HALLE WESTFALEN, Germany: Eight-time champion Roger Federer reached the quarter-finals of the Halle grass court tournament for a 15th time on Thursday (Jun 22) with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 win over German serve-and-volleyer Mischa Zverev. Switzerland's Roger Federer returns the ball to Germany's Mischa Zverev during the ATP tennis tournament in Halle, western Germany. (CARMEN JASPERSEN/AFP) Federer, the 18-time Grand Slam title winner who is building up for an assault on an eighth Wimbledon title next month, next faces 2016 Halle champion Florian Mayer for a place in the semi-finals. The 134th-ranked German made the quarter-finals by seeing off French sixth seed Lucas Pouille 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-3. Federer now has a 4-0 record against Zverev including a win this year in the Australian Open … [Read more...]

Vietnamese martial artists set off for the Greek island of Rhodes on Wednesday to compete in the first-ever World Taekwondo Beach Championships. Vietnamese martial artists set off for the Greek island of Rhodes on Wednesday to compete in the first-ever World Taekwondo Beach Championships. The inaugural beach taekwondo championships, organized by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), will take place on the island from May 5 to 6. The competition looks to expand the martial art from an indoor-only sport to one that can be enjoyed in any environment. Five hundred and sixty-four martial artists from 26 countries will compete in the championships, comprising only ‘poomsae,’ a non-sparring event in which participants perform a pre-arranged set of movements. Free-style poomsae, technical breaking, and free-style dynamic kick events will also be featured during the championships. According to Nguyen Thanh Huy, head coach of Vietnam’s taekwondo team, instead of the … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - The Tuần Châu-Asian Women's Beach Volleyball Tournament kicked off in Hạ Long City in the northeastern province of Quảng Ninh on May 4. The event attracted the participation of 23 teams from 12 countries and territories including Australia, Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia. Among them, Vanuatu won the event in 2015 and Australia triumphed in 2016. Việt Nam sent three teams to compete in the tournament which will close on May 7. The event is part of a series of activities for Hạ Long Tourism Week 2017, which aims to promote Quảng Ninh, its land and people, to international friends and tourists. - VNS … [Read more...]

The Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Beach Volleyball Tour 2017 opened in the northern province of Quang Ninh’s Tuan Chau entertainment complex on May 4. This year’s tournament attracts the participation of 23 teams from 12 countries and territories, including Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Japan, and Vietnam. The number of participating teams is the highest since the first competition held in 2005. Among athletes competing at the tour are two-member teams from Vanuatu and Australia, winners of the competition in 2015 and 2016. Vietnam has sent three teams to the four-day event, which is part of the Ha Long-Quang Ninh 2017 Tourism Week. VNA … [Read more...]

Francesco Totti will retire at the end of this season. — AFP Photo Viet Nam News ROME — Roma club icon Francesco Totti will retire at the end of the season when the 40-year-old’s contract expires, new sports director Monchi said on Wednesday. "I want him here right by my side. He is Roma. He can teach me what Roma is," said Monchi at his unveiling in the role, adding the captain will remain at the club in a management position. "There is an agreement in place. This is his last season but then he continues in management." "I want Totti to explain to me what Roma is, to make me understand what he knows," added the Spaniard Monchi, who won credit for his sports director role at Sevilla, who won the Europa League in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The striker Totti has played all his professional career at Roma and is a hugely popular figure, making his debut in 1993. Roma coach Luciano Spalletti had a series of run-ins with the Roma No 10 last season. Despite that and his … [Read more...]

Văn Kiêm (right, Hà Nội T&T) reaches out for the ball against Wan Zack Haikal (left, Felda United). - VNA/VNS Photo Quốc Khánh Viet Nam News Hà Nội T&T crushed Felda United, from the Philippines, 4-1 in the AFC Cup, yet the win may not be sufficient to ensure the Hà Nội team proceeds to the next round. Both Hà Nội and Felda United are sat at 11 points in group G. But FU will go to the next round thanks to its head-to-head record. Hà Nội T&T will have to wait until the end of the qualifying round to see if they can advance. Two matches will take place at the same time, and Hà Nội's chances depend on the other match between Ceres and Tampines Rover. Hà Nội started the game in high spirits with a strong lineup. At 3', the first ball was headed toward Felda United's goal but missed the target by just a foot. By the 30th minute, the match speed had risen and holes had started to appear in both teams defenses. Despite the chances no goal was scored in the first half. At 49', Văn … [Read more...]

Come June 3, singer Son Tung M-TP will be among an all-star lineup of renowned Asian artists performing in Bangkok, Thailand at what is billed as the largest digital music fest in the region. At – Viral Fest Asia 2017 – the Vietnamese superstar will take the stage alongside top performers including Bi Rain and Suran from the Republic of Korea; and AKB48, Flower, and Exile the Second from Japan. The event is expected to attract a crowd of 8,000 people. It will begin at 5pm on June 3 with performances beginning at 6pm all the way through to 11pm, with a special EDM party set for the following day. VOV … [Read more...]

The Long An football club have said goodbye with American striker Ashkanov Apollon following his poor performance in the first leg of the national premier league. Long An had signed a one-year contract with the 25-year-old striker, who competed for Samut Sakhon of Thailand and played a key role in the team’s path to the Thai League 3. Apollon was praised for his skillful technique, strong physique and competitive attitude, but he only scored three goals and missed many scoring chances in league play. Long An now have only five points after 13 rounds and rank bottom out of 14 teams in the rankings. They face the risk of relegation. Long An now seek a new foreign striker to play with Ganiyu Oseni in the attack line. VNS … [Read more...]

Vietnam has sent a team to the Southeast Asian Shooting Championship 2017, which opened in Malaysia on May 3. The team includes top Vietnamese shooters – Hoang Xuan Vinh, Tran Quoc Cuong and Le Thi Hoang Ngoc. Vinh won a gold and silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in August, 2016, making the 42-year-old Vietnam’s first Olympic gold medallist ever. Meanwhile, Cuong was ranked 31st globally in the men’s 10m air pistol event, by the International Sport Shooting Federation in January. Ngoc bagged gold in the final of the women’s 10m air pistol at last year’s Southeast Asian shooting championship in Vietnam. The competition is expected to prepare the team for SEA Games 29 and Asiad 2017. VNA … [Read more...]

The National Individual Badminton Championships will be held from May 7-13 in Dong Nai Province’s Gymnasium. Players will compete in five categories, including men’s and women’s singles and doubles and mixed doubles. In the singles events, knock-out rules will be applied until the last-eight rounds. The final eight then will compete in a round robin format. Athletes who score the highest points from this round will be awarded championship trophies. In the doubles pools, knock-out rules will be used throughout the competitions. A bonus of US$1,100 will be awarded to the men’s singles winner, while the women’s gold medalist will take US$800. Doubles event winners will receive US$600. “This tournament attracts the nation’s best players in Vietnam,” said Vietnam Badminton Federation’s General Secretary Le Thanh Sang. He noted that the winning players would earn their berths in the Vietnam’s Southeast Asian Games delegation to … [Read more...]

Vietnamese Grandmaster Tran Tuan Minh won a gold medal at the Asian Junior Chess Championships’ rapid chess event in Iran on May 2. Minh was seeded No 1 in the Open category. He grabbed six points after seven matches and topped the ranking. He was followed by International Masters Mosadeghpour Masoud and Khodashenas Mersad of the hosts. On the Girls’ side, Indian Women’s IM Ivana Maria Furtado won the gold. Women’s FIDE Master Alinasab Mobina of Iran and Harshita Guddanti of India came second and third, respectively. Minh and his younger brother IM Tran Minh Thang continued competing in the standard chess event. Title favourite Minh, who won the National Championship crown last month, will face host master Moghadam Alireza in the first match. No 8 Thang will meet Iranian Motavas Pouya. Players will play nine matches until May 10. The blitz chess event will follow and also end on the same day. VNA … [Read more...]

AMSTERDAM: On-loan Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore scored twice and grabbed an assist as Ajax trounced Lyon 4-1 in the first leg of Wednesday's (May 3) Europa League semi-final. Ajax's Davinson Sánchez (5) scores against Olympique Lyonnais during the UEFA Europa League semi-final, first leg match in Amsterdam. (Emmanuel DUNAND/AFP) The Burkina Faso international nodded Ajax ahead after 25 minutes at the Amsterdam Arena before Danish teenager Kasper Dolberg rifled in a second from Traore's towering header. Amin Younes struck just after half-time as Ajax tormented the visiting defence and although Mathieu Valbuena pulled a goal back for Lyon, Traore capped a convincing win with the hosts' fourth on 71 minutes. Lyon brought on leading scorer Alexandre Lacazette, who was only fit enough to come off the bench after nursing a hamstring injury, for the final quarter hour, but Ajax are clear favourites to reach the final in Stockholm on May 24. The Dutch giants are seeking a … [Read more...]

MONACO: Gonzalo Higuain scored both goals as an imperious Juventus beat Monaco 2-0 in their Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday (May 3) to take a huge step towards next month's final in Cardiff. Both of Higuain's goals came from Dani Alves assists, with the Argentine hitman rounding off a breathtaking team move to open the scoring just before the half-hour mark and converting the second from close range after the break. While the second leg in Turin next Tuesday will be no formality, Juventus have never lost a two-legged European tie to French opposition and so impressive were they at the Stade Louis II that it is hard to imagine Monaco recovering. Higuain, who now has 31 goals this season, received applause from all around the ground as he came off to be replaced by Juan Cuadrado late on after a clinical display that showed just why Juve paid €90 million (US$98 million) to sign him from Napoli last year. In contrast Monaco, having won their previous 13 matches at … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - The National Individual Badminton Championships will be held from May 7-13 in Đồng Nai Province's Gymnasium. The annual tournament attracts more than 100 athletes from 16 cities and provinces, including Hà Nội, HCM City and Bắc Giang, which always fields strong players. Players will compete in five categories, including men's and women's singles and doubles and mixed doubles. In the singles events, knock-out rules will be applied until the last-eight rounds. The final eight then will compete in a round robin format. Athletes who score the highest points from this round will be awarded championship trophies. In the doubles pools, knock-out rules will be used throughout the competitions. A bonus of US$1,100 will be awarded to the men's singles winner, while the women's gold medalist will take $800. Doubles event winners will receive $600. "This tournament attracts the nation's best players in Việt Nam," said Việt Nam Badminton Federation's General Secretary … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News Football HÀ NỘI - Hà Nội FC will play Felda United of Malaysia in the AFC Cup's last Group G round match today. The Vietnamese representative can only advance to the knock-out stage when they win the game, while Ceres Negros of the Philippines could not beat Tampines Rovers of Singapore in the other match. In the first leg match, Felda United successfully tied Hà Nội on their home turf. In the second leg today, Hà Nội have an advantage when they play on home turf but are missing their best players. Their key striker Hoàng Vũ Samson was sidelined for four games after his red card against Ceres two weeks ago. Argentinean Gonzalo Damian Marronkle, scorer Trịnh Duy Long, goalkeeper Trần Anh Đức and defender Nguyễn Thành Chung may not play as they have some aches and pains. Their young members such as Nguyễn Quang Hải, Hồ Minh Dĩ and Trương Văn Thái Quý are training with the national U-20 for the World Cup campaign. However, coach Chu Đình Nghiêm still believes in a … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÁ NỘI - The Long An football club have said goodbye with American striker Ashkanov Apollon following his poor performance in the first leg of the national premier league. Long An had signed a one-year contract with the 25-year-old striker, who competed for Samut Sakhon of Thailand and played a key role in the team's path to the Thai League 3. Apollon was praised for his skillful technique, strong physique and competitive attitude, but he only scored three goals and missed many scoring chances in league play. Long An now have only five points after 13 rounds and rank bottom out of 14 teams in the rankings. They face the risk of relegation. Long An now seek a new foreign striker to play with Ganiyu Oseni in the attack line. - VNS … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Vietnamese Grandmaster Trần Tuấn Minh won a gold medal at the Asian Junior Chess Championships' rapid chess event in Iran on May 2. Minh was seeded No 1 in the Open category. He grabbed six points after seven matches and topped the ranking. He was followed by International Masters Mosadeghpour Masoud and Khodashenas Mersad of the hosts. On the Girls' side, Indian Women's IM Ivana Maria Furtado won the gold. Women's FIDE Master Alinasab Mobina of Iran and Harshita Guddanti of India came second and third, respectively. Minh and his younger brother IM Trần Minh Thắng continued competing in the standard chess event. Title favourite Minh, who won the National Championship crown last month, will face host master Moghadam Alireza in the first match. No 8 Thắng will meet Iranian Motavas Pouya. Players will play nine matches until May 10. The blitz chess event will follow and also end on the same day. - VNS … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Vietnamese top badminton player Nguyễn Tiến Minh has retained his world No 52 position in the latest rankings, according to the Badminton World Federation. Minh was ousted in the men's singles first round of the Badminton Asia Championships in China, which meant he was unable to advance his world ranking. The world No 1 spot belonged to Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia. Viktor Axelsen and Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark were the runners-up. On the women's side, Minh's wife, Vũ Thị Trang moved up one spot to world No 38, while Nguyễn Thùy Linh dropped one place to world No 72. In the women's doubles, Trang and Nguyễn Thị Sen retained the world No 56 position, while in the mixed doubles, Đỗ Tuấn Đức and Phạm Như Thảo slid three places to world No 57. - VNS … [Read more...]

Shortage of tour guides critical upon strong tourism growth Dao Loan HCMC - The increasing number of foreign visitors to Vietnam recently has led to a severe shortage of tour guides, especially those able to speak Chinese, Korean, Japanese or German. Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travel Trading Company Limited (Lien Bang Travelink), said that the lack of Chinese-speaking tour guides has been a big problem for years, especially in coastal cities such as Danang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc. The lack of such tour guides has persisted although compensations are high for such people, he said. Monthly income of Chinese-speaking tour guides can be up to VND30 million (about US$1,320), he said. “This is a good income but travel firms still find it very difficult to have enough Chinese-speaking tour guides,” Thanh said. Nguyen Thi Khanh, vice chairman of the HCMC Tourism Association (HTA), said that the lack of tour guides has been a chronic problem for the tourism industry. … [Read more...]

Hanoi, May 3 (VNA) – With 127 kilometres of coastline, the central coastal province of Thua Thien-Hue boasts large potential to develop sea-based tourism. The locality is home to beautiful beaches such as Thuan An, Lang Co, Canh Duong, and Tu Hien, along with the natural resources of the 22,000 hectare Tam Giang-Cau Hai lagoon system – the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia. During the holidays from April 29 to May 2, Thuan An beach, about 15 kilometres from the imperial city of Hue, attracted nearly 12,000 visitors per day. Located some 60 kilometres from Hue, Canh Duong beach is also considered a beautiful beach at 8 kilometres long. Additionally, Lang Co was voted one of the world’s most beautiful bays by the Worldbays Club in 2009. With a 10km long white sand beach, Lang Co lies on the route “Central Heritage Road” with four famous world heritage sites, including Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province, the ancient imperial … [Read more...]