged out teammates Truong Thanh Hang, who came
in with 1,208 points to make the top ten list; Karateist Le Bich Phuong,
who won Vietnam's only gold medal to salvage Vietnamese pride in the
martial arts competitions at the Asian Games, ranked third with 1,047
points; and badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh placed fourth.

Swimmer Vo Thanh Tung topped the list of disabled athletes with 550
points. He won a gold medal in the men's 50m freestyle at the Asian
ParaGames for disabled athletes in Guangzhou, China last December.

Runner-up was badminton player Pham Duc Trung, who also
grabbed a gold in the Asian ParaGames, gaining 480 points from the
selection. Another badminton player, Hoang Pham Thang, placed third,
winning 376 points.

In the coaches category, coach Ho Thi
Tu Tam won 463 points to take the top spot. The army's karate coach, Le
Cong, took second ahead of track and field coach Nguyen Dinh Minh.
Badminton coach Le Thuy Nga was voted the top coach for disabled
athletes.

The awards are jointly organised by the Ministry
of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union,
the Vietnam Fund for Young Talent Support and The Thao Vietnam (Vietnam
Sports) newspaper.

A gala to honour athletes and coaches will be held in Hanoi next month./.

Related Articles

• Timeout with a good book
• Hanoi model wins Miss Vietnam 2010
• ASEAN role sought to resolve temple conflict
• Chau Doc’s curried fish vermicelli: Bun nuoc ken
• Greenback firmer on signs of rising demand