Category: Sports

Binh Dinh: The UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship 2024 wrapped up in Quy Nhon city, the central province of Binh Dinh on March 24 after three days of competitions with impressive results.

A total of 55 riders from 26 countries took part in the competitions, bringing audiences unique, impressive and thrilling performances.

After a series of exciting and dramatic competitions, teams have set new records, earning admiration from the audiences and the sport’s fans.

This is the first time such a speed water sports event has been held in Vietnam. Not only this year, Quy Nhon city will host the tournament for five years in a row from 2024 to 2028.

With an area of up to 5,000 ha and a width of nearly 4 km, Thi Nai lagoon in the city is considered an ideal place for aquabike and powerboat races./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Da Nang: The Danang International Marathon was held in the central coastal city of Da Nang on March 24, attracting over 9,000 athletes, including nearly 1,800 foreigners from 60 countries and territories.

In the men’s 42km marathon, the top spot belonged to athlete Kiptoo Edwin from Kenya, clocking in 2 hours 37 minutes and 6 seconds, followed by Vietnamese athletes Huynh Anh Khoi (2:37:13) and Nguyen Dac Hung (2:43:51) in second and third place, respectively.

In the women’s category, Pham Thi Binh, who previously won a gold medal at the 27th SEA Games, claimed victory with a time of 3 hours 10 minutes and 32 seconds. The second and third places went to other Vietnamese athletes Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc (3:17:00) and Nguyen Thi Ngot (3:26:46).

In the men’s 21km half marathon, Manimaran Sanjay from Malaysia took the top place with a time of 1 hour 13 minutes and 28 seconds, while in the women’s category, Thai Thi Kim Ngan of Vietnam finished first with a time of 1 hour 30 minutes and 47 seconds.

The men’s 10k
m race saw Hirrle Simon from Germany claiming the first position with a time of 36 minutes and 10 seconds, while Vietnamese runner Nguyen Khanh Ly took the top spot in the women’s category with a time of 41 minutes and 15 seconds.

In the 5km race, both the men’s and women’s first places were secured by Vietnamese athletes, with Hap Tien Canh finishing in 18 minutes and 38 seconds and Bui Thi Ngan in 19 minutes and 5 seconds.

The tournament was jointly organised by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports and Pulse Active Company from March 22 to 24./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Gia Lai: Runners from nationwide will be competing in the Kon Chu Rang Half Marathon, held in a UNESCO-recognised world biosphere reserve, in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai on May 12, calling for donations to support conservation activities and poor families in the region.

The race, co-organised by the VietRace365 company and GreenViet (a non-profit NGO on biodiversity research), expects to draw 1,000 runners racing in team and individual events on 21km, 10km and 5km routes.

It said children from the age of 7 are eligible for the one-day race starting at the park’s administration centre in Kbang district, and early bird tickets are offered at between 549,000 – 849,000 VND for booking time on March 7-31.

The race’s organisers have been negotiating with travel agencies and bus services offering the best price for runners from Ho Chi Minh City to Pleiku city and transit to Kbang district.

Competitors will run through primary forest on concrete tracks and stay at the camp site in the reserve.

In 2
021, UNESCO recognised the Kon Ha Nung Plateau Biosphere Reserve including two core areas, Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve and Kon Ka Kinh National Park, on a total area of 413,511.67ha in the province.

Runners can visit website https://timve365.vn for further information./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Azerbaijani fighters will test their strength at the International Masters Bremen 2024 tournament to be held in Bremen, Germany on March 24.

Azerbaijan’s hopes will be pinned on 20 judokas at the competition.

Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency

Azerbaijani fighters will test their strength at the International Masters Bremen 2024 tournament to be held in Bremen, Germany on March 24.

Azerbaijan’s hopes will be pinned on 20 judokas at the competition.

Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency

Hoa Binh: Over 2,200 runners from 38 countries and territories joined the Vietnam Ultra Marathon (VUM) 2024, which was organised for the first time on March 23 in Mai Chau district, the northern province of Hoa Binh.

Athletes took part in running at five distances, from 5km, to 10km, 25km, 50km and 70km ultramarathon with a total increase in altitude of up to 3,300 metres.

Runners Cush Kathryn from Australia secured the first place in the women’s 70km run while John Ray Onifa from Philippines was the winner in the men’s category. Meanwhile, Vanja Cnops of Belgium and Iurii Shtankov from Russia came in first in the women’s and men’s 50km events, respectively.

Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh won the women’s 25km event and Randolf Gonzales from the Philippines took the first place at the men’s 25km event.

Kiera Bailey from United Kingdom and Vietnam’s Nong Van Chuyen finished first in the women’s and men’s 10km events, respectively.

Bui Thi Lan and Nguyen Ngoc Anh from Vietnam were the winners in the women’s
and men’s 5km category.

According to organisers, the running track was uniquely designed, bringing participants a new feel of Mai Chau that not many people have experienced. From the romantic Mai Chau valley with villages of Thai ethnic people, the race took runners through a variety of landscapes, from dense primitive forests to terraced fields, passing many long slopes and majestic landscapes.

The event is expected to be held annually in Mai Chau district in the following years, offering Hoa Binh province an opportunity to introduce to domestic and international tourists Mai Chau’s potential and advantages that need to be tapped to promote the development of the locality./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Tokyo: The Japan-Vietnam Support Association on March 22 organised a musical programme ‘Que Huong’ (Homeland) Programme 2024 in Higashi Osaka city, Kansai region, attracting about 1,000 Vietnamese and Japanese people.

Singers from Vietnam and Vietnamese people living in Kansai performed at the event. Notably, Vietnamese singers sang a popular Vietnamese song ‘Diem xua’ by famous composer Trinh Cong Son in Japanese and a well-known Japanese song titled ‘Sukiyaki’.

Speaking at the event, Mayor of Higashi Osaka city Noda Yoshikazu said that cultural exchange activities between Vietnam and Japan like the music programme can help tighten the friendship between the two countries. He hoped that more Vietnamese people will come to live and work in the city.

Consul General of Vietnam in Osaka Nguyen Minh Son said that the event is of great significance to the Vietnamese community in the Kansai region because few major cultural events have been held for the Vietnamese community in the region.

Son expressed his than
ks to the event organisers and sponsors for their efforts to bring a spiritual gift to Vietnamese people living far from home and create an opportunity to unite the community.

The second edition of the event is slated for January next year, making it an annual event to tighten the friendship between Vietnamese and Japanese people in the Kansai region./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vientiane: The northern province of Son La and Laos’ Houaphanh province jointly held a tourism and cultural festival in Houaphanh on March 21-23 to promote their popular destinations and the cultures of ethnic groups in the two provinces.

The event helped connect and promote tourism development links between Son La, Houaphanh, and other Vietnamese localities. It offered a chance for the two provinces to together develop unique and attractive tourism products, create jobs, and increase income for their people, especially those in ethnic minority and border areas.

Festival goers enjoyed art exchange programmes, typical products of the two provinces, and learn about their cultural features, including folk games and cuisine.

The festival took place at a time when the Lao people are preparing to celebrate their traditional New Year Bunpimay, which is held annually in mid-April./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency