By Le Khanh  April 19, 2019 | 11:01 am GMT+7 Hanoi FC play Yangon United at the AFC Cup in Myanmar, April 17, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Thoa Vietnam’s topflight football league dropped one spot in the latest Club Competitions Ranking by the Asian Football Confederation to fifth in Southeast Asia. The V-League had 19,715 points to rank 22nd in Asia and behind Thailand (8th), the Philippines (12th), Singapore (16th), and Malaysia (17th) in Southeast Asia. This follows unimpressive performances by V-League clubs in international tournaments. Since 2017 Vietnam has not had a single team playing in the finals of the biggest continental club competition, the AFC Champions League. Its teams also played poorly in the AFC Cup for weaker teams, with none qualifying from the group stage since 2015. The best performance so far has been by Binh Duong who made it to the semifinals in 2009. In the 2019 season Vietnam has two representatives in the AFC Cup. In the most … [Read more...] about Vietnam football league ranks poor fifth in Southeast Asia
China v philippines asian cup
9th HDBank International Chess Open Tournament closes after exciting week of world-class competition
Viet Nam News HCM CITY — The No 1 seed, Grandmaster (GM) Wang Hao of China, won the 9th HDBank International Chess Open Tournament 2019, which closed on Wednesday (March 13) in HCM City after a week of exciting world-class competition among 304 players. He received the top prize ($16,000) from Arkady Dvorkovich, the new president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE). Wang Hao, who was born in 1989, was also the winner of the 6th HDBank International Chess Open Tournament in 2016, and the third-prize winner in the Under-10 division of the World Youth Chess Championships in Spain in 1999. This year, Wang Hao, who has participated in the HDBank international chess tournaments for the last four years, won the top prize after nine games. In his first game, he played with International Master (IM) Miciano John Marvin (Elo 2,317) of the Philippines. The game ended in a draw with Hai sharing points with Miciano, a lower-ranked player. The start was not smooth for the … [Read more...] about 9th HDBank International Chess Open Tournament closes after exciting week of world-class competition
AFC Asian Cup: A modest, challenging goal for Vietnam
In 2018, the Vietnamese men's football team notched up a string of successes. They were runner up at the U23 Asian Cup, finished fourth in the Asian Games and won the AFF Cup. They start of the new year with a challenge that is at another, higher level. The AFC Asian Cup is the number one tournament in Asia. Vietnam had got through the group stage in the 2007 edition, and even made it to the quarter finals, but that year, they had a massive home advantage. Under current coach Park Hang-seo, Vietnam has defeated many bigger teams like Australia, Iraq, Qatar and Japan, but these were not the national teams. At the AFF Cup 2018, the team also beat big regional opponents like Malaysia and the Philippines. But, at the Asian Cup this year, Vietnam has been placed in group D with much stronger opponents like Iran, a World Cup 2018 participant, and Iraq, Asian Cup champions in 2007. Head coach Park Hang-seo in a team's training. Photo courtesy of AFC Vietnam has never beaten Iraq at the … [Read more...] about AFC Asian Cup: A modest, challenging goal for Vietnam
Humble Đức plays a key role in Việt Nam’s success
Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Though Phan Văn Đức only received a last-minute call-up to the national U23 side and wasn’t a first choice of his head coach at the start of this year, the striker has proven a key player for a national team on the cusp of silverware in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup this weekend. Đức has been a star man for the unbeaten team, with two goals and assists in the tournament. The Nghệ An Province-born striker notched both the assists in the 2-2 draw in the first leg of the final away to Malaysia. The 22-year-old has had a long journey to where he stands today. Like many kids, Đức fell in love with football and dreamed of one day playing for the national team. He was picked for the Yên Thành District team competing in a provincial championship as a skinny youth and was spotted by Sông Lam Nghệ An FC scouts. Đức then left his small village for Sông … [Read more...] about Humble Đức plays a key role in Việt Nam’s success