Category: Sports

Hanoi: Philippe Troussier, head coach of the Vietnamese national men’s football team, on March 11 announced a 33-player squad in preparation for two matches against Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers later this month, according to Vietnam Football Federation.

The first leg will take place at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium of Indonesia on March 21, and the second leg at My Dinh Stadium on March 26.

The squad will welcome the return of a number of familiar players, notably defenders Nguyen Thanh Chung, Bui Tien Dung and Nguyen Duc Chien, strikers Nguyen Tien Linh and Nguyen Cong Phuong.

The Vietnam national team is set to gather on March 13 but it will be until March 15 that the team will have full players due to the schedule of the round of 1/8 of the 2023-24 National Cup. Thus, Coach Troussier has only four days of training in Hanoi before leaving for Indonesia on March 19. Then, he and his players will have two more training sessions to complete preparations for the match with host Indonesia on March 2
1 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, with a capacity of 80,000 spectators.

The Vietnamese team will return on March 22 to meet the Indonesian team again on March 26 at My Dinh National Stadium./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: As many as 200 watercolour paintings by talented artists across the globe will be introduced at the international exhibition ‘Colours of Cultures’ which will open at Van Mieu (Temple of Literature), Hanoi on March 16.

The event, which draws the participation of some 60 painters from 22 countries and territories, is said to be the largest-ever international watercolour exhibition in Vietnam. It is an initiative of VietnamInAcquarello, a branch of the International Watercolour Museum – the world’s largest community of watercolour painters – based in Italy.

According to Dr.Le Xuan Kieu, Director of the Temple of Literature’s Cultural and Scientific Activity Centre, the exhibition is significant to promote and popularise the spiritual and cultural values, and gradually make the Temple of Literature a creative space.

Under the ‘Colours of Cultures’ project, 465 watercolours will be on display at the Temple of Literature and Nhau Studio at No.364 Doi Can Street, Ba Dinh district from March 16-26.

A speci
al space called the Poland’s corner will be arranged at the relic site, spotlighting paintings by Polish talents. Besides, Polish watercolour painters will share their experience and professional techniques with Vietnamese fine art students and artists at a workshop on March 15.

Foreign painters will also engage in a Hanoi – Ninh Binh painting tour on March 18-20 to capture the beauty of Vietnamese landscapes, relic site and local livelihoods, helping popularise the country’s images, culture and tourism internationally./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Berlin: A recent musical exchange in Germany has brought together Vietnamese women representatives from eight European countries to celebrate the International Women’s Day (March 8).

In her opening speech at the exchange held by the Vietnamese Women’s Union (VWU) in Germany on March 9 evening, Chairwoman Trinh Thi Mui expressed the group’s desire to expand connections among overseas Vietnamese sisters and call on them to stay united to develop together, preserve the national identity, and honour the Vietnamese women.

At the event, the chapter introduced its volunteer committee, aiming to take care of elderly, sick, and lonely Vietnamese women in Germany.

Also launched was a writing competition themed ‘Vietnamese Women Abroad’ – an area where Vietnamese readers at home still lack a comprehensive understanding. Encouraging women to pick up their pens, the organisers – the Vietnamese Women’s Forum in Europe and the Vietnamese Writers’ Association – hope that the contest will provide an opportunity for the gro
up in particular and Vietnamese people abroad in general to improve their mother tongue and fulfill the mission of preserving the language.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh remarked that the gathering of overseas Vietnamese women and numerous associations demonstrates their solidarity, which the diplomat considered a strength and a source of pride./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Quang Binh: The Quang Binh Discovery Marathon 2024 was held at the world natural heritage site of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh on March 10, with nearly 2,400 athletes at home and abroad taking part.

The athletes competed in varied distances, including 6km, 10km, 21km and the challenging 42 km. Each distance was an intriguing route with picturesque and majestic natural landscapes at the national park such as Son and Chay rivers, gigantic caves, and internal botanic garden, among others.

In the men’s and women’s 42km events, Nguyen Duy Lam and Nguyen Thi Trang Giang won the first prizes, respectively. Nguyen Dac Hung and Le Thi Thu were the winners of men’s and women’s 21km runs. Nguyen Xuan Bach and Vo Quynh Thu won the men’s and women’s 10km races while Tran Minh Quy and Nguyen Thi Hien finished first in the men’s and women’s 6km distance.

The event, the forth of its kind, was a practical activity to celebrate major holidays of the country and the province and kic
ked off the tourism season in 2024.

The marathon was expected to promote the province’s advantages of tourism in general and biodiversity values, natural landscapes and tourism products in the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park in particular. Tournament was also a new and unique playground to promote the movement of sport training and competing, especially running.

On March 9, the provincial Department of Culture and Sports hold a cultural exchange programme with the participation of a traditional art troupe and athletes./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

HCM City: The 9th Japan Vietnam Festival, themed ‘Hold hands together – From now on’, was held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 9-10, starting a series of cultural, sport, trade and tourism activities between the two countries.

The festival is the largest annual cultural exchange event with the participation of businesses from Vietnam and Japan, said Sugano Yuichi, chief representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Vietnam, a sponsor of the festival.

This year’s theme means that after 50 years of building close diplomatic ties, both countries will continue to work together to develop further, he said.

The event also hosted the largest number of booths ever, with over 150 booths showcasing and selling food, consumer goods, tourism products, local specialties, educational programmes, and healthcare products.

There were also booths featuring Vietnamese and Japanese poetry, Japanese tea ceremonies, traditional Japanese folk games, and sports, as well as Gashapon vending machine-dispensed
toys for children.

Festival-goers could also engage in music and dance shows performed by Japanese artists, such as BallistikBoyz and PsychicFever, and Vietnamese singers, such as My My and Tang Duy Tan.

Cosplay activities, the re-creation of the Bon Odori and Awa Odori dance festivals, traditional Vietnamese Ao dai (long dress) shows, and other thrilling performances were also part of the event.

‘That Japanese culture and products are greatly endorsed by Vietnamese people, and vice versa, proves that this cooperation is getting stronger than ever,’ said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida while addressing the opening ceremony via video.

Hosting around 500,000 visitors last year, the event is expected to continue being a great way to connect people from both countries, he said.

Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang said that following last year’s success, the festival continues to be a bridge strengthening the friendship and mutual trust between the two countries, boosting trade promotion, as
well as promoting multifaceted cooperation and exchange./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: A massive light show using 300 drones will be performed at the Tay Ho creative space on Trinh Cong Son Pedestrian Street in Tay Ho district of Hanoi on March 9 evening as part of an event to launch the ‘Get on Hanoi 2024’ programme and announce a decision recognising Nhat Tan as a tourism site.

The show will light up the sky of Hanoi with iconic images of Tay Ho district such as Nhat Tan bridge, ‘Bach diep’ lotuses, and Nhat Tan peach flowers. Five areas have been arranged for audiences to enjoy the show.

Within the opening of the ‘Get on Ha Noi 2024’ tourism programme, an art show and a laser mapping technology light show will be held with the engagement of 50 professional artists and 150 locals of Nhat Tan.

Visitors to the event will also have the chance to taste diverse dishes in a culinary space featuring 15 booths, and explore handicraft products from traditional craft villages of Hanoi, and enjoy photos spotlighting Hanoi tourism.

The event will be livestreamed on the fanpage and YouTube chan
nel of the City Department of Tourism and Tay Ho district./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Khanh Hoa: A string of sensational cultural and sports activities are expected to excite spectators at the Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Sea Festival, scheduled in the beach city of Nha Trang of the south-central province of Khanh Hoa from March 13-16.

Director of the provincial Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Le Thanh said that themed ‘Nha Trang bay- sparkling pearl’, the festival is anticipated to welcome more than 150,000 visitors to experience services and products from about 200 booths and many large-scale, diverse, and unique activities at the event.

The event is an opportunity for businesses throughout the country to promote their images, brands, products and services, and connect cooperation, she added.

The biennial festival will include several activities such as a seminar on tourism, a food festival, regional fruit and ‘one commune, one product’ (OCOP) specialty festivals, art programmes, street dances, and light carnival parades.

In 2024, Khanh Hoa province targets 40 trillion VND (1.6 billion USD) in t
ourism revenue and more than 9 million arrivals, including 3 million foreign visitors.

In addition to the sea festival, the province will also organise an international lighting festival with the theme of ‘Brilliant Milky Way’ with thousands of drones lighting up the night sky of the beach city from June 29-July 20 with four participating teams from China, India, the Republic of Korea, and the host Vietnam./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency