Category: Sports

Hanoi: A photo exhibition, themed ‘From Dien Bien Phu in 1954 to Hanoi – Dien Bien Phu in the Air in 1972,’ is being held at the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum in the northern province of Dien Bien from March 22-27.

The exhibition is among a series of activities in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 – 2024).

On display are 150 photos divided into three parts. The first part, themed ‘Dien Bien Phu Victory in 1954,’ introduces 60 photos of Dien Bien Phu stronghold, strategic decisions, outstanding battles, and developments and significance of the Dien Bien Phu Victory.

The second part with a total of 50 photos focuses on the so-called Dien Bien Phu in the Air in 1972, depicting the US’s plot of conducting air raid in northern provinces using B-52 fighters, the sound guidelines of the Party, the hardships and sacrifices of Vietnamese troops and people in the battle that lasted 12 days and nights which forced the US Government to resume negotiations and sign the Paris A
greement in 1973.

Forty photos in the last part introduce today’s Hanoi and Dien Bien province, cultural features, and important events in the localities.

The exhibition aims to inspire visitors’ pride, self-respect, and responsibility for firmly protecting the Fatherland./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Paris: The Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France represented Vietnam at the Week-end de la Francophonie (Francophonie Weekend) on March 23-24, which was held in celebration of the Fifth International Francophonie Day 2024 (March 20) in Yèble (Seine et Marne province), 60km from Paris.

This year’s event, the fifth of its kind, hosted nearly 40 booths of members of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, French localities and associations. Vietnam was a guest of honour of this year edition.

Adorned with the national flag, the pavilion of Vietnam drew attention of many event-goers. Publications on the country’s tourist attractions along with souvenir and traditional musical instruments were on display.

Besides, a special art programme and traditional Ao Dai (long dress) fashion show were also held during the two-day event.

Deputy director of the centre Tang Thanh Son said through the event, the centre wanted to introduce beautiful images of the S-shaped country and its people.

Marième Tamata-Varin
, the Mayor of Yèbles, said that Vietnam is selected as a guest of honour of this year’s event because the country has always actively participated in all past editions of the city’s International Francophonie Day.

Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), acknowledged that the event was an excellent opportunity to promote Vietnamese culture to foreign friends, through activities to introduce the country’s beauty, heritages recognised by UNESCO, culture imbued with national identity, as well as the Vietnamese people who are friendly and ready to cooperate with international partners and friends for peace and development.

First held in 2015, the biennial Francophonie Weekend in Yebles offers chances for participating countries to introduce their culture through music, cuisine, literature and folk games, as well as bolster mutual understanding via discussions on emerging issues in member countries./.

S
ource: Vietnam News Agency

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

Hanoi: Binh Dinh is hosting the Amazing Binh Dinh Fest in Quy Nhon city with the highlight being the UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship (from March 22-24) and UIM F1H20 World Championship Grand Prix of Binh Dinh (from March 29-31), which is a great chance for the south-central locality to attract tourists.

At a conference to provide socio-economic information of the locality and introduce the Culture, Sports and Tourism Week of Binh Dinh on March 23, Nguyen Tuan Thanh, Standing Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee told the press about the locality’s visions and orientations for investment attraction and socio-economic development by hosting international sports events.

Reporter: This is the first time Vietnam has hosted the UIM F1H20 World Championship Grand Prix. Could you please reveal the reason why Binh Dinh is chosen as the venue of the tournament?

Nguyen Tuan Thanh: The tournament came to Binh Dinh as a luck besides the province’s efforts to win the right to host it. We recognised that
if Quy Nhon could host the event, it would be a great chance for us to promote our potential and strengths in culture and human resources, as well as an opportunity for the land of martial art to call for investment.

Therefore, right after information of the tournament was released, we made a very quick decision. Then we worked with the organising board of the tournament. They made several visits to Binh Dinh to make surveys and check the entire infrastructure system and other conditions to see whether the locality boasts full conditions to host the event or not.

At that time, we were still “in disarray”, but with the determination to attract this tournament at all costs, we exerted a lot of efforts. Currently the race is going very well, the organising board and the racing teams are very satisfied. Thanks to the enthusiasm of Binh Dinh and the efforts of the organising board, we have managed to bring the tournament here.

Reporter: What does the tournament mean for Binh Dinh tourism in particular and the p
rovince’s socio-economic situation in general at present?

Nguyen Tuan Thanh: As I have said, the event means a lot to us. Many foreign visitors have come to enjoy the race and engage in investment promotion activities of the province. Many businesses have also come to us following this sports event.

Reporter: Does Binh Dinh has any plan to organise an annual sea sports event carrying the brand of Binh Dinh, like what Da Nang has done to develop the International Fireworks Festival?

Nguyen Tuan Thanh: We hopes so and we are working for it. From the story of this F1 tournament, we have found that in order to boost tourism and make opportunities to lure foreign visitors, Binh Dinh must build such ‘trademark’.

The province has defined that it needs to create uniqueness and organise a chain of events. Instead of holding small events scattered” from the beginning of the year to the end of the year like before, we are focusing on organising a series of events in association with important occasions such as the B
inh Dinh liberation day (March 31) and the summer tourism season – the time when the number of foreign tourists ‘booms’ before going down in the rainy season in Binh Dinh.

Reporter: It is reported that Binh Dinh will host the Vietnam-Canada Trade Promotion Conference and the Binh Dinh Investment Promotion 2024 next week. Could you share information about these conferences?

Nguyen Tuan Thanh: On March 28, we will organise a Vietnam-Canada Trade Investment Conference to discuss the trading of goods and local firms’ exports to Canada.

The Binh Dinh Investment Promotion 2024 will take place from April 29, which will be a major investment promotion event. To date, 120 enterprises from the Republic of Korea, Japan, Thailand, the UAE as well as representatives from many foreign organisations have registered to attend the event.

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