Minh to play at Singapore Open; HCM City win third gold at billiards; Dong Nai, Ca Mau top groups; HCM City to host Athletics Tourney; Volleyball team to train in Thailand; Horse racing to begin at Bac Ha

Nguyen Tien Minh.

The World No 13 is ranked 11th seed for the event and will bypass the main qualifying round, giving him a chance to enter the competition in the quarter-finals.

The draw will take place over the next few days for the US$200,000 event which has attracted 246 players from 28 nations and territories, including England and France.

HCM City win third gold at billiards

Hosts HCM City won a third gold medal at the ongoing national Billiards and Snooker Championships when Duong Thuy Vy beat her teammate Vuong Thi Thu Binh 7-2 in the Pool 9 final on Wednesday.

The last two golds went to Ly The Vinh in the three-cushion billiards and Lam Trung Long in the Pool 8.

The Ha Noi team won their first gold medal in the snooker on Tuesday.

Dong Nai, Ca Mau top groups

Defending champion Ca Mau has beaten Thailand 4-2 in a football tournament for disadvantaged children being held at HCM City’s Military Zone 7 Stadium.

Dong Nai hammered HCM City 13-3 to top Group A after two matches.

In Group B, Gia Lai beat Ha Noi 5-0 to lead its group.

Dong Thap defeated Cambodia 4-1 in Group B’s second match.

The five-day tournament began yesterday with eight teams taking part. Matches played tomorrow will determine the teams for the semis.

HCM City to host Athletics Tourney

The biannual Southeast Asian Junior Athletics Championships kicks off early next month at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCM City, organisers told a press conference in HCM City yesterday.

The two-day event will feature eight countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and host Viet Nam – and 211 female and male athletes aged under 15.

Volleyball team to train in Thailand

The 12-member national women’s volleyball team, headed by coach Tran Van Thu, will fly to Thailand tomorrow in preparation for the 15th Asian Women’s Senior Volleyball Championship on September 5-13.

The event is the Asian qualification tournament for the 2009 World Grand Champion Cup and the 2010 World Grand Prix in Viet Nam for the first time.

It will be attended by Asia’s 10 top teams, including China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Indonesia.

Horse racing to begin at Bac Ha

The annual Bac Ha horse race will open tomorrow with 180 horses running in the northern mountainous Bac Ha district in Lao Cai province.

Horses will race over the 1,500m course in individual and team events. The winning team will receive VND10 million (US$550) and the individual winner will take home VND5 million ($275).

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News