Football festival to take place in Hanoi; Vovinam finds way to SEA Games; Hanoi to meet Thailand in final; Vietnam ready for 14th Asian junior athletics championship; FourFourTwo magazine in Vietnamese

Football festival to take place in Hanoi

A football festival for charity will take place in Hanoi on June 11, the Embassies of South Africa and UK announced on May 27.

At the event, the attendants will have opportunities to watch the live broadcast of World Cup 2010 opening ceremony, enjoy specialties of countries in the world, meet Zakumi-the mascot of World Cup 2010 and learn more about African cultures and gastronomies.

Within the framework of this activity, the Mini World Cup Hanoi will be held on June 12 with the participation of 20 amateur football teams from diplomatic corps in Vietnam.

Proceeds from the event will be sent to the Bo De pagoda in Hanoi and the Blue Dragon Children’s Fund of Australia to help disadvantaged Vietnamese children.

Vovinam finds way to SEA Games

General secretary of WVVF Vo Danh Hai visited Jakarta to discuss the introduction of Vovinam with the hosts of the 26th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, following an agreement by chairman of Vietnam’s Olympic Committee and the World Vovinam Federation (WVVF) Nguyen Danh Thai.

On May 28, Thai and Vietnamese sport delegation also arrived in Jakarta to discuss the upcoming games.

Vovinam is a Vietnamese martial art practised with and without weapons.

It is based on the principle of between hard and soft and includes training of the body as well as of the mind. It uses the forces and reactions of the opponent and at present, it is developing worldwide.

Hanoi to meet Thailand in final

Hanoi will take on Thailand in the final while defending champions Gia Lai will meet hosts Ho Chi Minh City today at the 2010 Football Tournament of Disadvantaged Children which is being held in Ho Chi Minh City.

Thailand once beat Hanoi 6-4 in the group round.

The race for the ’top scorer’ title has nearly come to an end as Thailand’s Thanachot Charoenjan is leading with 12 goals, followed by Xuan Thanh from Hanoi with nine goals.

The tournament has drawn eight teams include six Vietnamese teams from Hanoi, Hai Phong, Gia Lai, Ho Chi Minh City, School 4, Ca Mau and two international teams from Thailand and the Philippines.

The champions will receive a Cup and a cash prize of VND 20 million while the runners-up and third placed team will get VND 15 million and VND 10 million respectively.

Vietnam ready for 14th Asian junior athletics championship

The 14th Asian Junior Athletics Championship will open at the National My Dinh Sports Complex, Hanoi on July 1.

According to the organising board, 37 teams with nearly 700 athletes and coaches have so far registered to participate in the four-day competition.

Preparations, including sports venues, medical care and communication facilities have been completed to ensure the event runs smoothly.

Athletes born in the year 1991 and 1992 will be allowed to compete at the event.

FourFourTwo magazine in Vietnamese

A special publication about the World Cup 2010 has been published in Vietnamese for the first time under a legal copyright from the world’s leading football magazine, FourFourTwo and is published by the LeMedia Company.

It is designed professionally and has 148 pages that introduce details of 32 football teams competing in the final round of the World Cup 2010 as well as many exclusive interviews with soccer stars such as Ronaldo, Rooney and Iniesta.

The publication is considered a collector’s item for Vietnamese fans who follow the biggest football tournament in the world.

Vietnam hosts 14th Asian junior athletics champs

The 14th Asian Junior Athletics Championship will begin at the Hanoi My Dinh National Sports Stadium, Hanoi on July 1.

According to the organising committee, 37 teams comprising of nearly 700 athletes and coaches have registered to take part in the four-day competition.

All the preparations, including the sports venues, medical services and communications facilities have been completed on time to ensure the event will run smoothly.

PV