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Doctor fears STDs, abortions after Valentine's Day

2012-02-15T14:57:00.001+07:00

Valentine’s Day is not a happy one for ob-gyn doctors as the romantic night often leads to surging demands for abortion and STD examinations, a Hanoi doctor said.

Ob-gyn hospitals and clinics say they receive a high number of women with unexpected pregnancy in the weeks following big holidays like the New Year's, Christmas, and especially Valentine’s Day.

Meanwhile, many men come for examinations anxious about sexually transmitted diseases because they didn't have lovers and slept with prostitutes instead, said the doctor from the capital.

A Monday report on news website VnExpress said that many hotels and guest houses run out of rooms on the night of Valentine's day.

Doctors said the worrying thing is that few of the couples, especially unmarried ones, are using birth control measures.

“A month after the Valentine, the number of women coming to my clinic, as well as others, always surges, or even doubles,” said Le Thi Kim Dung, an ob-gyn doctor at the Labor Health Center in Hanoi.

“I don’t pass judgment on people having sex because it’s a physical need," she said. "But the problem is that young people have to be aware of what they do, of the consequences, so that they can take preventive measures.”

Dung said one of the simple measures to prevent unexpected pregnancy and STDs is using condoms, but many young people chose not to. Many say they forgot, or were afraid that their partners would resist because using a prophylactic reduces the pleasure of sex.

A recent national survey on Vietnam’s teenagers and young people showed that 95 percent of the respondents know about condoms but were unwilling to use them, the report said.

“Another reason is some people believe their partners are healthy," Dung said. "But once you are having unprotected sex, it means you are completely at risk of having an unexpected pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases."

The doctor said STD infection rates can be very high. 25 percent of men and 50 percent of women become infected after just one unprotected sexual encounter with an infected partner.

She said people cannot know if someone has an STD or not just by looking, adding that around 70 percent of women and 50 percent of men infected with Chlamydia bacterium show no symptoms.

“There are people with good immune systems that do not show symptoms but can still transmit the diseases.”

Taking preventive measures is easier than having to come to a clinic to cure a disease or have an abortion afterwards, Dung said.

She suggested people bring condoms whenever they go out or on a vacation, even when they do not plan to have sex.

Thanh Nien News

Vietnamese models to attend New York Fashion Week

2012-02-15T14:55:00.000+07:00

Photo by Milor Tran. Tuyet Lan (L) and Hoang Thuy(R) will attend in New York Fashion Week 2012 with model Ngoc Thach.

Hoang Thuy, Tuyet Lan and Ngoc Thach will be the first three trailblazing Vietnamese models to catwalk New York Fashion Week 2012 February 13 – 19.

This is the first time Vietnamese models will appear at the event, which takes place twice a year in Manhattan's Bryant Park and features famous designers showing off their latest collections for the upcoming season.

The promising models will showcase the work of noted designers Korto Momolu and Laurel DeWitt.

Hoang Thuy shot to fame when she won Vietnam's Next Top Model’s on January 8 in a special show featuring the attendance of supermodel Tyra Banks.

Tuyet Lan was the runner-up of Vietnam Next Top Model’s first season in 2010 and won the Asian Model Search 2011 contest in Singapore last year.

Ngoc Thach won the Vietnam Supermodel contest in 2010.

New York Fashion Week is hosted by the Council of Fashion Designer of America (CFDA) and is one of the top four global fashion weeks, together with the same events in London, Paris and Milan.

The event features celebrities, models, designers and the press partying and previewing clothes for the spring collection in September and winter collection in February.

Thanh Nien News

New club Saigon FC climbs to second

2012-02-15T14:50:00.000+07:00

Saigon FC’s Huynh Kesley Alves (R) celebrates his opener with Antonio Carlos in a match against Da Nang at Thong Nhat Stadium Sunday.

Saigon FC climbed one position to second in the country’s top-flight Super League after a 2-1 fifth round home win over Da Nang at Thong Nhat Stadium Sunday.

Le Huynh Duc, the coach of 2009 champions Da Nang, who won the “month’s best coach” title last month, badly wanted a win on the trip to his hometown Ho Chi Minh City.

However, the hosts with two draws and two wins from the first four rounds of the season were in high spirits and had better control of the match with two goals in the first half.

The visitors from Da Nang City came alive after the break but all they could do was pull back only one goal.

In other action, the Mekong Delta side Dong Thap earned a 3-1 home win over Navibank Saigon at Cao Lanh Stadium while hosts Khanh Hoa beat visitors Kien Giang 1-0 at Nha Trang Stadium.

In early matches on Saturday, 2010 champs Hanoi T&T beat Thanh Hoa 3-2 at Hang Day Stadium to retain their first-place position while 2003-04 champs Hoang Anh Gia Lai defeated Hanoi FC 2-1 at Pleiku Stadium.

Ninh Binh beat Hai Phong 2-0 at home and then Binh Duong, the 2007-08 champs, fought to a goalless tie with reigning champs Song Lam Nghe An at Go Dau Stadium.

With only two draws from the five rounds, Hai Phong is now at the bottom of the 14-club league with just two points.

By Thanh Nien News

Top Vietnam football tournament to be called V-League again

2012-02-15T14:46:00.000+07:00

The above logo will not be used for the country's top-flight football tournament from this weekend onwards. It will revert to its old name, V-League.

Vietnam's top-flight football tournament will revert to its original name V-League from this weekend onwards, when the 2012 season enters the fifth round.

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Tuesday asked the league organizing company, VPF, to effect the change in name from the current Super League back to V-League.

VFF made the decision after it was asked by the General Department of Physical Training and Sports to do so.

The department said it is important that the nation's top tournament indicates the name of the country.

VPF was mooted by leading national football clubs late last year. They criticized VFF for poor management of the country’s leagues and called for a revamp. Once the VPF was etablished with the VFF as a major shareholder, the company named the nation's leading tournament Super League. The earlier name, V-League, was used when the country’s top contests turned professional in 2000.

The name Super League was used in the first four rounds of the 2012 season; and from the fifth round this weekend, it will be called the V-League Eximbank 2012, named after its main sponsor.

VPF chairman Vo Quoc Thang said, “VPF is willing to listen to opinions from authorized agencies, the media and the fans so that the organization of the league gets better and better. Changing the name is not complicated but we need to get opinions from the Board of Directors.”

Nguyen Hong Thanh, General Director of the Song Lam Nghe An football club, the league champions, said a change in the name of the league in the middle of the season will cause losses of money and time for the clubs as well as the stadiums’ organizers because many things like billboards, players’ shirts and tickets will have to be redone.

By Thanh Nien News

Vietnam company begins work on $40-mln airport project in Laos

2012-02-15T14:41:00.003+07:00

Work has begun on the first of two airports Vietnam’s Hoang Gia Lai Joint Stock Co. (HAGL) plans to build in Laos, with a total investment of US$40 million, VnExpress reported Monday.

HAGL Chairman Doan Nguyen Duc was quoted as saying that the airport, which will cover 200 hectares of Attapeu Province in southern Laos, is expected to be operational by June 2013.

Between 2013 and 2020 it will be used mainly for small airplanes that travel short distances, like the ATR 72 and Fokker 70, Duc said.

However, by the time construction finishes in 2020, the airport will be capable of handling bigger airplanes like the Airbus A320, he added.

According to Duc, the Lao government also licensed HAGL to build another airport in Huaphanh Province in northern Laos; construction on the second airport will start next year, VnExpress reported.

thanhniennews.com

Vietnamese horror film hits theatres

2012-02-14T22:19:00.001+07:00

Ngoi Nha Trong Hem (House in the Alley), a horror film about terrible secrets occurring in the house of a young couple whose marriage is heading for a break-up, will be screened at local cinemas on February 14.

Produced by US-based Coco Paris LLC, the film was directed and written by overseas Vietnamese Le Van Kiet, who graduated from the University of California , Los Angeles.

Kiet began to write the screenplay at the end of 2010 when he was staying in HCM City.

"The idea for the movie came out of an old two-storey house in a small valley in District 3 which I rented when I stayed in Vietnam ," Kiet said.

The movie features the life of a young couple, a housewife and a businessman, after they lose their first child.

The wife, Thao, is in such grief that she keeps a coffin of the child's corpse in her bedroom. Day by day, she becomes depressed and obsessed that her child is stolen from her.

Her husband, Thanh, tries to help his wife, but his efforts lead things out of control.

The couple are forced to fight against strange forces in their house.

Producer Tran Trong Dan said the movie shows that a sudden event can destroy people's lives.

"People need love and strength to put their life together again," he added.

Film stars actress Ngo Thanh Van and actor Tran Bao Son play the leading female and male roles.

"Thao is a complicated character," said Van, who starred in Dong Mau Anh Hung (Rebel) and Bay Rong (Clash).

She said the role is a challenge for her after two years of not filming.

Although House in the Alley has not been shown in Vietnam , it has received invitations to join several US film festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival in New York , Seattle International Film, Fantastic Festival in Houston, and Hawaii Film Festival.

The film's director and producer are continuing to cooperate in making another horror film Bay Cap 3 (The Level-3 Trap).

The film is about a group of young people from HCM City touring Da Lat and encountering strange situations there.

Dan said he has always wanted to make a film in Da Lat where he was born and grew up. The film is expected to be released later this year.

dtinews.vn

Athletes to compete in 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Champs

2012-02-14T22:18:00.000+07:00

Four Vietnamese athletes will take part in the 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Champs, to be held in Hangzhou, China, from February 16-19.

Duong Thi Viet Anh

The team coached by Duong Duc Thuy includes Duong Thi Viet Anh (high jump), Tran Hue Hoa (triple jump), Nguyen Thi Phuong (3,000m run) and Nguyen Thi Thuy (400m run). The team’s medal hopes are mostly on Duong Viet Anh, who has made good progress recently.

Top sprinter Truong Thanh Hang will not join the event because she is preparing for the Asian All Stars Athletics Meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan in June to collect points for a berth at the 2012 London Olympics this summer.

dtinews.vn

Culture Ministry to consider photo scandal of Miss Vietnam 2006

2012-02-14T22:16:00.001+07:00

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) has stated that it had never announced to withdraw the Miss Vietnam title of Mai Phuong Thuy.

The Ministry said that it would assign a specialized agency to check Thuy’s photos before making the final decision.

The Ministry said that the photo shoot featuring Mai Phuong Thuy in ao dai are controversial works. Many people said that the Vietnamese traditional ao dai was abused to inappropriately show off the beauty of woman body. However, many photographers said that the photo shoot is “sexy,” not “erotic” and “it is unnecessary to restrict the creativeness of artists.”

The Ministry seems to be sympathetic with the Miss Vietnam 2006 because she took the photo shoot when she was only 20. However, the MoCST’s spokesperson, Mr. To Van Dong, said that the beauty queen should not make public these photos.

According to the Ministry, the “scandal” is a valuable lesson for beauty queens in using ao dai in photo shoots.

Mai Phuong Thuy’s ao dai photo shoots, which were taken four years ago, appeared on an online newspaper on February 3. The photo collection captured Thuy donning a sleek and transparent white ao dai in different sexy poses.

The shoot, 10 black and white photos of Thuy, accessorized with Vietnamese “non la” (cone hat) and symbolic lotus flowers, was done by photographer Quoc Huy.

A number of netizens have strongly criticized the photos, saying Thuy’s too erotic poses damaged the traditional and beautiful image of ao dai. Some said she only used the dress to show off her body’s curves.

However, another group of commentators praise Thuy’s body, arguing that the photos have captured the delicate, gentle and fragile image of Vietnamese women.

Thuy on February 8 sent an official apology to her fans for the controversial photo shoot. Thuy, in her apology letter, wrote that she was too young when she modeled for the shoot and her lack of modeling skills have probably sent the wrong message about the purpose of the photos.

“The whole team and I only aimed for aesthetic values in the photos. If we failed to deliver the message, we should really learn from the experience and improve ourselves.

“We certainly do not intend to tarnish the image of traditional ao dai and Vietnamese women. I apologized for all the inconveniences caused when you see these photos. I hope to have your sympathy and another chance to contribute to the community,” she wrote.

Mai Phuong Thuy in the controversial photo shoot:

dtinews.vn

"Chronicle" wins tight box office race

2012-02-11T10:57:00.001+07:00

Teen boys with superpowers helped lift the movie box office to unexpected heights over Super Bowl weekend as thriller "Chronicle" edged "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe's haunted house movie "The Woman in Black."

Actor Dane DeHaan in a "Chrohicle" poster

"Chronicle" brought in an estimated $22.0 million from U.S. and Canadian theaters, studio estimates released on Sunday showed. The movie with largely unknown actors finished just ahead of Radcliffe's "Woman in Black," which took in an estimated $21.0 million.

Both performances surpassed projections from studio executives, who had expected weaker sales against competition from Sunday's Super Bowl football championship. The tallies include actual ticket receipts for Friday and Saturday plus estimates for Sunday at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters.

"Chronicle" added $13 million from 33 international markets, for a global weekend total of $35 million.

The appearance of young moviegoers, who had shunned some recent films targeted to them, boosted the top two films.

"The teen audience seems to be coming back to movies again. There was serious worry they were fading," said John Davis, who produced "Chronicle."

The movie tells the story of three teenage boys who develop superpowers and find they have a dark side. People under age 25 made up 61 percent of the movie's audience, distributor 20th Century Fox said. Fifty-five percent were males.

The studio produced "Chronicle" for about $12 million and had forecast debut weekend sales below $10 million.

Young moviegoers also propelled "Woman in Black" well past studio expectations of around $10 million. Fifty-seven percent of filmgoers were under age 25, and 59 percent were females.

The movie was Radcliffe's first since the blockbuster "Harry Potter" franchise ended last summer. The film attracted Radcliffe's young female fans plus "an audience that likes to be scared but not grossed out," said Steven Friedlander, executive vice president of theatrical distribution for CBS Films, the unit of CBS Corp that released the movie.

"Woman in Black" scored as the biggest debut weekend ever for CBS Films, which has struggled with its five earlier movies. The studio's biggest previous opening was a $12.2 million debut for "The Back-up Plan."

With "Woman in Black," the studio acquired domestic distribution rights for $3 million and spent about $15 million on marketing.

Elsewhere this weekend, Liam Neeson thriller "The Grey," dropped to third place with $9.5 million. The movie ranked No. 1 last weekend and has brought in $34.8 million domestically after two weekends in theaters.

Super Bowl alternatives

Total ticket sales outpaced the same weekend last year by nearly 37 percent despite competition from the Super Bowl, according to the box office division of Hollywood.com. Sales for all films reached $119 million.

"Big Miracle," a drama based on the true story of a whale rescue, aimed to offer a non-football alternative to young women and girls. The movie finished the weekend in fourth place with $8.5 million domestically, in line with studio forecasts.

The movie starring Drew Barrymore and "The Office" actor John Krasinski cost less than $40 million to produce.

In fifth place, vampire and werewolf sequel "Underworld: Awakening" starring Kate Beckinsale took in $5.6 million at domestic theaters. To date, the movie's worldwide sales stand at $108.3 million.

News Corp unit 20th Century Fox distributed "Chronicle." "Big Miracle" was released by Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast Corp. Open Road Films, a joint venture between theater owners Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Inc, distributed "The Grey." The film studio of Sony Corp released "Underworld: Awakening."

dtinews.vn

Man Utd v Liverpool Odds: Back Javier Hernandez to score last

2012-02-11T09:45:00.001+07:00

The live Saturday lunchtime offering in the Premier League is a mouth-watering and potentially controversial affair as Manchester United host Liverpool at Old Trafford. United start the match as 5/6 favourites, while Liverpool are priced 10/3 and the draw 13/5 by Paddy Power, but the main focus will be on Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra.

Suarez and Evra meet for the first time since the Liverpool man was charged with racially abusing Evra. Paddy Power go 4/11 for the pair to shake hands on Saturday and 15/8 that the pair avoid a handshake. Furthermore, the Irish bookmaker will refund all losing first/last scorer, correct score and scorecast single bets if Luis Suarez scores anytime at Old Trafford.

Bearing that in mind, it could be worth a look at Javier Hernandez to score last at odds of 11/2. Hernandez scored in the final ten minutes of both Man Utd v Liverpool matches last season and he repeated the trick with a late equaliser in the thrilling 3-3 draw with Chelsea last weekend. Furthermore, paddy power go evens that the last goal of Saturday's match is scored after the 73rd minute.

United should be buoyant after they fought back from 3-0 down at Stamford Bridge and they will be looking to extend a formidable home record against Liverpool. They have won 29 and lost only two of their last 33 league games at Old Trafford and they have won seven of their last eight at home against Liverpool.

Furthermore, they have scored sixteen in their last five fixtures at Old Trafford and they have scored in every league match there, with over 2.5 goals available at 5/6. With their injury crisis easing, as Nani, Phil Jones and Tom Cleverley near full fitness, United look well set to step up their title bid.

The concern for Liverpool will be their lack of goals this season as they have scored just 28 goals in 24 league games. They have the worst conversion rate of chances in the league and United can be backed at 6/4 to keep a clean sheet and 9/4 to win to nil with Paddy Power, which looks decent value as they have kept clean sheets in three of their last four at home.

Liverpool, who welcome Jose Enrique back from injury, may have won four of the last seven matches against United but their recent domestic form has been pretty poor as they have won just two of their last six in all competitions. They did beat United 2-1 in the FA Cup two weeks ago but even the most faithful Liverpool fan would admit that they were lucky.

We expect United to gain swift revenge for that defeat, although it could be a controversial match as there have been four penalties in the last six meetings between the two, with Paddy Power going 2/1 for Phil Dowd to award a penalty on Saturday.

With Paddy Power's money back offer in mind, it could be worth a punt on the correct score of 2-1 to United at odds of 7/1 as they look to move to the top of the Premier League, with Man City not in action until Sunday.

betting-directory.com

Future of top Vietnamese satirical TV show in doubt

2012-02-09T00:10:00.000+07:00

Rumours that one of the Vietnam’s most loved television shows – the Kitchen Gods– an end of year satire performance may come to an end has sparked public dismay.

A tense argument between the Kitchen Gods of Education and Transport over changes to school hours

The show’s director, Do Thanh Hai, confirmed with DTiNews that a final decision had yet to be reached on the show, and that rumours of the hard-hitting satirical show facing the axe were mere media speculation.

The show has proved hugely popular as it features the antics of the Jade Emperor and his advisors dealing with the complaints, trials and tribulations of various petitioners representing current Vietnamese government ministers.

Topics on this year's end of year review included the controversial decision by the Ministry of Transport to change school hours, a spate of unexplained vehicle fires, violent disturbances in residential areas, bribery in the health sector, a standstill in the real estate market, high interest rates and financial difficulties, and the skimpy costumes worn by singers.

Audiences have expressed their surprise at the rumoured cancellation.

Hai said, “The reporter asked me what would I do if the show was halted. I told him that I’d not really thought about it being cancelled and I hadn’t any new projects in development”.

“We often map out a plan for the show by midyear. So, currently we’ve got no information about the future of this year’s show,” he noted.

Hai added that if the show continued to draw high viewing figures, they would do their utmost to ensure it would continue.

The show humorously criticises the problems Vietnam faces, including the economy, education, healthcare, transportation, and culture during the year.

The latest Tet’s show has received rave reviews for it’s brave and entertaining delivery.

‘Patients’ of the economic and healthcare industries drew great attention during the show

dtinews.vn

Hoang Thien claims victory at U18 international tennis tourney

2012-02-07T14:39:00.000+07:00

Vietnam’s top player Nguyen Hoang Thien and his Hong Kong partner Wong Chun Hun won the men’s doubles event at the U18 International Tennis Federation (ITF) Tournament (Grade 4) in New Zealand on February 3.

Before entering the finals, Hoang Thien and Chun Hun had defeated Smith-Stoica and Gage Brown-Southon from New Zealand, Plodpai-Wiriyajanyong from Thailand, and Delaney-Polmans from Australia.

In the finals, Thien and Wong trounced the World’s No.4 seed pair Allan and Horton from Australia 2-0 (6/3, 6/2). This is a good start for the young Vietnamese star in 2012.

In the men’s singles event, Thien missed a chance to advance further after losing 1-2 to Kang Ku Keon from the Republic of Korea.

dtinews.vn

Liem finishes 7th at UK Chess Festival

2012-02-07T14:37:00.000+07:00

Vietnamese Chess Grandmaster Le Quang Liem completed the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival in the UK ranking 7th with 7 points after a draw in the final match with Indian rival Negi Parimarjanon on February 2.

Host player Nigel D. Short came first and Chinese female player Hou Yifan second. Both earned 8 points after 10 matches and had to compete in blitz chess events which ended in favour of the host with a win and a draw.

Liem is scheduled to take part in the Aeroflot Tournament in Russia where he will defend his championship title.

dtinews.vn

CSKA sign South Korean midfielder Kim In-Sung

2012-02-07T14:31:00.001+07:00

PFC CSKA Moskva have signed 22-year-old South Korean midfielder Kim In-Sung from Gangneung City FC as they prepare to resume their season in Europe and at home.

PFC CSKA Moskva have made their third winter acquisition with the UEFA Champions League contenders bringing in South Korean midfielder Kim In-Sung.

Kim, 22, has signed a 12-month deal with the option of a further two years after helping semi-professional side Gangneung City FC to a third-place finish in South Korea's second division last season, scoring four times in 25 league games. He joins the Army Men's other recent arrivals, Sweden midfielder Pontus Wernbloom and Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa.

CSKA meet Real Madrid CF in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, with the tie kicking off in Moscow on 21 February and concluding at the Santiago Bernabéu on 14 March. They resume their Russian Premier-Liga campaign – they sit second, six points adrift of leaders FC Zenit St Petersburg – in March.

uefa.com

Leverkusen's Derdiyok joins Sam on the sidelines

2012-02-07T14:28:00.000+07:00

Bayer 04 Leverkusen's injury problems have worsened with top scorer Eren Derdiyok ruled out of the round of 16 opener against FC Barcelona after treading on a shard of glass.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen will be without Switzerland striker Eren Derdiyok for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 match against FC Barcelona.

The 23-year-old forward trod on a shard of glass while at home on Thursday night and required seven stitches in his foot. "Eren stepped in some glass at his apartment," confirmed Bayer coach Robin Dutt. "The wound has been stitched but the foot has to be rested for at least ten days. He will be sidelined for two to three weeks."

The news will come as a blow to Dutt as Derdiyok is Leverkusen's top scorer in the Bundesliga this season with six goals. He has also found the target twice in the UEFA Champions League and once in the German Cup.

The Bundesliga outfit have already had to contend with losing midfielder Sidney Sam, who has been ruled out for will the next two months after picking up a thigh muscle injury during Saturday's 2-2 draw with VfB Stuttgart.

Sam, who started all six of Leverkusen's matches in UEFA Champions League Group E, scoring once, had to be brought off 12 minutes after being introduced as a 72nd-minute substitute against Stuttgart.

Dutt explained: "It's obviously a difficult situation for us at the moment, as almost every week we have new injuries to complain about. Sidney Sam will definitely be unavailable for the next two months."

Leverkusen face reigning champions Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, with the first leg in Germany on 14 February and the Camp Nou return scheduled for 7 March.

uefa.com

Lombaerts celebrates Zenit's historic achievement

2012-02-07T14:14:00.001+07:00

Nicolas Lombaerts set his sights on prolonging a "magnificent season" as FC Zenit St Petersburg celebrated the 0-0 draw at FC Porto that took them through to the last 16 for the first time.,

Nicolas Lombaerts betrayed some sympathy for FC Porto, but could not hide his glee after FC Zenit St Petersburg survived an onslaught to claim their place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

The cheers echoing around the underground car park at the Estádio do Dragão spoke volumes for satisfied visitors as Zenit prepared for the long journey home from Portugal in high spirits. With their place in next Friday's knockout stage draw secured and six points clear at their domestic summit, the Russian champions have plenty to nourish them as they start an extended winter break.

"It's the first time we've got through to the last 16 so it's truly historic," beamed Lombaerts. The Belgian international, part of a determined rearguard action that lasted most of the 90 minutes, felt pity for the vanquished Portuguese title holders: his team-mates' cries of delight were, he said, partly born of relief.

"It was very difficult today," he told UEFA.com. "They were better than us, and deserved to win, but that's football. We played like that against APOEL [FC on matchday five, drawing 0-0], so we are just very happy today." The 26-year-old reserved special praise for goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev: "He saved us. He played a magnificent match."

Wave after wave of attack broke in the Zenit penalty area but as the wash receded Malafeev was always there, an impenetrable barrier. Porto's Nicolás Otamendi, for one, was at a loss. "We did everything we could to get the win," he said. "We knew Zenit would play an intelligent game, giving nothing away and playing on the counterattack. We created lots of chances to score but had no luck."

Even if elimination is difficult to swallow, Otamendi did share his coach Vítor Pereira's view that the opportunity to defend the UEFA Europa League title they won with such elan last season is a consolation. "We have to think about the rest of the year," he said. "We have to approach the Europa League as we did this match, with maximum effort and together, as a group."

Team-mate Hulk shared Otamendi's positive outlook. "It is disappointing as we played our best game of the season, in a collective sense," he said, "It was nice to see the fans applauding our efforts, gratifying – it's just a pity the applause wasn't for victory."

Zenit will also accept their supporters' acclaim, as they look to new horizons. The transitional Premier-Liga season means there is still some way to go in their domestic campaign. "The season is normally finished now but we have 12 matches to go in the league," said Lombaerts.

"We're top, six points clear; we could be champions again, we could get to the [UEFA Champions League] quarter-finals. Anything is possible. It has been a magnificent season." And it is not over yet.

uefa.com

Zenit inspired for immediate Portuguese reunion

2012-02-07T14:09:00.000+07:00

Having eliminated FC Porto in their last fixture, for their first UEFA Champions League knockout round tie FC Zenit St Petersburg face more Portuguese opponents in SL Benfica.

FC Zenit St Petersburg have an immediate reunion with Portuguese opponents as their first participation in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds pits them against SL Benfica.

• The Russian champions drew 0-0 at FC Porto on matchday six to finish second behind APOEL FC in Group G. For Benfica, this tie represents a first appearance in the knockout rounds since 2005/06; their last three campaigns all ended in the group stage.

Previous meetings
• For the first meeting between the teams, Zenit will be looking to uphold their unbeaten home record against Portuguese opposition. In three fixtures they have won two and drawn the other.

• The most recent encounter came on 28 September when the Russian club beat Porto 3-1 with Roman Shirokov's two goals overturning James Rodríguez's early opener. Danny then secured the points 18 minutes from time.

• Zenit also drew 1-1 at home to CD Nacional in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League play-offs, losing 5-4 on aggregate, and beat Vitória SC 2-1 in the UEFA Cup group stage in October 2005.

• Benfica lost on their last visit to Russia, going down 2-0 at PFC CSKA Moskva in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup round of 32. That set up their only aggregate defeat by a Russian side with the home game ending 1-1.

• That CSKA loss ended a six-match unbeaten run home and away against Russian sides, Benfica having won three and drawn three before that defeat. Away from home they drew two and won one.

Match background
• A 1-0 defeat of FC Oţelul Galaţi enabled Benfica to finish as Group C winners having also won the reverse fixture in Bucharest. They also won at FC Basel 1893 and drew at Manchester United FC. It was the first time the two-time European champions had finished top of their UEFA Champions League group since 1995.

• With draws at Trabzonspor AŞ and FC Twente in this season's qualifying rounds Benfica have suffered only one defeat in their last nine European away games. That came in Portugal when fellow Liga side SC Braga won 1-0 to complete an away-goals triumph in last season's UEFA Europa League semi-finals after the Lisbon leg had ended 2-1 to the home side.

• The 1961 and 1962 European champions were last in this stage in 2005/06 when they beat then holders Liverpool FC 1-0 at home and 2-0 away with Luisão on the scoresheet in the first leg. Benfica's run came to an end in the quarter-finals when eventual champions FC Barcelona beat them 2-0 in Spain after the first game had ended scoreless.

• Apart from the win against Porto, Zenit also beat FC Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 at home and drew 0-0 with APOEL in Group G.

• They have a unbeaten home European record dating back to 30 September 2008 when Real Madrid CF won 2-1 in a UEFA Champions League group stage fixture. Including qualifying ties they have since gone 15 games without defeat, winning 11 and drawing four.

Team ties
• Artur played for AS Roma in 2008/09 under Zenit coach Luciano Spalletti.

• Zenit's Bruno Alves and Danny and Benfica's Eduardo are team-mates with the Portuguese national team.

• Bruno Alves and Danny have both played club football in Portugal. Bruno Alves scored against Benfica in Porto's 3-1 win in 2009/10, one of four wins he celebrated in 13 matches. In five games against Benfica with CS Marítimo, Danny was on the winning side just once.

• Vyacheslav Malafeev has played for Russia against Portugal twice, his team losing 7-1 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Lisbon on 13 October 2004. Earlier the same year he came on as a second-half substitute against the host nation at UEFA EURO 2004 with Russia losing 1-0 in Lisbon; he conceded a second goal as Portugal won 2-0.

• Aleksandar Luković plays for Serbia alongside Nemanja Matić. Danko Lazović retired from international football last March.

• Nicolas Lombaerts is a team-mate of Axel Witsel for Belgium.

• Eduardo and Domenico Criscito were team-mates at Genoa CFC in 2009/10.

uefa.com

Zenit's Danny out for eight months

2012-02-07T14:07:00.001+07:00

FC Zenit St Petersburg will be without Danny for the rest of their UEFA Champions League campaign after the Portugal forward tore the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee.

Portuguese international forward Danny is likely to be out for eight months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee.

Danny will therefore not play again in Zenit's UEFA Champions League campaign, having started all six of his team's group stage fixtures. The 28-year-old sustained the injury during training in Florence and the extent of the problem was diagnosed on Monday.

Zenit face SL Benfica in the round of 16, with the first leg taking place in Russia on 15 February and the Lisbon return on 6 March. The Russian Premier League leaders resume their domestic campaign following the winter break at second-placed PFC CSKA Moskva on 3 March.

Mick McCarthy confident Wolves owner won't visit dressing room again

2012-02-07T14:04:00.001+07:00

Kevin Doyle set up the first Wolves goal and scored the second against QPR at Loftus Road. Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images

Mick McCarthy is thankful that he still has a job in which to be undermined. The Wolverhampton Wanderers manager may have been dismayed when the club's owner, Steve Morgan, stepped on his toes after the club's 3-0 home defeat by Liverpool last week by barging into the dressing room to berate the players, but he knows that many other chairmen would have chosen an even less attractive course of action – and sacked the manager.

McCarthy has made it clear he would not welcome another intervention by Morgan, even if it were just to congratulate the players on their first Premier League victory in two months, which is what they achieved at Loftus Road. The pair spoke about Morgan's dressing‑room incursion the day after it happened, and when McCarthy was asked whether the owner had been to see the players following their victory over Queens Park Rangers, he replied pointedly: "No, I haven't seen him and I don't think I will be."

Lest that be interpreted as a breakdown in the relationship between Morgan and the man who has been manager at Molineux since 2006 and is presiding over precisely the sort of relegation scrap that he vowed to avoid after last season's narrow escape, McCarthy added: "Can I just say something about my owner: I've won three games in 22 and I'm still here as the manager of Wolves – that's some level of support and let's not forget that. When everybody's been trying to write negative stuff about me, he's been as supportive as anybody else so I owe him a debt of gratitude."

Despite being placed under intense pressure by his team's poor results this season, McCarthy was magnanimous enough to give much of the credit for the victory that lifted Wolves out of the relegation zone to his assistant, Terry Connor. The manager explained that, with their side trailing 1-0 after a debut QPR goal for Bobby Zamora, it was Connor who suggested the half-time reshuffle in which Kevin Doyle was brought off the bench to replace the right-back Richard Stearman, with Kevin Foley dropping back into defence so that Doyle could raid from the right.

Doyle had not scored a league goal since October and his form had sunk so low that he was omitted for the last three matches and even when Emmanuel Frimpong suffered an injury in the 21st minute at Loftus Road, Doyle was overlooked as Sylvain Ebanks-Blake came on instead. However, following Connor's suggestion, the Irishman was introduced at half-time and the tactical switch transformed the game even more than Djibril Cissé's sending-off in the 33rd minute. Doyle created the equaliser for Matt Jarvis within a minute of his arrival and constantly looked menacing before scoring the winning goal in the 71st minute.

"I was interested to hear one of the tennis players, I think it was [Rafael] Nadal, talking about how they can find these shots when it's most necessary and it's the same with good footballers like Kevin Doyle," said McCarthy.

"He's had a tough time where it's just not been happening for him but the class is always there and when I needed a good substitute, Doyle proved to be the one."

Doyle's return to form and the impressive performance of Wolves once they played with an attacking formation and mindset, as opposed to the torpid caution of a first half in which Steven Fletcher was frequently isolated up front, may encourage McCarthy to go on the offensive next weekend against West Bromwich Albion, rivals in terms both of geography and league position. "We can bring them back into the relegation mix or they can put us further apart, so it's a really vital one," said McCarthy of that match.

QPR will also contest a match with big implications for the bottom, because they travel to Blackburn Rovers. Their manager, Mark Hughes, will have to find a winning formula that does not feature the suspended Cissé.

That is an obvious frustration when in the half hour before his dismissal the Frenchman had linked well with Zamora and Adel Taarabt, the triumvirate that Hughes is counting on to get QPR out of trouble so that they can pursue the more lofty ambitions that their manager believes are tantalisingly within reach.

"I knew when I came here that the most difficult part of the job would be staying in this league," said Hughes. "Once we get through this and survive, which I have every confidence we will do, then we'll have some fun here."

guardian.co.uk

Emmanuel Frimpong sent back to Arsenal with season-ending injury

2012-02-07T14:02:00.001+07:00

• Wolves loan ends thanks to ruptured cruciate in right knee
• Player had same injury in left knee two years ago

Emmanuel Frimpong, centre, vies for the ball before rupturing a cruciate in the match at QPR. Photograph: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images

Wolverhampton Wanderers' on-loan midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong will return to his parent club Arsenal after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the Premier League match at Queens Park Rangers last Saturday.

Frimpong limped off in the 24th minute of Wolves' 2-1 win at Loftus Road – and a scan has revealed the worst for the 20-year-old, who was on a season-long loan with the Molineux club.

Statements on both club websites confirmed the player will see specialists in London over the next few days before having surgery and starting a programme of rehabilitation.

The midfielder, who suffered the same injury to his left knee in 2010, had made an impressive start to his temporary spell at Wolves, catching the eye during his five appearances in gold and black.

Wolves' statement said: "Emmanuel is expected to be out for a number of months and will therefore miss the remainder of this season.

"Everyone at Wolves would like to thank the midfielder for his efforts whilst at the club and join Arsenal in wishing him a swift recovery."

Frimpong tweeted on Monday: "I wanna thank all the wolves fans for their support since I've been here and really Hope wolves stay up this season."

guardian.co.uk

Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur – as it happened

2012-02-07T13:58:00.001+07:00

Luis Suárez misses an excellent chance as he makes his comeback from suspension. Also, a cat runs on the pitch

A cat runs about on the pitch in the middle of Liverpool v Tottenham. It's the best moment of the first half. Photograph: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Simon will be here from about 7.30, so until then why not read this preview?

Kenny Dalglish says Luis Suárez is keen to play against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night following his eight-match suspension for racially abusing Patrice Evra but the manager is not sure whether to throw him in at the deep end.
The Liverpool manager said of Suárez, who has not played since the 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers on Boxing Day: "He'll want to play, won't he? There is a lot to be taken into consideration – the way the other boys have played without him and the fact he has not played for a month.
"After five or six weeks out, it's not automatic someone will come straight back into the team. It depends on the individual, it depends on our needs; not just who we have available but who we are playing against."

To continue reading click here.

Fog limits visibility at Anfield a couple of hours before kick-off between Liverpool and Tottenham. Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

7.03pm: News: the fog that threatened to force a postponement just a few minutes ago has lifted. But what hasn't lifted, sadly, is Harry Redknapp's flight from London, grounded because of "technical difficulties".

7.08pm: Early team news: Steven Gerrard starts for Liverpool but Luis Suárez is only on the bench.

7.27pm: Today's teams are in!
Liverpool: Reina, Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Adam, Spearing, Kuyt, Gerrard, Bellamy, Carroll. Subs: Doni, Aurelio, Suárez, Henderson, Coates, Downing, Carragher.
Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto, Parker, Livermore, Kranjcar, Modric, Bale, Adebayor. Subs: Cudicini, Saha, Rose, Nelsen, Khumalo, Luongo, Lancaster.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).

7.35pm: We had an inkling of Liverpool's line-up, but José Enrique and Jordan Henderson are the players who drop out of the team to make space for Kelly and Gerrard. Tottenham bring in Michael Dawson and Jake Livermore, in place of Younes Kaboul and Rafael van der Vaart.

7.42pm: Has anybody not yet seen Hugo Viana's 94th-minute 60-yard matchwinner in Portugal from yesterday? Worth a watch, if you haven't.

7.48pm: Redknapp latest, from Kevin Bond: "He was going to be here in plenty of time, then he was going to be here but not in much time, and now he's struggling. I'm not really sure. Hopefully it won't make too much difference to us." (If you don't know, his plane up from London, where his trial continues, failed to take off due to technical difficulties).

7.54pm: Fabio Capello is in the stadium. Perhaps it was the hot air emanating from the Italian's mouth that did for the Anfield fog.

7.55pm: The players are in the tunnel. Action imminent. Well, the Spurs players are in the tunnel, and a couple of Liverpudlians.

7.57pm: And they're out! There's absolutely no sign of fog, or Harry Redknapp, and football is moments away.

7.59pm: According to @InfostradaLive on Twitter, Liverpool have a 46% chance of winning, Spurs have a 23% chance of success, and there's a 31% chance of a draw. They may just have made those numbers up.

1 min: Peeeeeeeep! They're off!

3 mins: Three minutes played, three long-balls aimed at Carroll's head. "An intriguing development, Redknapp's plane being delayed and Spurs facing the prospect of playing a vital away match without the gaffer on the sidelines," writes Peter Oh. "I wonder does this make a difference to today's players or are they so self-absorbed as to not even notice the difference?" Interesting point. I think Redknapp surely deserves some credit for Tottenham's excellence, but it's only a matter of time before players just listen to, um, dubstep or something on their iPhones in preference to the manager's team talk.

3 mins: Then Carroll concedes a comedy corner, sliding a side-footed pass from near the half-way line into precisely the one area of the pitch where there was no Liverpool player to stop it trundling out of play.

4 mins: Gerrard's pass plays Carroll through, Dawson slides in and appears to poke the ball away from the striker as he prepares to shoot. Yet to see a replay, but Carroll's reaction (apoplexy, basically) suggests that Dawson perhaps didn't get the ball at all.

6 mins: Parker sends Johnson flying, inches outside the penalty area. And now we have seen a replay, and Dawson's tackle was exemplary. It had to be.

7 mins: The free-kick is touched to Gerrard, whose shot flicks the wall, hits a team-mate and bounces to safety. A very good shooting chance wasted, that.

10 mins: Tottenham have yet to do anything of note. Kelly has just ended a long spell of Liverpool possession by miscontrolling and letting the ball bobble out of play.

11 mins: There's a cat on the pitch. It's currently settled in Tottenham's penalty area. Not a fox in the box, but not too far off. "After the Manchester United game Carroll said that Kuyt had shouted at him to knock the ball down for him to run on to it. Which he did. To great success," writes Phil Sawyer. "And then carried on doing during the Wolves match. Had it not occured to Dalglish to mention this tactic in the previous 12 months, or have Carroll's travails at Liverpool been because he's really really hard of hearing?"

13 mins: The cat has now been removed, quite gently, by a burly steward. Carroll celebrates this with a couple of tasty touches.

16 mins: "Would it be unfair to say that the stray cat has already shown more awareness in the penalty area than Andy Carroll?" asks Michael McCarthy, not alone in comparing the two. It showed a good turn of pace and its movement was decent if unconventional, but it also showed a very limited grasp of the offside law and offered limited aerial ability. I'm giving Carroll the nod here.

17 mins: Walker loses the ball to Charlie Adam. Pretty embarrassing, but if there's one player it's OK to lose the ball to in these circumstances it's Charlie Adam: by the time the Scot runs two paces Walker has covered the five yards that separated them and stolent he ball right back again.

20 mins: Before kick-off Gary Neville named his favoured England starting XI. It was interesting to see Gerrard in it, while Lampard (for example) was not in his squad. Andy Carroll was in there too. Perhaps his hatred of Liverpool is waning?

22 mins: Liverpool continue to dominate, buy Tottenham are impressively alert around their own penalty area and are proving hard to break down. "Re: Carroll's tasty touches (13 mins), Maybe Carroll was celebrating the fact, that it was the cat who was taken off, not him!"

24 mins: Finally Spurs do get the ball into Liverpool's box, and with Adebayor only a couple of paces away Reina and Skrtel have a you-take-the-ball-no-you-really-it's-all-yours-no-you-simply-must moment, before the keeper eventually picks it up.

27 mins: Liverpool are suffering from a lack of width here, with Kuyt playing pretty centrally when they've got the ball, and Bellamy quite often leaving his post on the left as well. Tottenham's defence requires a bit of stretching, I think, and I'm not sure Kelly's the man to do it.

29 mins: Carroll is fouled near the half-way line, on the left wing. Adam plays a brilliant curling ball into the penalty area, which Kuyt unaccountably heads wide. No matter; he was a yard offside. For those asking for Neville's England XI, from memory it was: Hart; Walker, Jones, Smalling, Cole; Gerrard, Parker, someone I've forgotten; Sturridge, Rooney, Oxlade-Chamberlain. Can anyone fill in my gap?

31 mins: Kranjcar forces Reina into his first save, with a low, hard shot from distance which the keeper collects at the second attempt.

32 mins: Good play by Liverpool fiunally presents Spearing with a decent shooting chance, from which he produces a decent shot. It curls just wide of the post from 20 yards. "I'm worried about Spurs tonight," frets Russell Hope. "In away games against rivals we have a habit of playing this type of containing game and, as in the City game, often don't attack properly until we're behind. Very frustrating as, if we just WENT FOR IT, we'd probably have more of the ball, carry more of a threat and we've got a solid defnce to rely on IF things get hairy.

34 mins: "The cat can expect an appearance in court tomorrow morning, a fine and a lengthy ban," suggests Gary Naylow. "It may not be fur but it's a paw show from the cat and we can't just scratch it from the record, after all, a number of claws in the stadium rules were broken. Why didn't it just flea?" Um, because it wanted someone to whisker it away?

37 mins: Gareth Bale gets a rare touch of the ball. Skrtel takes full advantage, clearing ball and player into touch with maximum muscularity. "Actually, if Carroll fails to recapture his Newcastle form and ends up having to find a life outside football, Carroll's Tasty Touches does sound like a potential range of cat treats," suggests Phil Sawyer (see 13 mins).

37 mins: Liverpool win a corner from another Kelly cross. I think he's had most of their crossing chances, and hasn't beaten a defender with any of them. He also quite likes to whip a low cross into the box, which kind of misses the main point of Andy Carroll. Anyway, nothing comes of the corner.

39 mins: Another edge-of-his-own-area foul from Parker, on Gerrard, earns him a yellow card. Nice foul that. Miles away from the ball, but importantly one-footed.

40 mins: Bellamy hits this free-kick, also straight into the wall. For all that Liverpool have been the better team here, Reina's been the only keeper to have a save to make.

40 mins: Johnson cuts in from the left flank and curls in a right-footed cross that would have crept in at the far post were it not for Friedel's late and desperate stop.

42 mins: Walker gets the ball on the right of the penalty area and drives in a lowish cross which Bale backheel flicks goalwards. Nicely done, but there's no pace on the ball and Reina just catches it.

43 mins: Spurs are having their first period of controlled possession. At the end of it Walker benefits from a lucky break off Johnson and flies into the penalty area, but Agger deflects the shot wide. Gary Neville's missing player (see 29 mins) responses: "Must be Beckham," offers Andrew Austen. "Must have been Scholes," identijokes Simon Ward. "Wilshere," matter-of-facts Andrew Whittaker. Yes, that's the lad.

45 mins: We'll have a single minute of stoppage time.

Half-time: Johnson's low shot is pushed clear by Friedel, and that's half-time. This match is not living up to its billing. This is the second time of late that I've seen Spurs play without Lennon, and though the chap on the other wing gets all the good press, they seem to really miss him. "The half-time message from Kenny will be to stop pussyfooting around and sling it high to Andy Carroll, or Andy Cee as he's probably known in England-squad circles," suggests Justin Kavanagh. "And the message from Big Joe Jordan won't really matter because none of the Spurs players will probably kin what he's on about."

Still half-time: But not for long – the players are coming back out right now. "Despite the usual published emails about Carroll being useless, aside from the comedy corner his touch has been excellent tonight and he's finally looked fit in the last few games," writes Anthony Hulse. And he's right – Carroll's looking pretty good. "The one decent ball he's had in the box his first touch was perfect and would have created a chance out of very little but for an unfortunate slip. The player who should be getting slagged off is Dirk Kuyt, whose every touch has been horrific and takes any momentum out of every attack that goes near him."

46 mins: Peeeeeeeep! They're off! Again!

49 mins: Bale has just popped up on the right for the first time, which suggests 'Arry's been on the blower at half-time.

50 mins: Walker loses the ball and Johnson carries it forward, up against an out-of-position Dawson on the left wing. Options here for Liverpool, but Johnson just keeps running in a straight line until he runs out of pitch. Goal kick.

53 mins: Bale, still on the right, cuts inside and unleashes a low, hard but off-target attempt from 30 yards. The pattern of the first half (the game basically hovering somewhere between not-that-bad-really and I-wonder-what's-on-ITV) has continued thus far.

54 mins: FIGHT! Excitement at last as Bale goes down under Agger's challenge and everyone gets exercised. A bit of mild pushing and shoving ends with Bale – who actually wasn't touched, and then gave Agger a proper shove – getting booked.

57 mins: Spurs have improved since Bale's booking. Walker crosses from the right, Adebayor turns the ball back into the centre and Bale, right-footed, miscues his volley wide. "I'm a bit surprised that the cat wasn't taken off by the felinesman," puns the terminally late Matt Cast.

59 mins: Kelly, who has finally tired of sending in poor crosses, cuts inside and lets fly from 25 yards. It was on its way in at the near post as well, but Friedel saved at full length.

61 mins: An hour gone, nothing happening. Is it time for a certain Uruguayan to start warming up?

61 mins: After all, what are all the journalists going to write about if he doesn't?

61 mins: Adam's corner from the right goes just over Carroll's head and Agger, clearly surprised that it reached him in the first place, sends his free header wide.

62 mins: And Suárez is stripping off.

64 mins: Carroll flicks the ball on nicely to Kuyt, on the right-wing, who waits for a while and then produces a ball which was midway between pull-back and clearance. Adam's resulting 25-yarder is charged down.

66 mins: Dirk Kuyt comes off, Luis Suárez comes on. Tremendous ovation.

67 mins: Suárez's first involvement could very easily have brought him a goal, but Parker is alive to the danger and comes across to clear.

70 mins: Parker is rolling around in apparent agony. I think he's alleging that Suárez kicked him. And the referee agrees – Suárez is booked. And so do the replays – clearly accidental, but a boot in the balls is still a boot in the balls.

71 mins: Louis Saha comes on for Emmanuel Adebayor.

72 mins: Skrtel's headed clearance falls at Gareth Bale's feet, and the Welshman skips off towards the penalty area before shooting narrowly wide. Liverpool bring Downing on for Bellamy.

74 mins: MISS! The best chance of the game, from a terrific Kelly cross. It looks like Agger will head it at the near post, but when he misses the ball bounces into Carroll's stomach, and falls perfectly for a half-volley, which he sends very high from about eight yards.

75 mins: Skrtel goes in late, high and wild on Bale. It's not a good tackle, but it's one-footed and so he's only booked.

78 mins: Spurs give the ball away to Suárez, whose pass to Carroll sends him a bit wide. He could still have had a shot, perhaps, but instead he turns into trouble and the ball is whisked away.

80 mins: CHANCE! Johnson gets away from Walker on the left and crosses towards the near post. The ball seems to curl away from goal at the last moment, enough to befuddle Carroll, who adjusts but sends his header wide.

83 mins: Over on Twitter, @AnfieldCat already has 5,872 followers. "At this rate it will be me on the back of the Echo tomorrow, I won't be using that to line the bottom of my litter tray," it tweets.

84 mins: I don't know what they teach in biology lessons up Liverpool way – the Anfield crowd seem to claim handball every time a Spurs player touches the ball in the penalty area with anything that isn't a foot.

85 mins: FANTASTIC CHANCE FOR SPURS! A long ball finds Bale suddenly racing clear, in absolutely loads of space. Reina comes out decisively and rapidly to narrow the angle and the ball is eventually hacked clear.

86 mins: AMAZING CHANCE! Liverpool send the ball into the area from the left wing, and Suárez wins a free header six yards out but sends the ball straight at Friedel. Come on, give us a ruddy goal you useless lot.

90 mins: Another chance! Gerrard's long ball forward, Carroll's excellent knock-down and Suárez controls, turns and shoots at goal, but the shot is blocked. That one actually might have been handball.

90+1 mins: We're going to have four minutes of stoppage time.

90+3 mins: Spurs keep giving the ball away here. If only Liverpool could find a decent ball into the box, they might get somewhere.

90+4 mins: Johnson floats a ball over everybody's heads and out of play. Bah!

90+5 mins: Liverpool find Carroll in the penalty area, the referee finds a foul somewhere. No idea where. Spurs free-kick.

90+5 mins: Peeeeeeep! It's all over. And, frankly, thank heavens for that.

Final thoughts: Not a terrible game, but certainly not a very good one and not one that showed either side in a very good light. Liverpool at least tried to score occasionally. Tottenham had some injuries, but no ambition. One chance for Bale, albeit a very good one, was as good as it got. They're having a wonderful season, but they didn't look like potential champions tonight. Liverpool did OK, but seem in very desperate need of a decent winger, someone to stretch an opposition defence, bring more pace to their attacks and cross the ball towards Carroll's forehead.

This match will be remembered because of a cat. This is not the mark of a good match.

guardian.co.uk

Luis Suárez returns for Liverpool but Dalglish starts with Andy Carroll

2012-02-07T13:53:00.001+07:00

The Uruguayan had to wait while his manager continued the rehabilitation of his even more expensive striker from Newcastle

Liverpool's Luis Suárez reacts after heading a glorious late chance straight into the hands of the Tottenham goalkeeper. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

The masks were ready, the T-shirts were on sale again outside the ground and Liverpool prepared to make up for lost time with Luis Suárez on completion of his nine-match ban from the Football Association for improper conduct and racially abusing Patrice Evra. Then the team-sheets landed and shifted the focus from the rehabilitation of the Uruguay international to that of Andy Carroll. He is seizing the chance if not the chances that came his way against Tottenham Hotspur.

It did not take long for Suárez to find controversy in a hard-fought but otherwise forgettable draw at Anfield – four minutes after his arrival as a substitute to be precise, when he kicked Scott Parker in the stomach to earn a booking for a foul that seemed clumsy not malicious but provoked a rebuke from Wayne Rooney on Twitter. Saturday at Old Trafford should be fun. He also left Kenny Dalglish ruing his side's profligacy once more when, late on, he headed Liverpool's best opening into the grateful arms of Brad Friedel.

Suárez's first appearance since Boxing Day was guaranteed to take the spotlight and he did not disappoint even in his brief time on the field. But nor should it disguise another encouraging contribution from the striker who arrived at Anfield on the same day last January, the £35m Carroll, and who, performance-wise at least, has to repair his reputation from a much lower starting point. He too shared the misery of wasting a fine opening to seal victory when he blazed over from Martin Kelly's cross with the bottom corner gaping. He also turned a difficult header just over as an uneventful contest came to life late on. His all-round display, however, augurs well for Dalglish as he pursues the Carling Cup, FA Cup and Champions League qualification.

There was more movement from Carroll, right, throughout, more aggression, clearer illustrations that he has a left foot that complements his obvious prowess in the air and, in the 28 minutes they were on the pitch together, signs of a productive understanding between the former Newcastle United and Ajax strikers bought for a combined £57.8m 13 months ago.

Dalglish cited a lack of match sharpness as the reason for starting Suárez on the bench but the Uruguay international also had to earn the right to dislodge a team-mate and none of Carroll, Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy had offered that route back. Even so, it would have come as a major relief to Carroll to retain the faith of his manager and it was an important call from Dalglish.

Being a young, strapping centre-forward, and one said to have a laissez-faire approach, does not make Carroll immune from a damaging loss of confidence, as his performances had shown before the influential display in the FA Cup win over Manchester United. No amount of public praise from Dalglish, the latest coming after revelations Liverpool had inquired about swapping the England international for Carlos Tevez, can compare with being asked to lead the line against title-chasing opposition. This was Carroll's third consecutive start in the Liverpool team, equalling the best run he has been given all season. He needs far more before a considered judgment can be delivered.

It assisted Carroll's response to complaints over a lack of movement to have Steven Gerrard moved out of central midfield and deployed behind him. The adjustment almost paid dividends in Liverpool's first attack when the home captain pierced the Tottenham defence, rekindling memories of the fruitful supply line he once provided for Fernando Torres, and Carroll peeled away from the recalled Michael Dawson. It required a perfectly executed challenge to prevent the striker testing Friedel.

The early combination proved a false dawn for Carroll and Liverpool who, for all their promise around the Spurs' area, did not escape behind Dawson and the commanding Ledley King that easily again until the final moments. Carroll won a healthy share of headers against the Tottenham central defence but the runners were better marshalled than by Patrice Evra in United's recent visit to Anfield. Kuyt escaped from Benoît Assou-Ekotto once to a flick-on from Carroll and set up a thwarted shooting opportunity from Charlie Adam as a result before the inevitable substitution arrived. Liverpool were in need of ingenuity to supplement the centre-forward's impressive work-rate and the wait was finally over in the 66th minute for Anfield and Suárez. He returned to a strikeforce that, belatedly, is showing it can share the burden.

guardian.co.uk

Tiger grass helps improve Co Tu ethnic people’s lives

2012-02-07T00:43:00.000+07:00

Co Tu people in Quang Nam Province’s Dong Giang and Tay Giang Districts are harvesting tiger grass flowers to bolster their incomes.

Harvesting tiger grass flowers to subsidise their education

The plants grow wild in local forests and increase people’s livelihoods post Tet.

Tiger grass flower season

Two thirds of the forests in Dong Giang and Tay Giang Districts are home to tiger grass. Flowers of this plant are often dried and used to make brooms for domestic and foreign customers.

Tiger grass can be easily seen along the Ho Chi Minh Highway and Highway 604, as well as throughout the two districts. This plant also flourishes in forests.

Zoram Thi Blong, a girl from Chonet Hamlet, Ating Commune in Dong Giang District, is carrying tiger grass flowers home. She said that she is studying in sixth grade at Le Van Tam Secondary School. She often goes to school in the afternoon and uses her free time in the morning to help her parent gather tiger grass flowers to earn some money to support her studies.

Forest wealth

People in Aso, Song Kon and Ating Communes in Dong Giang Districts and A Vuong and Bhalee in Tay Giang District often trade in tiger grass flowers.

Bling Heng, a man from Phu Mua Hamlet of ZoNgay Commune, said every family in his village have someone to pick the flowers. Each person can harvest between 20 and 40 kilos of flowers and earn nearly VND100,000 (USD5.7) per day.

Village Patriarch Briu Abuc in Choco Hamlet, A Ting Commune, said, “Tiger grass have helped improve people’s living standards in recent years. Previously, people were not aware of the plant’s value and often destroyed it to grow acacia.”

Currently, there are six tiger grass flower agents in Dong Giang District’s Zo Ngay and Song Kon communes. Merchants use two or three trucks to carry the flowers to Tam Ky City in Quang Nam or to Danang City for daily sales, he added.

Ms. Ha in ATinh Commune, who has traded in this flower for over a decade said, “Fresh tiger grass flowers are sold wholesale at VND3,500 (USD0.16) per kilo, but dry ones have better prices. This year local people have been very happy, as they’ve had a good crop. Many people started harvesting the flowers from Lunar January 4.”

Dong Giang District is home to over 4,600 Co Tu ethnic households. As many as 2,000 households take part in harvesting this type of flowers.

Local people happy with new crop

Classifying the flowers before selling them to agents

dtinews.vn

Manchester United earn point at Chelsea after thrilling comeback

2012-02-06T14:06:00.002+07:00

Chelsea 3 (Evans (og) 36, Mata 46, David Luiz 50) - Manchester United 3 ( Rooney (pen) 58, Rooney (pen) 69, Hernández 84 )

Javier Hernández scores a late equalising header for Manchester United after Wayne Rooney had netted two penalties. Photograph: Tony O'Brien/Action Images

Even for a side with Manchester United's renowned powers of recovery, this was a remarkable demonstration of the competitive spirit and togetherness that makes them such a hard team to shake off. Sir Alex Ferguson's team were 3-0 down after 50 minutes, playing badly and facing the prospect of a reckless defeat, before reminding us in time-honoured fashion why the improbable comeback has become their speciality over the years.

Rescuing seemingly irretrievable positions is an enduring part of the United story under Ferguson's watch and, though they could not emulate that famous 5-3 win at White Hart Lane in 2003, it still represents another astonishing feat of escapology, the first time Chelsea have surrendered a three-goal lead in the Premier League years. Points have been lost to Manchester City in the title race this weekend but, in another sense, Ferguson's men have shown their neighbours how determined they are not to relinquish the championship trophy.

It was a wild and eccentric game in which questionable refereeing and erratic defending both played their part, Juan Mata scored one of the outstanding goals of the season and, in the end, both teams could reflect they had enough chances to win. Ferguson seemed perplexed that United lost their momentum at 3-3, with seven minutes of normal time still to play and four minutes of stoppages, whereas Chelsea can reflect on two brilliant saves from David de Gea to prevent Mata then Gary Cahill from one providing one final, dramatic twist.

The lingering memory, however, will be of United's response at the point of the match when it had seemed as though this was shaping up to be remembered as a collective loss of nerve. The game had seemed to have lurched away from the champions at the start of the second half when Mata lashed in a stunning volley from Fernando Torres's right-wing cross and, four minutes later, David Luiz's header took a decisive flick off Rio Ferdinand's shoulder.

The home side had been given the lead on 36 minutes when Danny Sturridge's cross struck Jonny Evans on the chest and went past De Gea for an own goal, and when the lead accelerated with two more goals in four minutes André Villas-Boas could have been forgiven for thinking this was going to be one of the more satisfying days of his time in charge.

Instead, what followed was a remarkable display of character from Ferguson's team. They replied with two goals in the space of 10 minutes, both penalties from Wayne Rooney, and when the substitute, Javier Hernández, headed in the equaliser from Ryan Giggs's cross United might actually feel disappointed they could not go on to complete the job. This Chelsea team have lost the solidity of old and there were boos at the final whistle. Villas-Boas spent a large part of the post-match interviews criticising the referee, Howard Webb, for the second penalty. The Chelsea manager had a point because there was only the briefest of touches before Daniel Welbeck went to ground and, if anything, it was the United player whose foot had initiated the contact with Branislav Ivanovic. Yet United had their own complaints about Webb.

Ferguson was incensed that Cahill was not penalised, and sent off, for an early challenge on Welbeck on the edge of the penalty area and the United manager could be seen striding a yard on the pitch, flapping his arms like a man fighting off an invisible swarm of wasps.

Both managers had reasonable gripes but it was also true that the two sets of players did not always make it easy for Webb, particularly the way they crowded around him. Ashley Young's dive in the penalty box was lamentable in the extreme and, before criticising the match officials, managers should take account of how their players behave.

Rooney also took an exaggerated tumble in the first half and, with Villas-Boas pointing an accusatory finger at Welbeck, there were three different England internationals under scrutiny.

From Chelsea's point of view, however, they should have done a lot better at closing out the game at 3-0. This was the point when the home side could have been excused for playing with a bit more caution. Yet they demonstrated a bewildering lack of know-how in that 25-minute period when everything went wrong. In those moments Chelsea badly missed the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Ashley Cole.

Villas-Boas will also reflect on that moment, with the score at 3-1, when Fernando Torres had a clear sight of goal and hesitated just at the moment when the player of old would have taken his shot. The chance passed away and it was not long afterwards that Welbeck went down. Rooney buried the penalty, just as he had 10 minutes earlier when Evra tumbled under Sturridge's challenge.

guardian.co.uk

VN Super League seeks new name

2012-02-05T23:51:00.002+07:00

HCM CITY — Viet Nam's top flight football championships will have to amend its new name to reflect the championships' origin, according to the National Administration of Sports and Physical Training.

The league goes into the this season with its new name of Super League Eximbank 2012 as a result of negotiations between the Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) and clubs.

The Viet Nam Professional Football (VPF) company was also established to manage the competition.

However, the administration said that the name did not reflect the origin of the championships.

"The name of the national football championships must be in Vietnamese and the abbreviation must have the letter V and the name of the sponsor, such as V-League Eximbank 2012," the department said in a document sent to the VFF.

The adminstration also asked the VFF and the VPF to coordinate and run the football championships, including improving the quality of referees and eliminating dirty play.

Fourth round

Second-placed Ha Noi T&T have a good chance to go to the top of the Super League this weekend when they take on Kien Giang on home soil, as the leader SHB Da Nang will have a tough game.

The full points are within Ha Noi-based team's reach considering their home advantage and quality over the visitors, who is one of the contenders for relegation, in the game tomorrow.

Meanwhile, SHB Da Nang, who are leading the table courtesy of a superior goal difference over Ha Noi T&T, will face their first real challenge under the name of defending champions and third-placed Song Lam Nghe An.

This is even more interesting as the game is a mental game between two of the most talented young coaches, who are the first generation of footballers when the country integrated into the regional football.

Another noticeable game is that between two hungry-looking sides, Becamex Binh Duong and Ha Noi FC, who are both on the second half of the table with only three points.

Home team Binh Duong are favourites to win full points and improve their ranking as Ha Noi will extend their poor run.

Dong Thap and Khanh Hoa will fight in the fourth game tomorrow to climb up on the table.

Three games today are Hoang Anh Gia Lai vs Navibank Sai Gon; Ninh Binh vs Thanh Hoa; and Sai Gon FC vs Hai Phong.

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Studios roll out holiday movie offerings

2012-02-02T10:18:00.001+07:00

A scence of Bui Thac Chuyen's "Song trong so hai". (Source: internet)

Filmmakers are spending a lot on special effects in the hope of luring moviegoers to cinemas this coming Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays.

Galaxy Studio, one of the country's leading private film companies, will release its supernatural thriller, Loi Nguyen Huyet Ngai (Blood Vow), a week before Tet.

It has spent around 25 billion VND (over 1.2 million USD) on the film which has plenty of visual and sound effects.

Directed by Bui Thac Chuyen, who is also one of the film's scriptwriters along with Bui Kim Quy, the film promises to appeal to both young audiences and adults.

"My film has fresh content and performances," Chuyen, whose first movie, the 2005 release Song Trong So Hai (Living in Fear), won the 2006 Shanghai International Film Festival's Asian New Talent Prize, said.

Loi Nguyen Huyet Ngai tells the story of Chieu Duong, a 16-year-old girl who has the mental make-up of a six-year-old following a traumatic incident during her childhood.

However, the incident gives her a strange power – the ability to read people's minds and foretell disasters.

Minh Chung's Le Phi Tinh Yeu (Love Fee) is a full-length comedy produced by Viet Film and featuring famous comedians like Hoai Linh, Hong Van and Viet Anh.

Chung has not changed his style because he thinks comedies are a perennial favourite with audiences, even more so during the festive season.

"My film features comedy, exciting action, and serious issues like love and life", the director, who has the reputation of making quality comedies, said.

With its young and attractive cast, including pop idols Minh Hang and Tieu Chau Nhu Quynh, the film is expected to be a draw with young audiences.

Another comedy, Hello Co Ba (Hello Ms Ba), made by the industry's biggest name, Phuoc Sang, is also in the offing. It focuses on rural life.

Vietnamese-American director Victor Vu's Thien Menh Anh Hung (Born to Be a Hero) is a martial arts flick.

Based on a novel by well-known writer Bui Anh Tan, the film is about the secrets of a famous family during the time of the Le Dynasty, including the tragic love of Nguyen Vu, the family's only son, for Hoa Xuan, a kungfu artist.

The co-producers, Saiga Film and Phuong Nam, signed up dozens of skilled make-up artists and fashion designers for the film.

Le Hoang has made a serious film, Toi Nay, 8 Gio (Tonight at 8pm). The veteran, who began the film after asking himself why poor young women could not dream of changing their destiny, says: "Tonight at 8pm" revolves around the daily lives and efforts of four girls to overcome difficulties to achieve a better life."

"I thinks young audiences will identify with the girls."

Hoang made his mark with the wildly popular Gai Nhay (Bar Girls) and its sequel in 2003 and 2005, and is thought to be instrumental in introducing escapist fare in Vietnam.

His film is the only one expected to buck the trend of the holiday season which is invariably dominated by comedies and light fare./.

vietnamplus.vn

Hung King Temple sees a million visitors during Tet

2012-02-02T10:16:00.001+07:00

Visitors offer incense at Hung Kings Temple (Source: VNA)

More than one million of visitors from across the country visited the Hung Kings Temple historical site in the northern province of Phu Tho during the Lunar New Year festival (Tet).

It has become a tradition for the Vietnamese people to express their gratitude to the Hung Kings, the legendary founders of the nation at the beginning of the year.

On the occasion, about 10,000 -15,000 visitors arrived in the site every day to respectfully commemorate the Hung Kings.

According to the site’s Director Nguyen Xuan Cac, some temples such as Ha Temple and Gieng Temple in the site were improved to provide better services to tourists.

Several other works in the site are expected to be completed soon in order to celebrate Hung Kings Temple Festival in 2012, which falls on March 10 in the lunar calendar, or March 31 in the modern calendar this year ./.

vietnamplus.vn

Hue Festival features foreign performers

2012-02-02T10:13:00.001+07:00

Hue festival performance in 2010 (Source: VNA)

Twenty-four foreign art troupes from 14 countries will take part in Hue Festival 2012.

Three of the troupes, Carabosse fire performers, Combo Box jazz concert and Ego street festival come from France.

The festival, themed “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development -The Rendezvous of Historical Cities,” has also attracted Bathiholic from Japan, GuGak from the Republic of Korea, and Max Vandervorst from Belgium.

Artists from East Asia and Latin America will also appear for the first time at the festival.

Hue Festival 2012, which will take place on April 7-15, is within the framework of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC).

The 13th annual conference of the League of Historical Cities (LHC) will also take place in Hue, attracting representatives from 80 cities in 55 countries./.

vietnamplus.vn

Lim festival to open with a new record

2012-02-02T10:07:00.001+07:00

The Lim Festival will commence in the northern province of Bac Ninh on Saturday this week – the 13th day of the first lunar month. The festival is expected to reach the national record for the greatest number of people singing Quan Ho (a love duet) and wearing traditional clothes, according to Deputy General Secretary of the Association of Bac Ninh Quan Ho Lovers Vu Hong Duong.

The festival will be held on Lim Hill where the Lim Pagoda is dedicated to Quan Ho creator, Hieu Trung Hau. It is aimed at preserving and reviving the valuable, ancient art of love duet singing, recognised by UNESCO as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage.

About 3,000 people from provincial Quan Ho clubs are expected to participate in making the national record. The delegation will gather at Nguyen Dang Dao Senior Secondary School in Lim Town and marching to the hill to sing Quan Ho songs.

Love duets are an art form combining various elements, including music, lyrics, costumes and a unique style of singing that reflects the close relationship between the singers. The rich and diverse tunes and fine lyrics of the songs portray the zest for life and distinctive cultural features of people in the region formerly called Kinh Bac.

An array of folk games and cultural activities such as wrestling, blind man's bluff, earthenware pot breaking, cock fighting, calligraphy and bonsai showcasing will be held during the festival.

dtinews.vn

Premier League trophy to visit Vietnam

2012-02-01T11:00:00.001+07:00

The 19th English Premier League cup won by Manchester United will tour parts of Asia this year.

The cup will arrive in Vietnam in April, accompanied by former United goalkeeper Van der Sar.

During the four-month tour, the cup will travel almost 80,000km through 27 countries, including Japan, India and Vietnam.

The tour will kick off in the Indian capital Delhi on Saturday, and will be accompanied by United legends Denis Irwin and Quinton Fortune, Bryan Robson and Gary Bailey.

"The 19th league title was a special moment for everyone in the Manchester United family and the DHL Champions Trophy Tour is our way of being able to share that historic achievement with our 333 million fans," the club's commercial director Richard Arnold said on its official website.

Last year, Vietnamese football fans descended on Hung Vuong Parkson commercial centre to see the Football Association of England Cup (the FA Cup) escorted by former Liverpool defender Steve Mc Mahon.

dtinews.vn

Hanoi does a HCMC as movie fans flock to cinemas during Tet

2012-02-01T10:56:00.001+07:00

A scene in Vietnamese blockbuster Thien Menh Anh Hung (Destiny Hero) for Tet holiday

Hanoi moviegoers have joined their Ho Chi Minh City counterparts for the first time in thronging cinemas during Tet.

Platinum Cineplex, which used to screen movies until 9 p.m., has extended its show timings to 10:30 p.m. for the last three weeks.

National Cinema Centre has regularly seen full houses for the Vietnamese blockbuster "Thien Menh Anh Hung" (Destiny Hero).

Tickets for the movie continue to be sold on the black market for up to VND 350,000 for a pair, more than double the normal rate.

Megastar Vincom Hanoi, which used to screen a maximum of 14 shows a day, has increased that to 18.

Thanh Nien News

Thanh Hoa traders occupy market in protest against privatisation

2012-02-01T10:50:00.000+07:00

Hundreds of small traders in Thanh Hoa Province have occupied Bim Son Market throughout Tet in protest against a local authority decision to rent out the market to a private company.

Traders protest against market rental

Bim Son Market was established by local people long ago but was only officially built and put into use by local authorities in 1991. Since then, traders have had to pay a fee of about VND4.2-4.8million/a kiosk (USD200-230) and since 1998, they had to renew their contract of each kiosk every year for an increased fee.

The market was transferred to a private company in 2007 without informing its long-time merchants, but this was later cancelled following trader objections.

However, on December 28, 800 traders were suddenly informed at a meeting with Bim Son authorities that the market was be rebuilt and had already been rented out to the Dong Bac Trading and Construction Corporation in a 50 year contract.

Almost two weeks later, the traders received a warning that they had seven days to sign a contract with the Dong Bac Corporation, or they would be expelled from the market.

Displeased with the decisions, hundreds of traders have occupied the market throughout Tet to watch over their shops and to voice their opposition.

Pham Thi Mo, a trader at Bim Son Market, said, “We support the rebuilding of the market but they should have discussed it with us before renting out the land to Dong Bac Corporation for 50 years.”

The traders suggested that they contribute to the rebuilding of the market, in the hope that they could become co-owners, and avoid the future possibility of high rents or service charges. The authorities held another meeting with traders on January 29 but the meeting ended without agreement.

Le Van Dung, Chairman of Bim Son People’s Committee, explained, “We are moving from state-managed businesses to a privately-managed model, but people don’t want the change yet. We’re trying to convince people to accept the new managing model.”

People lived at the market through Tet

Traders occupied the market to guard their shops

By Lan Anh - Duy Tuyen | TienPhong, dtinews.vn

Barcelona FC opens new programme in Vietnam

2012-01-31T15:31:00.001+07:00

The programme of football for society was opened in Hanoi on Jan. 30, under the witness of Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) President Nguyen Trong Hy and Barcelona FC’s representative Marce Xavi.

The programme of football for society was opened in Hanoi on Jan. 30. Photo by TTVH.

The programme aims to discover, train and upgrade football skills for Vietnamese children. All trainers are from Barcelona FC and two classes will be held, with the participation of 300 trainees.

Marce Xavi said the short training course will provide trainees with a philosophy to apply to Vietnamese football.

The three-year programme is expected to attract a large number of students from 6-14 years of age. Apart from studying football skills, the trainees will have the chance to play and exchange with participants from other courses in the country, as well as in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand , Indonesia , and Malaysia , Nguyen Lan Trung, VFF Vice President and Director of the programme said.

The programme may also lead to the discovery of talented players for Vietnam ’s football team.

dtinews.vn

Vietnam to host U19 AFF football tourney

2012-01-30T23:55:00.001+07:00

Vietnam expects to host the 2012 U19 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championships, according to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).

The VFF will invite a football team, from either Uzbekistan, Iran or Qatar, to take part in the tournament, which is scheduled to take place before the final round of the 2012 U19 Asia Football Championship (AFC).

The AFF tourney will see the participation of U19 squads from Vietnam, Thailand and Australia if they qualify for the AFC championship, and a visiting team.

dtinews.vn

Vietnam to host Asian football Olympic playoffs

2012-01-29T22:07:00.000+07:00

Vietnam will host the Asian football qualifying playoffs for the London 2012 Olympic Games, says the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

According to the regional governing body for football, Malaysia had previously been chosen to host the event but renovations to the proposed Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur made the AFC eye a new destination for the qualifiers.

As scheduled, runners-up in the three third-round groups will play each other in a round-robin format and the winner will face Senegal in a match for a ticket to London.

dtinews.vn

Vietnamese movies: Light at the end of the tunnel?

2012-01-28T22:14:00.001+07:00

A still from Thien menh anh hung (Destiny hero), which is distinguishing itself from other films set for release this Tet with fictional history script and the huge investment of nearly VND30 billion

There were the usual scandals, yes. But good movies are being made and watched, and fresh winds are generally blowing through Vietnam’s stunted film industry.

The Vietnamese movie industry was shaken last year by one of its biggest ever scandals after a Department of Cinematography accountant fled the country with over VND36 billion (US$1.7 million).

It led to the resignation of the department’s director, Lai Van Sinh, and his deputy, Le Ngoc Minh, in September, just four months before the 17th Vietnam National Film Festival the duo was organizing.

Despite the scandal the festival went on, though the organization, understandably, came in for severe criticism.

Next to crop up was a plagiarism charge against Vietnamese-American director Victor Vu who had entered his Giao lo dinh menh (Inferno) in the Canh Dieu Vang (Golden Kite) Awards. The film was accused of being plagiarized from the 1991 Hollywood film “Shattered.”

The allegations prompted the awards’ organizers to take the film out of nominations list. But the awards were also a flop due to poor organization and allegations of dubious choice of winners.

There were more scandals and criticisms around the corner, but there were also some propitious signs.

Unseasonable success

In 2003 director Le Hoang came up with Gai nhay (Bar girls), which is now considered the catalyst for the revival of the local film industry after a long crisis starting in the 1990s. It is also considered to have kicked off the era of social movies in Vietnam. Until then they had all revolved around the wars.

With box-office earnings of VND12 billion (US$570,000) after being released during Tet, the film also ushered in the Lunar New Year as the default money-making season for Vietnamese films. Since then, of the 20 or so films made in Vietnam every year, most have been released during the festive season.

Long Ruoi (Big Boss), which was the second biggest hit last year after the Hollywood animated film “Kungfu Panda 2,” however, established conclusively that movies released at other times too can make profits.

The action comedy by Vietnamese-American director Charlie Nguyen earned VND49 billion ($2.3 million) in four weeks since its release in August, higher than big Tet releases like Co dau dai chien (War of the Brides).

A still from Long Ruoi (Big Boss), which garnered VND49 billion in four weeks last year, becoming the biggest hit of Vietnam’s summer film releases so far

The film’s producers said the reason they decided against a Tet release was the difficulty in finding cinemas then.

But they may not have been brave enough if only another Charlie Nguyen movie, De mai tinh (Fool for love), had not been released in April 2010 and gone on to become a hit.

The romantic comedy was the first true summer hit, selling an estimated 45,000 tickets in the first three days and raking in VND18 billion ($856,000) in the next four months. It had cost around VND6 billion ($285,350) to make.

A breath of fresh air

While Long Ruoi is proving the potential of the local movie market, Thien menh anh hung (Destiny Hero), the first Vietnamese martial arts film in 20 years, promises a breakthrough in filmmaking techniques and concepts in the country.

In fact, since its trailer came out in November the Victor Vu film has attracted the most attention among films set for release this Tet.

Instead of following the usual formula for festive blockbusters - comedy, action, sex, attractive girls who cannot act - Vu has chosen an unusual script. It is a fictional story about a family member of Nguyen Trai, one of Vietnam’s greatest poets and a famous Le Dynasty (1428-1527) mandarin, taking revenge for the killing of Trai and his family after a false allegation he murdered King Le Thai Tong.

Made at a cost of nearly VND30 billion ($1.4 million), it is the most expensive movie to be made by private producers in Vietnam since 2007. Clearly, Vu and his team seem to have at least the deep pockets needed to achieve their desire to “make a breakthrough,” and if the trailer is any indication, they are well on their way to doing it.

If the film does prove to be a commercial success, it could convince producers that quality movies could recover their investment. Their sole focus now seems to be not to make a loss – they often tell their director to eschew expensive scenes and sequences.

In 2011 there were also efforts to improve the movie industry.

For example, while national contests and awards continued to be controversial for their bad organization and questionable award choices, smaller ones like YxineFF 2011, an online short film festival begun in 2010, are establishing themselves as a forum for young, independent filmmakers.

In fact, last year YxineFF received more than 150 entries, including from other countries like Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. Many of them attracted large audiences.

The annual international filmmaking contest 48-Hour Film Project, first launched in Vietnam last year, received over 130 entries. It challenges competitors to make a short movie within 48 hours, and is expected to change local movie-makers’ concept of production.

Last year there were also seminars and lectures by Hollywood personalities like Phillip Noyce, the maker of The Quiet American.

All of these are good signs for the Vietnamese movie industry, which is coming out of its cocoon and becoming aware of what the rest of the world is doing.

Thanh Nien News

Pig hunting festival in Phu Tho Province

2012-01-28T22:12:00.001+07:00

Pig hunting festival has been a long-running tradition in Ha Thach Village, Ha Thach District, in the northern province of Phu Tho, held every 5th day of the lunar January.

The festival is also known by the name “Ong Cau”, which refers to the tradition of soldiers hunting wild pigs in the old capital city of Van Lang. The custom was recently resumed by villagers in 1996.

The ong cau is a male pig which has a black mane, and is sought after by locals during the several months leading up to Tet. On the 23rd of the lunar month of December, villagers choose a local house for building a “house” for the pig. The household must be successful with well-off, law-abiding citizens.

The “house” of ong cau is made with a bamboo frame, and covered with palm leaves to keep out the cold. Weapons, such as knife and spears, are displayed around the house.

The pig is kept at there from the 23rd of the lunar December (the Day of Kitchen God) until the 5th day of the lunar January. Then the villagers release the animal in order to chase and hunt it.

This year, Nguyen Van Chinh was selected to raise two ong cau. The pigs were brought to Chinh’s house on the 23rd of lunar December.

When the festival begins, the pigs are put into the iron cages for later release to the hunting ground.

Cheering

Ong cau taken to the hunting grounds

Hunting

Capture

Exciting atmosphere

After capture, the pig is covered with cloth

Ong cau taken to temples near the Red River

Worship on the night of January 5th on the lunar calendar

dtinews.vn

Vietnamese girl listed among top 25 sexiest beauty queens

2012-01-28T22:02:00.001+07:00

The Global Beauties website has voted Daniela Nguyen Thu May the third runner-up in Miss Supranational 2011, as one of the world’s 25 sexiest women.

The website holds an annual vote to honour the top twenty-five out of more than 500 carefully selected beauties from different beauty pageants in the last year.

The most important criterion for the vote is sexiness and Daniela Nguyen Thu May made it to the list of “25 Sexiest Women Alive” by pageant website Global Beauties.com.

May will now compete with Miss Universe Leila Lopes from Angola, the third runner-up in the Miss Universe contest, Shamcey Supsup from the Philippines, and Miss World Iviran Sarcos from Venezuela for the highest position in the voting.

In 2009, Tran Thi Huong Giang, Miss Vietnam Global second runner-up, was listed among the top 3 beauties in that year’s vote.

dtinews.vn

“Unit Asia” to perform in Vietnam

2012-01-28T21:57:00.000+07:00

Multinational jazz band “Unit Asia” will perform on February 3 and 5 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City respectively.

The organisers are the Japan Foundation in Vietnam, Yamaha Motor Vietnam and the Japanese consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.

The band, formed by five Asian musicians from Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia has been performing both in and outside Japan.

The shows will also feature up-and-coming Vietnamese vocalist Tung Duong.

In HCM City it will be held at Ben Thanh Theater, 6 Mac Dinh Chi Street, District 1 while the Hanoi concert will be at the Youth Theater, 11 Ngo Thi Nham Street.

Free tickets can be obtained from Ben Thanh Theater, Japanese consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, 13 – 17 Nguyen Hue Street, District 1 or the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, 27 Quang Trung Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.

dtinews.vn

Premier League club Everton eyes Vietnamese forward

2012-01-20T22:16:00.001+07:00

England’s Premier League club Everton has shown interest in Vietnamese striker Le Cong Vinh, the club's representative has said.

Steve Darby, who is Vietnam’s former national female football team coach, was a spectator at the Hanoi’s Hang Day Stadium to watch Vinh play in Hanoi FC’s game against Khatoco Khanh Hoa in the third round of the country’s top-flight Super League on Saturday.

His club beat visitors Khanh Hoa 4-1 but the 26-year-old Vinh did not make a significant contribution to the home win.

Vinh, whose late header earned Vietnam the ASEAN Football Federation championship in 2008, moved from Song Lam Nghe An to Hanoi T&T in 2009.

He was introduced by Vietnam’s then national men’s football coach Henrique Calisto to Portugal’s top-flight Liga Sagres club Leixoes when the 2009 V-League (currently called Super League) season ended.

However, Vinh did not play very well for Leixoes and returned to play the 2010 V-League season for Hanoi T&T, who won the league championship that year without Vinh’s contributing much.

Vinh moved from Hanoi T&T to Hanoi FC at the end of the 2011 season.

By Son Tung, Thanh Nien News

Tao Quan 2012 Full

2012-01-19T21:46:00.005+07:00

Cong Ly va Xuan Bac luon la nhung "cao thu" trong viec khien cho khan gia phai cuoi "vo bung" ( Tao Quan 2012 Full).

nguoituyen.com

video by Youtube.com

video by Youtube.com

video by Youtube.com

video by Youtube.com

video by Youtube.com

video by Youtube.com

video by Youtube.com

video by Youtube.com

Vietnam football hangs on to top ranking in Southeast Asia

2012-01-19T20:06:00.001+07:00

Vietnam’s national football team has remained in the lead of Southeast Asian despite dropping two notches to 101st position in the FIFA January rankings.

According to the FIFA ratings, the second place in the region was secured by Thailand, which also fell two notches back to 124^thposition in the world, followed by Indonesia (143^rd) and Singapore (147^th).

In Asia, Japan topped the list with its 19^th position in the world, followed by Australia and the Republic of Korea, while Vietnam ranked 14^th.

Spain are still leading the world, leaving behind the Netherlands and Germany.

FIFA will announce its next rankings on February 15, 2012.

dtinews.vn

First blood to Barca against Real in Cup

2012-01-19T20:04:00.001+07:00

Barcelona came from behind to beat holders Real Madrid 2-1 in the first leg of an increasingly bad-tempered Spanish Cup quarter-final in the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Barcelona's French defender Eric Abidal (L) celebrates with Brazilian defender Dani Alves after scoring during the Spanish Cup "El clasico" football match Real Madrid vs Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid. Barca won 2-1.

Second half goals from veteran defenders Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal overturned a half-time Madrid lead for whom Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo scored.

It was the third victory in twelve months for the Catalans in the stadium of their biggest rival.

Pep Guardiola is yet to lose in the Bernabeu in four seasons in charge and his team appear to have a psychological advantage over 'los blancos'.

Afterwards Guardiola was happy with the victory and looked towards the second leg.

"We played really well tonight, controlled the game and apart from their goal reduced Madrid to the one header from (Karim) Benzema, but because of their quality anything can happen next week so we'll go home and prepare for that and the league game at the weekend," he said.

Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was less satisfied.

"I did not expect to lose a goal to a dead ball as we did, we were winning 1-0 and at that stage it was a bad result for Barca, it was a bad goal to concede. Psycholgically it hurt us and Barca took control of the game from then on," he said.

"The tie is now difficult for us, it's still open, but difficult."

Mourinho surprised all with an unfamiliar side employing both Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain in attack, while at the back playing the rarely used Hamit Altintop and Ricardo Carvalho who was playing his first game since September.

Both teams started very cautiously with Madrid happy to allow Barca possession in deep positions and when the first attack came on 11 minutes it was to bring the first goal of the evening.

Set free by Benzema, Ronaldo produced a stinging left footed drive from the left hand side of the penalty area that Jose Pinto, Barca's regular goalkeeper ahead of Victor Valdes in the Spanish Cup, could perhaps have dealt better with.

The game suddenly burst into life, Andres Iniesta brought a save from Iker Casillas with a long range shot on 13 minutes and three minutes later Cesc Fabregas found Alexis Sanchez in space only for the Chilean to head onto the bar with Casillas stranded.

At the other end Abidal had to make a last ditch block to stop Ronaldo reaching Benzema with the goal at his mercy, then Lionel Messi burst forward for Barca and forced a near post save from Casillas.

Iniesta should have tested Casillas on 30 minutes from close range after Sanchez played him into a great position.

By this stage Barcelona were possessing the ball in deeper positions and Madrid were counter attacking quickly on the break to make the game an open affair.

Barca were finally level three minutes into the second period when captain Puyol got free from his marker Pepe to head home a Xavi corner.

Iniesta went close again on 54 minutes after a quick exchange of passes with Xavi and two minutes later Benzema hit the post for Madrid when found with a sweeping right wing cross from Altintop.

By the hour mark Barca's short passing game was allowing them to control the tie and Mourinho made some changes introducing Jose Callejon and Mesut Ozil.

Pepe should have seen his second yellow card of the night for an off the ball stamp on the hand of a prostrate Messi on 69 minutes.

However it took more than the dark arts to keep down the irrepressible Argentinian and it was he that conjured up the pass on 77 minutes that found Abidal onside and with the time and space to prod the ball home to win the tie.

A familiar silence came down over the Santiago Bernabeu, the home fans had seen it all before and although Madrid tried sporadically for a way back into the game Barca rarely ceded them the ball.

dtinews.vn

Vietnamese shooter wins Olympic berth

2012-01-18T22:46:00.000+07:00

Hoang Xuan Vinh has become the first ever Vietnamese shooter to win an official Olympics berth.

Vinh won 682.4 points in the men’s 10-meter air gun event on Monday at the January 11-22 Asian Shooting Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Vinh finished fourth behind the gold medal winner from South Korea, Jin Jong Oh with 689.6 points, silver medalist from China, Wang Zhiwei with 683.1 points and Japanese bronze medal winner Matsuda Tomoyuki with 682.7 points.

However, the 37-year-old Vinh won an Olympic berth because the other three medalists had already qualified for the London Games before.

Vietnamese shooters have been given berths at previous Olympic Games but they were only wild card entries for countries underdeveloped in sports.

Vinh is the eighth Vietnamese athlete to have won a London Olympics berth.

The other seven athletes are female judo martial artist Van Ngoc Tu, male badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh, female taekwondo martial artist Chu Hoang Dieu Linh and male taekwondo martial artist Le Huynh Chau, male gymnast Pham Phuoc Hung, female gymnast Phan Ha Thanh and male swimmer Hoang Quy Phuoc,

Vietnam has set itself a target of winning 25 Olympic berths including wild card entries.

By Lan Phuong, Thanh Nien News

HCM City traffic at a standstill for Tet

2012-01-18T22:44:00.000+07:00

Several streets in Ho Chi Minh City are experiencing serious traffic congestion as travel increases with the approach of Tet.

Roads approach their capacity limit

On January 17, at Dien Bien Phu, Phan Dang Luu, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, and Hang Xanh streets were jammed.

The situation is only likely to worsen in next four days, especially along entrance and exit routes of the city, as well around bus stations.

Photos taken from HCM City’s streets on January 17:

Chaotic traffic on Hang Xanh Street on the afternoon of January 17

Every inch of Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street occupied

The entrance of Mien Dong Bus Station

Crowded bus station

Rushing along with luggage

Crowded parking lot

dtinews.vn

Vietnam strengthens cultural diplomacy

2012-01-18T22:43:00.000+07:00

Vietnam did a great job in 2011 organizing many events to promote its land and people. In 2012 the country will continue to use diplomacy to foster its culture.

Xoan singing has been recognised as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO

In 2011, the government strengthened cultural diplomacy along with political and economic diplomacy. Vietnamese diplomatic agencies overseas held various activities to introduce Vietnam to the world, such as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh’s first arrival in France and the 65th anniversary of his first visit as a state leader.

Last year, Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy paid off with 12 tangible and intangible heritages recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

“We are proud that cultural diplomacy has helped political diplomacy to accomplish tasks and introduced Vietnam with a strong position in the international arena,” says Nguyen Thanh Son, Deputy Foreign Minister and Chair of the Vietnam National UNESCO Committee.

In 2011, cultural diplomacy was, for the first time, included in the documents of the 11th National Party Congress and then the Prime Minister approved the Cultural Diplomacy Strategy until 2020. Various activities were held on the theme of building a shared awareness of cultural integration and combining cultural diplomacy with political and economic diplomacy.

The country is set to participate in multilateral cultural mechanisms, and utilize UNESCO programs and initiatives for national socio-economic development to elevate Vietnam’s role and position.

“With its increasing role in the world arena, Vietnam needs to integrate deeper into the world to make the most of this process,” says Son.

More than two decades ago, Vietnam decided to open the doors to the world in order to strengthen the national economy and ensure social stability and security. During the current globalization trend, the country is pursuing a policy to befriend all countries while preserving national identity, and firmly sticking to Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts and socialist orientation.

According to Son, this year the Foreign Ministry will continue to ensure that cultural diplomacy accompanies overseas Vietnamese affairs. Last year, overseas Vietnamese in many countries had an opportunity to study their mother language and join in regular cultural exchanges.

“The major task of this year is to mobilize the strength of associations,” says Son. “We will try to bring more overseas Vietnamese back to Vietnam, and communicate the latest developments in Vietnam to people living overseas. We hope that the Vietnamese community abroad will contribute more to Vietnam’s development.”

dtinews.vn

Audiences demand apologies for costume "mishaps"

2012-01-18T22:42:00.000+07:00

After numerous criticisms of Vietnamese stars for nude photos and "costume malfunctions", audiences continue to be dissatisfied with the apologies.

Singer Thuy Tien

Many believe that such scandals are an attempt by artists to further their careers. It is not uncommon, after one of these incidents, that the performer holds a press conference or apologises on their blogs or in internet forums. But many of them are insufficient for fans, who believe that they are shirking responsibility by blaming external factors.

One such incident took place at a recent concert in Hanoi, given by singer Thuy Tien. Afterwards, she explained to her fans, via Facebook, that she, "...just wanted to be herself."

"I believe you should always be who you want to be. It is dishonest to create some image of perfection, and pretend to be like that. No one is perfect, and human beings have the right to make their mistakes," she said.

Some days later, at a meeting with her fan club, she somewhat backtracked. She apologised for her her dress, saying that during the day of her performance, she was asked by the club owners to dress sexy. She also blamed the photographer who chose to take the image from angle that would make the costume appear more provocative.

Many, however, were not satisfied with this explanation, thinking that it lacked honesty.

Duong Yen Ngoc, a model, also shocked audiences with by not wearing a bra and covering her nipples by just two pieces of fabric, at a recent show in Ho Chi Minh City. Many in the audience saw this as a PR stunt.

Ngoc used Facebook to explain, "It was just an accident. The lights from the flashes made the costume seem more distasteful than it actually was. I regret the situation, and would like to apologise to all of my fans."

Similarly, many of her critics were not appeased by her words.

The singer, Minh Hang, caused outrage with a performance at a charity event in 2011 with her translucent costume. The concert was for, and also attended by, members of the Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, as well as disadvantaged children. The organisers were fined VND3.5 million (USD166.6). Her explanation was that the photos had somehow been altered.

Thuy Tien

Duong Yen Ngoc

Minh Hang

dtinews.vn

Wigan Athletic 0 v Manchester City 1: match report

2012-01-17T14:43:00.004+07:00

WIGAN ATHLETIC 0 - 1 MANCHESTER CITY

Monday, January 16 20:00

Premier League

DW Stadium

Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Wigan Athletic and Manchester at DW Stadium on Monday Jan 16, 2012.

Winner: Edin Dezko's goal was enough to ensure Manchester City took three points against Wigan Photo: ACTION IMAGES

This was winning ugly. This was the type of gritty, defensively resolute display that title campaigns are built on. If Manchester City’s players find themselves on an open-top bus in May with the Premier League trophy on the dashboard and a song on their lips, they will look back warmly on events here not for aesthetic reasons but for three Premier League points and one of the psychological variety.

City had found themselves assailed with questions in recent weeks, with critics wondering whether they possess the stomach for the fight. The league is not the adrenalin dash of a successful Cup run. The league involves relentless endeavour, 38 games of concentration and strong nerves.

The old canard of “how will they cope with a cold January night in Wigan” was thrown at City. And they answered it. Roberto Martínez’s side threw everything at them, particularly late on. They dealt with it. When the excellent Victor Moses started running at them, Joe Hart and Joleon Lescott stood firm.

City’s victory, their first on the road in the league since fireworks were lighting up the sky, was achieved without some famous names, absent through injury, suspension or Africa Cup of Nations’ duty. Missing luminaries from Mario Balotelli to Yaya Touré, Micah Richards to Vincent Kompany, City found inspiration from other quarters.

Edin Dzeko scored, heading in his first goal since that Nov 5 win at Loftus Road. Gareth Barry was outstanding in central midfield, making some crucial interceptions when Wigan attempted to whip up a storm.

Telegraph.co.uk

Defending champs held at home in Vietnam Super League

2012-01-17T00:27:00.003+07:00

Song Lam Nghe An players (yellow) mark Nigerian striker Samson Kayode Olaleye of visitors Hanoi T&T in a Super League match in Vinh city Sunday.

Defending Vietnamese Super League champions Song Lam Nghe An were held 2-2 at home by Hanoi T&T in the third round Sunday.

Both teams played fast football from the start, and it was a see-saw contest.

Trinidad & Tobago striker Hector Hughtun Kerin took a Van Hoan throw and scored the opener for the hosts midway through the first half, but the visitors’ Nigerian striker Samson Kayode Olaleye canceled out that goal 10 minutes from halftime.

The two teams continued to battle on level terms through the second half before Cameroonian striker Bebbe Gustave Anicet’s scored SLNA's second goal with a header in the first minute of stoppage time.

SLNA fans were excited thinking a win was in the bag, but less than two minutes later winger Van Quyet snatched a point for the visitors by heading home from a Sy Cuong corner.

In other action, hosts Vicem Hai Phong were held 1-1 at Lach Tray Stadium by Dong Thap. Nigerian striker Felix Gbenga Ajala scored for the visitors two minutes before the break, but Jamaican striker Kavin Elroy Bryan scored the equalizer four minutes before the final whistle.

Ivory Coast striker Sanogo Moussa scored the opener for the visitors Vissai Ninh Binh 15 minutes after the break at Ho Chi Minh City's Thong Nhat Stadium.

Brazilian striker Ricardo Alves Pereira evened the score for hosts Navibank Saigon in the 84th minute before Moussa scored again to grab full points for Ninh Binh .

Earlier, on Saturday, hosts Thanh Hoa beat 2007-08 champs Becamex Binh Duong 2-1 at home.

Saigon FC earned a 2-0 away win over Kienlongbank Kien Giang. Hanoi FC and 2009 champs SHB Da Nang crushed visitors Khanh Hoa and 2003-04 champs Hoang Anh Gia Lai by an identical 4-1 score.

After three rounds, Da Nang are on top with seven points, followed by Hanoi T&T who are also on seven but with an inferior goal difference. Saigon FC, SLNA, and Thanh Hoa in third, fourth and fifth with five points each.

Thanh Nien News

Leaders pay Tet visits

2012-01-17T00:26:00.000+07:00

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong presents gifts to poor families in Tinh Ky, Son Tinh District, Quang Ngai Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Tri Dung

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong yesterday paid his Tet visit to residents and officials in Quang Ngai Province, offering his wish for a happy new year and success in implementing the province's socio-economic targets.

Speaking to key people and officials in the province, Trong expressed delight for his chance to visit the home province of the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong.

On this occasion, Trong congratulated the province for its achievement this past year in boosting socio-economic development.

In particular, Dung Quat refinery was put into full... implementation this past year, which contributed a great deal to the area's employment and economic gains.

The province has a per capita GDP of $US1,400 annually, and has made significant progress in building new rural areas, exploiting the potential of sea economy and attracting investment for infrastructure.

After visiting different localities in the province, Trong said along with focusing on achieving economic priorities, the province must also continue working to strengthen party personnel and organisation, prevent moral and political degradation among cadres and consolidate people's confidence. He instructed leaders at all levels to fully implement the resolutions passed at the Party Central Committee's third and fourth plenums.

The General Secretary hoped that the province would contribute to the nation's goals in reducing inflation, stabilising the macro economy, ensuring social protection and restructuring the economy for more sustainable growth.

The Party leader also asked the province to make sure that all residents, especially poor households and revolutionary families, have a prosperous Tet holiday and that no person has to suffer from food shortage.

On the same day, Trong also visited and offered incense at the Memorial Site of the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong in Duc Tan Commune, Mo Duc District.

Earlier, the Party leader paid a Tet visit to the authorities and people of Hanh Thinh Commune, which leads Nghia Hanh District in building newly-styled rural areas.

On Saturday, General Secretary Trong visited Son Tinh District's Tinh Ky Commune, where 85 per cent of the population lives on aquaculture.

Yesterday, Le Hong Anh, permanent member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat, visited residents, soldiers and officials of Thua Thien-Hue Province to offer his Tet wishes.

He spoke highly of the efforts the province had made in recent years in urban infrastructure development, three years after the province became a national city. However, the province's economic growth had not reached its full potential and it must make further progress to attract foreign investment and diversify its tourism products.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan on the same day visited and offered his Tet wishes to Long An Province. Nhan said its close proximity to HCM City offered some advantages to the province, especially in attracting investors and implementing new technologies. However, the province must have better policies in housing and attracting human resources from other provinces and furthering promoting sustainable practices in agriculture.

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Overseas Vietnamese welcomed

2012-01-17T00:24:00.000+07:00

President Truong Tan Sang watches fish being released at a ceremony at the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Complex in Ha Noi yesterday as part of the Kitchen God Festival, which falls today (on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month). — VNA/VNS Photo Duong Giang

Despite cold weather and rain, more than 1,000 overseas Vietnamese gathered at a special event at Ba Dinh Square in Ha Noi yesterday evening to celebrate the coming Tet (Lunar New Year) Festival.

The annual Xuan Que Huong (Spring in the Homeland) event is held eight days before Tet to welcome Vietnamese expatriates returning home for their country's biggest festival.

Addressing the event, President Truong Tan Sang said Viet Nam has made important achievements, including economic growth, ensuring social security, keeping social and political order and improving the country's prestige in the international arena, thanks to the efforts and contributions made by the whole nation, including overseas Vietnamese communities.

"The Party and State always affirm that overseas Vietnamese communities are an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation and always try their best to support Vietnamese expatriates to help develop the economy, stabilise their lives and keep their traditional characteristics," Sang said.

Vietnamese expatriate Nguyen Quoc Trong, a 68-year-old who has lived in France for more than 20 years, said he was really surprised and moved by the programme of performances at the event.

"This is the first time I got to see such a programme. We are really moved by the familiar images of the homeland through songs and videos shown and they make us warm despite the cold weather," he said.

His wife, Nguyen Minh Luan, said participating at the event would make this year's Tet all the more memorable and meaningful.

"I will have lots of things to tell my children and grandchildren in France about the atmosphere of a traditional Tet festival in the homeland," she said.

"It is totally different when celebrating Tet in the homeland. Visiting relatives, famous local landscapes and enjoying traditional food during the festive season is something that can only be done in Viet Nam.

"In France, we often join cultural activities held by the Vietnamese community in France on special occasions such as Independence Day (September 2) or Tet, and this draws the participation of thousands of Vietnamese expatriates and is a good way to help us feel like we are home."

For 20-year-old Nguyen Thuy Hien, an expatriate from Germany, celebrating Tet in the homeland is also a much cherished opportunity.

"Words fail me when trying to express my feelings during my first Tet in Viet Nam, my homeland. I arrived here one week ago and felt the atmosphere of Tet in every corner of the city," she said.

"You can see many quat (kumquat trees) and dao (peach blossom), the symbol of Tet as my mom often told me, being sold along the street... it's a scene you can not see in Germany."

Speaking about their new year's wishes, they all said they hoped Viet Nam would continue to develop and provide a source of pride for all Vietnamese expatriates.

"Particularly, we wish Viet Nam, with contributions from overseas Vietnamese, would quickly overcome the difficulties and challenges of the world economic crisis," Trong said.

Fatherland front

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee yesterday also hosted a get-together for overseas Vietnamese returning home to celebrate Tet.

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, Huynh Dam joined officials from the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs in welcoming expatriates from countries around the world and wished them a healthy, successful and peaceful New Year.

Dam stressed that the overseas Vietnamese community is an inseparable part of the great national unity bloc, affirming that the Party and State always attached much importance to protecting their rights.

There are an estimated 4 million Vietnamese expatriates around the world.

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Vietnamese marksman qualifies for 2012 London Olympics

2012-01-17T00:19:00.000+07:00

Vietnamese marksman Hoang Xuan Vinh has earned a place in the 2012 London Olympics following outstanding results at the ongoing Asian Shooting Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Vinh, 37, earned 682.4 points, coming in fourth in the men’s 10m air pistol event and making him the first Vietnamese shooter to gain entrance to the Olympic Games.

It was a surprise for the Vietnamese shooting team as experts have high hopes for ASIAD silver medalist Ha Minh Thanh who will compete in the 25m air pistol event on January 17.

At the recent 26th SEA Games in Indonesia, Vinh also won the first gold medal for the Vietnamese shooting team.

So far, seven Vietnamese athletes have qualified for the Olympics.

dtinews.vn

Ha Noi club taste first win in Super League season

2012-01-17T00:15:00.001+07:00

Breaking a drought: Xuan Luan of Ha Noi FC (right) vies for the ball against Huu Phat of Khanh Hoa in their Super League clash at Ha Noi's Hang Day Stadium. Ha Noi won 4-1. – VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Truong

Nigerian striker Anjembe Timothy scored twice from the penalty spot and Dinh Thanh Trung added two more goals to help Ha Noi FC crush Khanh Hoa 4-1 in the Super League on Saturday.

It's the first win for the Hanoian team since the season kicked off two weeks ago.

The team also had the services of top striker Le Cong Vinh who played an important part in the second goal before a two week break for Tet.

Hosting the match at Hang Day Stadium, Ha Noi FC's offensive play encountered a deep and crowded Khanh Hoa defence who frustrated the home team's strikers.

Ha Noi failed to make any serious threat on the Khanh Hoa goal until the 41st minute when Timothy netted from a spot kick.

The goal helped break the deadlock and they added one more before half time.

Newly contracted striker Vinh, who has recently recovered from a knee injury, set up teammate Trung just before the break.

Vinh missed a great opportunity to make it 3-0 in the first minute of the second half, heading Pham Thanh Luong's cross over the bar.

In the 62nd minute, Brazilian Agostinho pulled a goal back for Khanh Hoa with a powerful header.

Ha Noi intentionally slowed the pace of the game with the visitors looking for an equaliser.

But any chances of a comeback were snuffed out by Timothy who successfully dispatched his second penalty of the game in the 80th minute before Trung launched a rocket into the back of the net in the 82nd minute.

Khanh Hoa missed a chance for a consolation in the last minute of the game with Majabvi missing from the spot.

In other games on Saturday, Da Nang demolished Hoang Anh Gia Lai 4-1, while Thanh Hoa edged Binh Duong 2-1.

Sai Gon FC recorded their first victory of the campaign with a 2-0 way win over Kien Giang.

In yesterday's matches, Hai Phong were held to a 1-1 draw by Dong Thap; Song Lam Nghe An drew with Ha Noi T&T 2-2 and Navibank Sai Gon lost 2-1 to Ninh Binh.

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Ha Long Bay boats do not have to be painted wholly white: authorities

2012-01-17T00:03:00.001+07:00

More than 500 tourist boats in Ha Long Bay will be decorated with white details instead of being repainted white totally to “renovate” the site’s tourism sector, the VnExpress newswire quoted a local official as saying Saturday.

Vu Thi Thu Thuy, vice chairwoman of the People’s Committee in the northern province of Quang Ninh made the statement about one week after the committee announced that all the boats will have to be painted white as of this April 30, an order objected to by local businesses, tourists and the public.

According to Thuy, changing the color of the bay’s tourist boats into white was one of the necessary moves to improve local tourism and create a “new face” for Ha Long Bay.

However, the province didn’t mean to set white as a uniform color for local tourist boats, so it didn’t regulate how much white the boats need to be, she said, adding that local businesses can devise their own styles.

Doan Van Dung, chief the Association for Ha Long Tourist Boats, which previously sent a letter to the provincial authorities to express its disagreement on the decision, told VnExpress that the new decision has relieved local businesses from difficulties.

They are now not facing the financial burden of following the authorities’ order, because it would have cost them tens of millions of dong to repaint their boats and been a time consuming process as well, Dung said.

It is not as difficult to repaint just a few details, in terms of cost and time, according to Dung.

“Brown is still the main color; white is only added as a decoration,” he said.

But, Dung also said that since the color of Ha Long Bay’s boats is the image of tourism and the country so every change needs to be considered.

To create a synchronized brand name for the boats, local authorities need to consider more carefully what percentage of a boat needs to be in white, Dung said.

On January 5, the Quang Ninh People’s Committee asked all boats in the bay to be painted white, saying failure to follow the order by April 30 will result in revocation of operating licenses.

Authorities said the move was aimed to tighten government control over tourist transport, and to renovate the image of local tourist boats after the bay was named on the preliminary list of seven new natural wonders of the world by the Switzerland-based New7Wonders Foundation last November.

However, soon after the order was made, local businesses objected to it saying it would cost them too much, while tourists said local authorities should focus on improving services instead of changing the unique brown color of local boats.

By Thanh Nien News

Bribing the Kitchen Gods

2012-01-16T23:57:00.001+07:00

A local woman is offering food, carps and clothing for the Kitchen Gods

On the 23rd of the last lunar month every year, the large kitchen in Ms Ly Thi Phuong’s house in Hanoi’s Gia Lam District becomes extremely busy.

The 56-year-old prepares for something important for most Vietnamese - a gala farewell party for the three Kitchen Gods who will ascend to heaven to report on the family’s actions in the past year and ask for the Jade Emperor’s blessing and support for it in the coming year, before returning on Lunar New Year’s Eve.

The Kitchen Gods comprise of two male and one female deity. According to legend, a man left his wife because he was too poor. She then married another man while her old husband became a beggar. One day her old husband came and begged for food without realizing it was her house.

They recognized each other, and the man felt so ashamed that he jumped into the stove and died. The wife felt so sorry for him that she did the same, and her new husband followed suit too. Hearing about their faithful love, the Jade Emperor permitted the three of them to live together in the kitchen as Kitchen Gods.

There are many legends about the Kitchen Gods, but this one is the most popular.

Many people think the custom of worshiping these deities came from China. However, Nguyen Vu Tuan Anh, director of the Center for Research in Principles of Ancient Oriental Astrology, believes it is an old Vietnamese custom.

“The farewell ceremony for the Kitchen Gods has always been closely linked with Tet,” he wrote in a recent article for VietNamNet.

“And the story about Tet was first told during the reign of the sixth Hung King in the 15th century BCE. Therefore, it can be established that our ancestors were the first to worship the Kitchen Gods.”

The gala farewell party for the three Kitchen Gods this year falls on January 16th, 2012

Vietnamese believe that the Kitchen Gods are the guardian spirits of the kitchen who will bless the family members and bring them health, happiness, and prosperity.

“We always prepare a big farewell party and offer the best food for the three gods in our home,” Phuong says.

“They have helped us take care of our kitchen and blessed us with good health, and we really appreciate their blessings. Normally I make some traditional Tet dishes like pork pie, spring rolls, boiled chicken, dry bamboo shoot soup, and onion pickles.”

Since her two daughters are in office, Phuong normally prepares for the party alone.

“Vietnamese men including my husband rarely join in the cooking.

“So I usually prepare for the party alone, and if the day falls on a weekend my daughters help.”

The dishes are arranged on a tray and placed on the altar for the Kitchen Gods, which is normally beside the altar for ancestors, at noon.

There are also votive offerings like paper clothing (three pairs of boots, three hats, and three robes) and money. One more important offering is the carp which are placed in a small basin.

“I always buy votive offerings on Hang Ma Street which is filled with the stuff since early in the lunar month.

“Today, many people also buy paper mobile phones, motorbikes, and cars to make the gods’ trip easier.

“But it is believed that the Kitchen Gods make their trip by carp. Therefore, the most popular tradition is for every family to release a large carp or three small ones in lakes and rivers for them.”

Kitchen busy during Tet

After the Kitchen Gods leave for heaven, people clean up their kitchen and start to store food for Tet.

Though foods are available nowadays, people still have the habit of storing some popular items like dried foods, drinks, vegetables, and meat for Tet.

“I think this habit originated during our difficult times in the past when Tet was our only holiday during the year,” Phuong says.

“At that time, since everyone wanted to enjoy the holiday, markets and shops were not open, and we had to store all the necessities in advance.”

Phuong also recalls that until the early 1990s people in rural areas, like in her own village, even had to store fire, as at that time, the people had few things that can generate fire like match or lighter. So after cooking, Phuong said she used to bank fire by rice husk for the next cooking session during the New Year’s days.

“There were few kinds of fuel for cooking at that time, so we considered fire one of the most important and precious things.

“Every family had to ensure they had fire for Tet because asking others on New Year’s Day was taboo.

“Besides, no one was willing to give away this precious thing on that day.

“Before we got the lighter, we used to bank fire by rice husk which was one of the popular fuels at that time.

“The kitchen was therefore warm all year round.”

Nowadays fewer and fewer stoves can be seen in kitchens since gas stoves and electric cookers have become popular. Nevertheless, the kitchen retains its coziness for families, especially during Tet.

By Phong Lan, Thanh Nien News (The story can be found in the January 13th issue of our print edition, Vietweek)

Teams seek good results ahead of Tet

2012-01-15T20:11:00.004+07:00

Football clubs in the Super League are determined to get good results this weekend so they can fully enjoy the Lunar New Year.

But it seems that home teams have the upper hand before the two-week break for the Tet holiday.

Among four early games today, third-place Da Nang will take on second-place Hoang Anh Gia Lai at Chi Lang Stadium. It will be a tight game as both teams are in good form, but the home team will likely take full points.

Ha Noi football club, who lost both games and are rooted to bottom place, have a good opportunity to earn their first win as they host Khanh Hoa at Hang Day Stadium.

Despite playing against Binh Duong, Thanh Hoa are aiming for nothing but three points.

Kien Giang is probably in danger of losing points to Sai Gon football club, who are considered the favourites over the home team.

The most intriguing game of the round is between defending champions Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) and runners-up Ha Noi T&T tomorrow.

This is a rematch of last season's final match between two teams that saw SLNA drawing Ha Noi T&T to earn enough points to lift the trophy after 10 years.

"It is a very interesting match," Ha Noi T&T's coach, Phan Thanh Hung, said.

"We have the strongest line-up for the match and are ready to face SLNA. We will leave Vinh Stadium with at least one point to enjoy a joyful Tet holiday," Hung said.

Hai Phong, who have had a stuttering start, will have a good chance to bag their first win as they face Dong Thap.

The Mekong Delta-based team significantly lost its strength after the departure of goalkeeper Bui Tan Truong, striker Samson Kayode and coach Pham Cong Loc, key factors in the club's success in recent years.

Navibank Sai Gon are favourites over Ninh Binh, who has won just one point, and are in the bottom area

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

PM steps in on TV rights row

2012-01-15T20:05:00.001+07:00

Football furore: Local television stations will be allowed to broadcast live the national football championship matches on Sunday. The Viet Nam Professional Football JSC claims the broadcasting contract between the Viet Nam Football Federation and the Audio Visual Global Company is illegal. — File Photo

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday provided direction to help settle disputes about television broadcast rights to timely reserve spectators' demand via television.

Dung asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to resolve the conflict so as to live up to spectators' expectations and then report to the Government.

The Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) signed a contract with the Audio Visual Global Company (AVG) from 2010-30 and recently released an official document stating that AVG has all broadcasting rights for the national football championship (Super League).

Meanwhile, the Viet Nam Professional Football JSC (VPF) said that the exclusive broadcast rights contract between the VFF and the AVG was illegal and television stations should be allowed to broadcast live the tournament's matches.

The VPF and organising board are required to respect that broadcasting rights now belong to the AVG, which means television stations can only broadcast matches with AVG permission.

During investigations, the Government leader allowed television stations to broadcast all matches under the management of the VPF.

After receiving PM Dung's direction, AVG sent a press release to affirm that it would strictly obey the PM's direction. — VNS

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Vietnamese girls in Global Top 100 Beauty Queens

2012-01-15T20:04:00.000+07:00

eauty pageant observer website Globalbeauties has recently announced its annual beauty ranking Miss Grand Slam spotlighting the most beautiful faces of the year, Tien Phong Newspaper reported Friday.

From left: Truc Diem, Thuy Ngan and Thu May

Vietnamese beauties Daniela Nguyen Thu May, Truong Tri Truc Diem and Le Huynh Thuy Ngan made it to the top 100 ranking, which Globalbeauties chose from thousands of contestants who competed at 6 biggest international beauty pageants in 2011.

Those are Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International, Miss Earth, Miss International Tourism and Miss Supranational.

Daniela Nguyen Thu May who came forth at Miss Supranational is ranked at 58th, while Truc Diem, who finished in Top 15 of Miss International, is placed at No. 79.

Thuy Ngan, who made it to the top 20 of Miss International Tourism recently held in China, comes last at No. 98.

According to the ranking, five winners of the world’s 6 premiere international beauty pageants have all made it to the top 20, while only Kantapat Peeradachainarin, Miss International Tourism 2011, is ousted from the list.

Of the top 20 beauties, seven come from Europe and America each, four from Asia, one from Africa and one from Australia.

This year’s ranking comes as a disappointment to local observers as Vietnam made a much more impressive showing in previous years.

In 2010, Luu Thi Diem Duong, Miss World Vietnam 2010, was placed at No. 17 in the top 20 and Huong Giang, who made it to Top 16 Miss World 2009, was crowned Miss Asian Grand Slam the same year.

Thuy Ngan at Miss International Tourism 2011 held in China

Truc Diem finished in Top 15 of Miss International

dtinews.vn

Stalwart My Tam fails to make Mai Vang music award

2012-01-15T20:03:00.000+07:00

Singer My Tam, who dominated the Mai Vang music award for several years, fell from this year’s top ten to be replaced by Ho Ngoc Ha.

My Tam fell out of the Mai Vang music award 2011’s top ten

In addition to Ho Ngoc Ha, singers in the top-ten list included Minh Hang, Dam Vinh Hung, Cam Ly, Thanh Thuy, Noo Phuoc Thinh, Ha Anh Tuan, Duong Trieu Vu, Thu Thuy, and Uyen Trang.

Among those selected, three will be awarded the highest prize for light music, folk music and ‘red’ patriotic music.

The 17th awarding ceremony for Mai Vang music award will be organised in HCM City on January 14 and will be lively broadcasted on HTV9 channel.

After the awards ceremony, a Mai Vang gala programme will be held in HCM City’s Tan Binh District on January 16 to serve over 30,000 workers in Tan Tao District on the occasion of the Tet holiday.

Ho Ngoc Ha topped the list this year

dtinews.vn

Prime Minister directs to help settle dispute on TV broadcast rights

2012-01-13T23:28:00.003+07:00

HA NOI -- Prime Minister (PM) Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday provided direction to help settle disputes about television broadcast rights to timely reserve spectators' demand via television.

PM Dung asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to resolve the conflict so as to live up to the spectators' expectations and then report to the Government.

The Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) signed a contract with the Audio Visual Global Company (AVG) from 2011-30 and recently released an official document stating that AVG has all broadcasting rights for the national football championship (Super League).

The VPF and organising board are required to respect that broadcasting rights now belong to the AVG, which means television stations can only broadcast matches with AVG permission.

During investigations, the Government leader allowed television stations to broadcast all matches under the management of the VPF.

After receiving PM Dung's direction, AVG sent a press release to affirm that it would strictly obey the PM's direction. -- VNS

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Hung secures all-around berth to London Olympics

2012-01-13T23:24:00.002+07:00

Moving on: Gymnast Pham Phuoc Hung performs in the pommel horse event at the National Gymnastic Championship. He has managed to qualify for this year London Olympics. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Truong

HA NOI — Male gymnast Pham Phuoc Hung secured a place to compete at the London Olympic Games after narrowly making the cut at the Olympic Games Test Event in England on Wednesday.

The qualifying event for the all-round gymnastics competition at the Olympics saw athletes vie for one of 27 tickets to the games. Hung secured the 26th place, becoming the second Vietnamese gymnast to secure a place at the summer Olympics.

Hung has excelled in competitions recently, winning two gold medals at the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia last November.

Hung, 24, who entered the men's gymnastics programme when he was seven, finished fourth in the men's individual parallel bars at the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Portugal.

The Hanoian, who has been training in China since 1998, will be a contender in the men's all-around competition in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Viet Nam's first gymnast to win a ticket to the Olympics was 21-year-old Phan Thi Ha Thanh.

Hailing from the northern port city of Hai Phong, Thanh won a bronze medal at the recent world event.

So far Viet Nam has five athletes on their way to London: gymnasts Thanh and Hung, taekwondo artists Le Huynh Chau and Chu Hoang Dieu Linh, and judoka Van Ngoc Tu.

In addition, top Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh is expected to play in London as he is ranked eighth in the world. — VNS

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

"Harry Potter," Katy Perry big People's Choice winners

2012-01-13T23:19:00.000+07:00

"Harry Potter" cast a spell at the People's Choice awards on Wednesday on a night that also saw big wins for singer Katy Perry at the start of the Hollywood awards season.

Host Kaley Cuoco laughs on stage at the 2012 People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles January 11, 2012

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" -- the last installment of the hit movie franchise about the British boy wizard -- won four awards, including best movie and favorite ensemble cast.

Perry won five trophies, including best female music artist, favorite song for "E.T." and favorite tour headliner. But the perky "Firework" pop star pulled out of Wednesday's live TV ceremony at short notice, following her split with British comedian Russell Brand two weeks ago after 14 months of marriage.

The People's Choice is the earliest of Hollywood's glittering annual awards shows. But unlike the Oscars or the Golden Globes, the People's Choice winners are determined by fans and provide few insights to the likely winners of the movie industry's highest honors in February.

The "Harry Potter" stars did not make the trip from Britain to the awards show in Los Angeles so none of their wins were announced on the two-hour televised ceremony.

Female romp "Bridesmaids" won best comedy movie and Johnny Depp picked up the best actor award.

Emma Stone, 23, took the trophies for both movie actress and favorite comedy actress for her roles in civil rights era film "The Help" and "Crazy, Stupid, Love."

"I moved to LA eight years ago this week with my mom and it is so insane to be standing up here right now," Stone told the audience.

Former Disney Channel star Demi Lovato, 19, was voted favorite pop artist following her return to showbusiness after an emotional breakdown in late 2010, beating the likes of Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Maroon 5 won best band.

Television honors included "Glee" star Lea Michele and Neil Patrick Harris for "How I Met Your Mother," which also won favorite TV comedy show. "Two Broke Girls" was voted best new TV comedy.

Adam Sandler won best movie comedy actor and "Water for Elephants," starring "Twilight" heartthrob Robert Pattinson, won best movie drama.

Sandler beat perennial favorites like Steve Carell and Bradley Cooper. Both Sandler's movies this year -- "Jack and Jill" and "Just Go With It" -- were mauled by critics but as Sandler noted while accepting his trophy, "You the people seem to enjoy" them.

The People's Choice hands out awards in more than 40 categories covering film, music and television. Organizers said on Wednesday that the winners were decided by more than 230 million public votes online, via text and through social media websites.

The popular "Twilight" vampire romance franchise, which has dominated People's Choice for the past two years, was not eligible to compete this year because of the timing of the "Breaking Dawn-Part 1" release in November.

In a new category, Morgan Freeman triumphed over George Clooney, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks and Robert DeNiro to win favorite movie icon.

Freeman, the Oscar-winning star of "Million Dollar Baby", said he wasn't sure what an icon was. But he added, "I hope I represent a working actor who is so incredibly proud to be in this business ... and forever grateful for this honor."

A full list of winners can be found at www.peopleschoice.com.

dtinews.vn

Man Utd vs Bolton Wanderers Live Stream Highlights 14 January 2012

2012-01-13T18:02:00.002+07:00

Man Utd vs Bolton Wanderers Premier League 2012

Man Utd vs Bolton Wanderers Premier League
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:
Date: 14 January 2011 – Time: 3:00 BST
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester

In the Premier League match on Saturday between two of the north sides from Premier League we will have Bolton Wanderers are taking on Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, 14 January 2012 and it will be a massive game for sure. Manchester United are playing well in the league and other compeition but two back to back loses in the hands of Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United in the league have kind of halted their path to the title and now they are level on points with Tottenham Hotspurs and 3 points behind Manchester City.

Manchester United defeated their arch rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup 3rd Round tie and now they will be hoping to keep the good run of form going when they host Bolton Wanderers and gather all thre points which will put them on level terms with Manchester City. United have 20 games in the league and they have 45 points on the table won 14, drawn 3 and lost 3 as well.

Bolton Wanderers on the other hand are kind of team who are struggling for form at the moment and trip to United could not have come at the better time as Man Utd are struggling as well and Bolton could exploit that and get somthing from the game.

Manchester United vs Bolton Wanderers Team News & Highlights:

You can tune in here to get the live updates of the match here, while full match highlights will be avialable closer to the full time and we will place goals video here as they go in.

totalsportsmadness.com

Video source by Youtube.com

Chelsea vs. Sunderland Preview, Live Stream 14 January 2012

2012-01-13T17:53:00.002+07:00

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Chelsea will be aiming to pick up all three points as it welcomes Sunderland to The Bridge. If the Blues are going to get back into the Premier League title chase during the season's second half, the team's run will need to begin soon.

They are coming off a convincing 4-0 victory over Portsmouth in the FA Cup's third round, but have secured the maximum amount of points in just once in the past five games. A lack of goal-scoring punch has been the main reason for Chelsea's struggles.

After finishing last season in 10th place, Sunderland finds itself right back in the same position. While supporters of the Black Cats are probably happy they aren't dealing with a relegation battle, they'd also like to start seeing some progress toward European contention.

Where: Stamford Bridge in London, England

When: Saturday, Jan. 14 at 10 a.m. ET

Watch: Fox Soccer Channel and FoxSoccer.tv

Betting Odds: Chelsea -310, Sunderland +785, Draw +365

Player to Watch for Chelsea: Juan Mata

Mata was brought over from Valencia during the summer and has been one of the team's few consistent offensive threats this season. The 23-year-old striker has scored four goals and added seven assists in 18 league games for the Blues.

Sunderland will be a tough test for Chelsea's slumping forwards, having given up just 12 goals in 10 road games. That means Mata will have to be in his best form to help his team break out of their funk before it's too late to chase down the Manchester rivals.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Player to Watch for Sunderland: Stephane Sessegnon

Following a successful stint with Paris Saint-Germain, Sessegnon joined Sunderland in last year's January transfer window. The results have been mixed, but he's been playing well as of late with at least on point in four straight matches.

The 27-year-old Beninese midfielder isn't dynamic in any particular area of the game, but is a well-rounded, dependable option. He does have good pace, which could pose problems for Chelsea if the Blues get caught flat footed in their own third.

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Key Matchup: Petr Cech vs. Simon Mignolet

Chelsea is struggling to score and Sunderland doesn't have much firepower to begin with, which means every goal will be crucial on Saturday. In games like that, it's up to the goalkeepers—in this case, Cech for the Blues and Mignolet for the Black Cats—to make sure everything is order at the back.

Keepers only make the highlights when they make a tremendous save (or score a goal like Tim Howard), but their job is so much more important than that. Making sure the entire defense is on the same page is a tall task, and whichever guy does it better will give him team a big advantage.

What They're Saying

Chelsea star Didier Drogba is one of the hottest names on the transfer market, and one team that could be in play is Aston Villa, according to Wayne Veysey of Goal.com.

Aston Villa are interested in signing Didier Drogba in a move that could pave the way for the shock January exit of Darren Bent, Goal.com has learned.

The Midlands club have expressed an interest in swooping for the Chelsea veteran, who turns 34 in March.

Drogba is out of contract in the summer and talks over an extension at Stamford Bridge have reached a stalemate, with the Londoners unwilling to exceed the one-year deal currently on the table.

Another player linked to a potential move is Sunderland's Kieran Richardson, but Black Cats boss Martin O'Neill said he hasn't heard from Arsenal like reports indicated (via ESPNsoccernet).

O'Neill said: "Arsenal have not been in touch with me, I don't know anything about it. I asked the chief executive as well and she said no, there hasn't been anybody in touch yet.

"But what I have said is that I would keep players informed about what is happening.

"Obviously, I don't want to rush players to leave the football club. I would rather think about stabilizing things here, and hopefully we can try to progress from there.”

Prediction

Chelsea 2, Sunderland 1

bleacherreport.com

Liverpool vs. Stoke City: Preview, Live Stream

2012-01-13T17:47:00.003+07:00

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Liverpool looks to get back to their winning form on Saturday when they host Stoke City at Anfield in a match that is crucial for both clubs.

The Reds need to bounce back after they lost their previous league match 3-0 to Manchester City at Etihad Stadium. Liverpool needs to start taking three points from all the inferior clubs they play, because if they don't then a top-four finish won't happen for them.

Stoke City are currently eighth in the Premier League table and have not lost in league play since December 21 against Manchester City. A win against Liverpool would be huge for the confidence of the club going forward as the second half of the season gets underway.

Let's look at everything you need to know about this exciting matchup.

Where: Anfield, Liverpool, England

Watch: Fox Soccer Plus

Live Stream: Foxsoccer.tv

When: Saturday, Jan. 14 at 10:00 a.m. EST

Player to Watch for Liverpool: Andy Carroll

Liverpool striker Andy Carroll really needs to start finding his good form, or the club seriously needs to consider parting ways with the young forward.

Carroll's tenure at Anfield has been a disaster thus far, and with each disappointing performance there is even less hope that he will turn it around.

Carroll should be able to find success against Stoke City, who have allowed 31 goals in the league this season.

Player to Watch for Stoke City: Peter Crouch

Stoke City striker Peter Crouch scored twice in the club's last Premier League match on January 2, a 2-1 victory at Blackburn.

Crouch is always a threat in the air with his height and heading ability, but he has been a complete goal scorer for Stoke this season.

He leads the club with six goals in league play and will certainly be an attacking player to watch on Saturday.

Key Matchup: Liverpool Center-Backs vs. Stoke City Forwards

Chris Brunskill/Getty Images

The Liverpool center-backs were not spectacular against Manchester City in their most recent league match, and defending set pieces has to be better for Kenny Dalglish's squad.

With Crouch and Kenwyne Jones giving Stoke City goal-scoring ability in the final third, Liverpool must be strong defensively or they will be beaten in the air by the talented Stoke forwards.

What They're Saying

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini recently commented on Luis Suarez's ban for racially abusing Manchester United left back Patrice Evra.

"Sometimes it can happen on the pitch, a situation like this," Mancini said. "It is important to apologise for what you did. Sometimes on the pitch you can do something that you don't want to do, because you are nervous, you don't think. I don't think Suarez is a racist. I think he made a mistake, probably, yes."

Prediction: Liverpool 2-1

Liverpool beat Stoke City 2-1 back in October, and I think that will be the score in the match at Anfield on Saturday.

The Reds will be determined to follow their disappointing loss to Manchester City with an impressive performance in front of the home crowd.

Expect Red captain Steven Gerrard to play a bigger role as he continues to return to full fitness after his long battle with injuries in 2011.

With an advantage in every third of the pitch over Stoke, expect Liverpool to earn a hard-fought win and take all three points in this match.

Source: bleacherreport.com

Vietnam ranked top emerging destination in 2012: survey

2012-01-13T15:18:00.000+07:00

Ha Long Bay

Vietnam topped the list of emerging destinations for international tourists in 2012, according to a survey by the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA).

Vietnam was cited as the “off-the-beaten-path” or emerging destination that will gain popularity in 2012, followed by India, Ecuador and China.

USTOA revealed the results of its annual survey of active members at its Annual Conference and Marketplace in Marco Island, Florida, on December 10-13.

Recently, Hanoi and Hoi An ancient town in the central province of Quang Nam were named among the top 10 destinations in Asia for 2011 in an online poll conducted by Hong Kong-based travel and trade journal, Smart Travel Asia.

Hanoi is ranked equal sixth with Shanghai (China), while Hoi An was jointly rated seventh with Rajastan (India) and Seoul (South Korea), according to the poll organized by the magazine. The magazine is regarded as a leading authority on the regional travel industry.

The online poll, which was conducted from May to July 2011, reflected the responses of more than 1 million people from all over the world.

Thanh Nien News

Foreign player cap set to boost domestic opportunity

2012-01-13T00:40:00.001+07:00

Local jump: Sinyin (left) of China plays in a match at the National Volleyball Championship. Viet Nam plans to limit foreign volleyball players from competing in the country from next year. — VNS Photo Quang Thang

HA NOI — Viet Nam plans to limit foreign volleyball players from competing in the country from 2013.

The Volleyball Federation of Viet Nam (VFV) said the move was designed to promote the domestic game.

"We have weighed up the pros and cons of using foreigners in our tournaments. We have proposed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to bar foreigners from competing in the country. It is time to use our own players, as other countries in the region have decided to do," said Tran Duc Phan, VFV's general secretary.

Foreign players have been competing in Viet Nam since 2005. However, it is thought they have deterred local players from participating in the sport.

The championship drew around 20 foreign players from Thailand, Russia and China last year.

Last year was the seventh year the federation allowed teams to sign two foreign players, though only one is allowed on court at a time.

Volleyball joined football in becoming a professional sport six years ago.

At the 26th SEA Games in Indonesia last November the men's team failed to make the top three, while the women's team was defeated by Thailand in the final. — VNS

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Ministry to probe broadcast rights

2012-01-13T00:36:00.002+07:00

Rules of the game: Cameramen film a football match at Ha Noi's My Dinh National Stadium. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced an investigation into exclusive broadcasting rights contracts between the Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) and the Audio Vision Global Co (AVG). — VNA/VNS Photo Quang Thang

HA NOI — The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism promulgated an official document on Monday, announcing the inspection of an exclusive broadcasting contracts between the Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) and the Audio Vision Global Company (AVG).

The deadline for inspection is 15 days from Monday. In the interim, related companies must respect the signed contract.

The VFF signed a contract with the AVG from 2011-30 and recently released an official document stating that AVG has all broadcasting rights for national football tournaments.

The VFF's document stated that the VFF previously handed all rights, including broadcasting rights, to the Viet Nam Professional Football Company (VPF) who was to manage VFF contracts.

The VPF and organising board are required to respect that broadcasting rights now belong to the AVG, which means television stations can only broadcast matches with AVG permission.

However, there has been on-going conflict between the AVG and the VPF as to what exactly happened.

Last week, the VPF sent an official document to the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry ofInformation and Communication; and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to request verification of the legality of the contract between VFF and AVG. Right after that, AVG also sent an official document to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for inspection.

"At present, the AVG has no comment. We will wait for the conclusion of appropriate authorities," said AVG's chairman Pham Nhat Vu. — VNS

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Overseas Vietnamese recconect, creating a new model for V-pop

2012-01-12T23:17:00.000+07:00

Like the country itself, the music industry has been undergoing fast and furious change. While in the past, many young Vietnamese have looked outwards for trends - not only including music, but fashion and even behavior - there is an emerging movement that is unique to this country.

Antoneus Maximus (L) and Ha Anh (R)

Somewhat surprisingly, this new movement largely involves the cooperation between artists born here and overseas Vietnamese.

One of the most recent and notable examples is the collaboration between the well-known Vietnamese model, Ha Anh Vu, and American-Vietnamese producer and song-writer Antoneus Maximus.

The song “Model”, recently released and largely seen over the internet, has caused quite a stir among young people across the country, lighting up chat rooms and forums. The song represents Ha Anh’s first steps into the music industry. It also could represent a reconnection between Vietnamese pop culture with young “Viet Kieu” wishing to reestablish their roots in the country of their origin. Antoneus Maximus, who is now focusing on writing and production in Ho Chi Minh City, was the real catalyst for “Model”.

His musical influences came from the west. He listened to soul music from a young age. He said, “Michael Jackson was the reason I first got into music,” adding that, ”I started writing my first songs when I was thirteen. That’s when I got enough money to buy my first keyboard.”

Even though he grew up in California, he never forgot his Vietnamese ancestry. So when he began to burgeon as an artist, working with artists such as the Black Eyed Peas, his thoughts, and travels, continually came back to his home country.

The link with Ha Anh was quite spontaneous. After producing the track for “Model”, he and Duong Khach Linh, owner of the label, agreed that they needed a real model to sing. They found the perfect candidate. “She’d studied music abroad, and had been waiting to find the right people to work with,” Antoneus said. It was also perfect for the producers. “You can’t get any higher than Ha Anh Vu. We had instant chemistry from the jump.”

Antoneus hopes to contribute to the general music scene in Vietnam. When asked whether the country was ready for this style of music, he said, “I hope so. There is a lot of talent here, but different music gets different reactions. If they’re ready or not, I’m still going to do it. It’s the only thing I know.”

By Brian Webb dtinews.vn

Hanoi gearing up for its crowning glory of sports

2012-01-12T23:12:00.001+07:00

In 2012, Hanoi plans to win more than 1,840 medals, including 776 golds in domestic and foreign tournaments, according to its Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The capital city is carrying out measures to help its athletes to get the glory in major sports events, such as, the London Olympics 2012, the 27^th SEA Games, the 7^th national sports festival, and the 17^th Asian Games (ASIAD).

Hanoi’s taekwondo athlete Chu Hoang Dieu Linh is one of those athletes representing Southeast Asian region to have passed the qualifying round of the London Olympics 2012.

In 2011, Hanoi got a total of 2,877 medals in domestic, regional and international events, maintaining its top position in Vietnam’s sports record. Its delegation contributed 36 golds, 31 silvers and 31 bronzes to the total of 96 golds, 92 silvers and 100 bronzes grabbed by the national delegation from the 26^th SEA Games.

dtinews.vn

Cannavaro wishes he could stay in Vietnam longer

2012-01-12T23:10:00.000+07:00

A Vietnamese fan expresses her love for Italian football veteran Fabio Cannavaro (R) at Ho Chi Minh City's Youth Culture House on Sunday.

Italian football legend Fabio Cannavaro said during a meeting with football fans at Ho Chi Minh City’s Youth Culture House that he wishes he could stay longer in Vietnam.

Sunday was the third and final day of his three-day visit to Ho Chi Minh City, and the 2006 FIFA World Cup champion answered different questions from fans in a friendly talk.

Cannavaro said, “I am surprised that the fans here like me so much. I wish I could stay here longer to get to know more about the country and people of Vietnam. I used to play football in Europe, but Vietnamese fans here like me."

Cannavaro, the captain of Italy at the 2006 World Cup, said the Italian players were not the strongest team, but they were the most difficult to defeat.

The greatest international veteran defender also came off the stage to give autographs to fans. A few fans failed to fight back the tears.

The Italian football veteran left Vietnam later on Sunday.

By Thanh Nien News, with original Vietnamese story by TT&VH

Khanh Hoa crush Ninh Binh in Vietnam Super League

2012-01-12T23:08:00.001+07:00

Khatoco Khanh Hoa players celebrate after crushing Ninh Binh 4-0 at Nha Trang Stadium in Super League 2nd round on Sunday. Photo by Quang Nhut

Khatoco Khanh Hoa thrashed visitors Vissai Ninh Binh 4-0 in the second round of Vietnam’s top-flight Super League at Nha Trang Stadium Sunday.

The hosts set a cracking pace right from the beginning, and were the better side throughout the match, scoring twice in each half.

Defending champs Hanoi T&T climbed to the top of the table with six points after struggling to a 1-0 away win over 2007-08 champs Becamex Binh Duong.

Both teams were profligate, frittering away many clear scoring chances.

After the first two rounds of the season, Hanoi FC is at the bottom without a point yet.

By Thanh Nien News

Messi vows to share Ballon d'Or with Xavi

2012-01-10T19:54:00.002+07:00

FC Barcelona striker Lionel Messi has said that he will "share this award with Xavi" after claiming the FIFA Ballon d'Or for the third year in succession.

FC Barcelona striker Lionel Messi has been awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or for the third year in succession.

The Argentinian international, who was voted the inaugural winner of the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award for the season 2010/11, and who also won the now-merged FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or awards in 2009, said "it's a great pleasure for me to win my third award" after receiving the trophy from former Brazil striker Ronaldo.

"It's an amazing honour," Messi told delegates at the Zurich Kongresshaus, after pipping shortlisted candidates Xavi Hernández and Cristiano Ronaldo to the prize. "I want to thank everyone who voted for me: my friends, my team-mates from Barcelona and the Argentinian national team, my coach, the trainers, the physios; everyone who have been involved with Barça. It's a very special trophy for me.

"I'm going to share this with Xavi," he added. "It's the fourth time we've been here in Zurich; it's a great pleasure to play alongside him. Xavi, you deserve the trophy just as much as me. Without you I wouldn't have won and I want to thank you for being such a good friend."

Messi excelled once again for the Blaugrana last season, scoring 31 goals in as many Liga starts – and 53 overall – to help Barça claim their third league crown in succession, and the fifth of his career. The 24-year-old also produced another stellar UEFA Champions League campaign, top scoring in the competition for a third year running with a record-equalling 12 strikes in 13 appearances, including a goal in the final. He was voted man of the match after inspiring Josep Guardiola's charges to a second European Champions Club's Cup success in three years.

The Barça No10, who was also on target in his side's 2-0 UEFA Super Cup triumph against FC Porto last August, capped a momentous year with two goals in the 4-0 defeat of Santos FC as the European Champions lifted the FIFA World Club Cup in Yokohama, Japan. He has already mustered 17 league goals in 17 league appearances so far this term and co-leads the UEFA Champions League scorers' charts with six goals in the group stage.

His coach, Josep Guardiola, was also honoured at the ceremony, receiving the FIFA Men's Football Coach of the Year award for leading Barcelona to five trophies. "I would like to share this award with José Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson and all the coaches around the world who share this passion," said Guardiola. "It is a privilege to be part of such an incredible club. Finally, I would like to dedicate this award to Tito Vilanova, my assistant, my colleague, my friend who can't be here tonight."

The FIFA Women's World Player of the Year was won by Homare Sawa, who lifted the FIFA Women's World Cup as captain of Japan, coached by Norio Sasaki, who received the FIFA Women's Football World Coach of the Year award. The FIFA Puskás Award for 2011's best goal was taken by Neymar for his wonderful solo effort for Santos against Brazilian top-flight rivals CR Flamengo in July, while the Presidential Award went to Manchester United FC manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Messi was one of five Barcelona players named in the FIFA/FIFPro World XI.

The full lineup is:
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF); Daniel Alves (FC Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid CF), Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona), Nemanja Vidić (Manchester United FC); Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid CF), Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona); Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United FC).

uefa.com

2012 Oscar Poster Hits The Web

2012-01-10T19:49:00.001+07:00

Much like taking down the tree and realising that you’ve still got far too much turkey left over, there are a few traditions that always seem to arrive from Hollywood between Christmas and New Year. One is the arrival of the poster for the Academy Awards Ceremony, which you can slide your eyes over below.

It’s not exactly the most exciting Oscar image to ever strike the world, but the Academy is clearly looking to play up the themes of movies as a celebration and honour/tradition, which, as we all know, is the way to attract young audiences. The tagline “celebrate the movies in all of us” is also a little odd, unless the target audience is toddlers who have somehow swallowed a Blu-Ray.

Sticking in strictly safe territory with a bunch of past Best Picture winners (and one Best Director anomaly), the poster features the usual gold statuette alongside images from Forrest Gump, The Sound Of Music, Gone With The Wind, Driving Miss Daisy, Giant (the aforementioned anomaly), Gladiator and Casablanca.

The awards will be handed out at the 84th ceremony on February 26, with Billy Crystal overseeing the event.

phoenixfilmfestival.com

British Embassy in Vietnam hoists Olympic flag

2012-01-10T19:37:00.000+07:00

For the first time the flag of the Olympic London 2012 was hoisted in Vietnam on January 9.

British Ambassador Antony Stokes and Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports
and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan at the flag hoisting ceremony.

The flag hoisting ceremony was witnessed by many Vietnamese officials and Vietnamese athletes, including gymnast Ha Thanh, who was recently recognized as the best athlete of the year.

The flag hoisting ceremony in Hanoi yesterday marked the 200 days before the opening of the Olympic 2012 in London.

London is the first city that hosts the largest sport event in the world – the Olympic – for three times, including Olympic 1908, 1948 and 2012.

The British Ambassador to Vietnam Antony Stokes said at the ceremony--that the Olympic London 2012 is not only a sport event, but it is a chance to show the world an open, dynamic, creative, hospitable Britain, an ideal place for living, working, studying and doing business.

The Ambassador hoped that the Vietnamese delegation would win some medals at the Olympic 2012.

“The Olympic London 2012 is also an opportunity for Vietnamese athletes to understand more about the UK and for promoting the relations between Vietnam and the UK in sports,” he added.

After hoisting the flag together with Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan hoisted the flag, Ambassador Stokes presented Olympic London T-shirts to gymnast Ha Thanh and other athletes and disabled athletes who attended the ceremony.

english.vietnamnet.vn

Tennis star Thien enters top 100 young players

2012-01-10T19:28:00.001+07:00

Young tennis ace Nguyen Hoang Thien is included among the list of top 100 young players in the world, according to rankings released early this month.

HCM City-based Thien, who started his tennis career at the age of eight, rose to 67th place in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings with 277.5 points.

Thien's surge in the rankings stems from his successes in recent international tournaments as well as the ITF's removal of players who are over 18 years old from the list.

Thien's latest noticeable achievement was winning the singles event at Hong Kong Open Junior Championships 2011.

The new ranking allows the 17-year-old to compete in youth events at all four Grand Slam tournaments.

Thien, coached by French coaches Tom Kindavong and Marcel Donminique Petit, is working hard to prepare for the boys event at the Australian Open.

dtinews.vn

Ha Noi T&T stay top after Binh Duong own goal

2012-01-10T11:28:00.001+07:00

Flying: Striker Nguyen Van Quyet (right) of Ha Noi T&T gets away from Becamex Binh Duong midfielder Huynh Quang Thanh during their Super League match at Ha Noi Stadium. T&T won 1-0. — VNS Photo Quang Thang

HA NOI — An own-goal by Becamex Binh Duong's goalkeeper Dinh Hoang La resulted in victory for Ha Noi T&T yesterday in the second round match of the Super-League.

La performed perfectly in the first 20 minutes of the first half by stopping a flurry of shots by the host including a threatening kick by Gonzalo Marronkle in the 13th minute.

However the former goalie for Ninh Binh was unable to maintain form under the consecutive attacks. His big mistake came when he was startled with a smart cross-pass by T&T's striker Nguyen Van Quyet which landed in the net in the 23rd minute.

Despite its home turf advantage, T&T failed to rally for most of the match and it was Binh Duong who mastered the second half.

National team members Nguyen Vu Phong and Nguyen Viet Thang, along with foreigner Udo Fortune were given opportunities to score but keeper Duong Hong Son on the T&T side held his edge. The freezing weather certainly did nothing to give the southern opponents an advantage.

As the match was nearing its end, T&T's Samson Kayode Olaleye had the chance to double the score but he failed to overcome keeper La who was ready and alert.

It was the host's second win, giving them six points after two matches. Binh Duong are in sixth place with one win and one loss.

In the other matches yesterday, Thanh Hoa drew 0-0 with former champion SHB Da Nang while Khatoco Khanh Hoa flattened Ninh Binh 4-0.

Four matches were played on Saturday. Hai Phong vs Navibank Sai Gon and Sai Gon FC vs two-time champion Hoang Anh Gia Lai both ended in 1-1 draws.

The defending champion beat Dong Thap 1-0 while Kien Giang defeated Ha Noi FC 3-2. — VNS

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Local coach sought for national teams

2012-01-10T11:26:00.000+07:00

Available: Coach Phan Thanh Hung is a favourite candidate for the national football team's driving seat. — VNS Photo Quang Thang

HA NOI — The Viet Nam Football Federation is again seeking a coach for the national and under-23 teams.

For more than 16 years, the federation has seen foreign coaches as the key to pushing Viet Nam to the top of the regional tournament and to success in international competitions.

Hope, expectation and cash were invested but none of it brought the country to glory although it made remarkable progress in national football.

After sacking Falko Goetz last month, the eighth foreign coach since 1995, the federation now puts its belief in a Vietnamese who for many years has been working as head coaching assistant.

Speaking at a federation conference, chairman Nguyen Trong Hy said when Goetz went, it was 100 per cent certain the substitution would be a local coach.

"Malaysia and Indonesia have been successful with local coaches. If we look at the V-League [now Super-League] we can see that the local coaches are doing it better than the foreigners," said Hy.

Viet Nam returned to the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games competition in 1991 after years of absence. Vietnamese Vu Van Tu, Nguyen Sy Hien and Tran Duy Long were the first coaches, but teams were eliminated from the SEA Games group stage in 1991 and 1993.

These failures made the federation change its mind. It signed a contract with German Karl Weigang who helped Viet Nam earn a silver medal at the next Games in 1995.

Up to now, eight coaches have come and gone. Viet Nam's best result was winning the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) Cup in 2008 under Portuguese Henrique Calisto. The SEA Games title still seems out of reach.

During this period of foreign coaches, only two Vietnamese were appointed. Tran Van Khanh was assigned acting head coach for the 2004 Tiger Cup and Mai Duc Chung took charge at the 23rd SEA Games in 2005.

The federation thought about using a Vietnamese when Calisto withdrew last March. Many candidates who had persuasive CVs were named, but the finalist was Goetz, a foreigner again.

Goetz was fired after the U23 team's poor performance at Indonesian SEA Games last November when Viet Nam finished fourth despite targeting a gold medal.

The federation now wants to work with a Vietnamese and while some say "no", others are ready.

Coach Le Thuy Hai said he would take up the cause if invited. Hai is one of the best among the candidates.

"In the world, a foreign coach can only be successful if he understands the local language. In football, things happen rapidly. If the coach has to adjust players through an interpreter, it will be too late," Hai said.

"We hoped foreigners would bring new things to Viet Nam, but their syllabuses and training exercises are the same.

"The difference is the way they transfer the competitive spirit to the players. But they cannot convert players into star team with one month of training. So I believe that a local coach has the advantage," Hai said.

"The federation would save a lot of money for salaries, apartments and travel expenses if it invites a local coach and I am ready."

Coach Chung, who used to work with the U23 team, said he also was available.

"It is time for a local coach. They have a good foundation and proved their capacity through domestic competitions. Hai, Phan Thanh Hung and Nguyen Huu Thang are qualified to lead the team," said Chung, who said goodbye to Super-League's Navibank Sai Gon ahead of the new season.

"Local coach quality may not as good as the foreigners who trained and worked in Europe. However we understand players and regional football.

"If I get the invitation, I will be ready because I am free and want to contribute more to national football. "

Former striker Le Huynh Duc, who grabbed the Super League title with SHB Da Nang in his debut as trainer in 2009, said it was his dream to be national team coach.

"I believe a local coach can overcome heavy pressure to win when leading the national team because he suffers the same pressure at the local level.

"Being national head coach is a dream to any trainer, including me. But I have not received any invitation."

Coach Hung is another possible candidate for the position. Hung is working well at Ha Noi T&T club after assisting Calisto to win the AFF Cup four years ago.

"I still have two years in contract with T&T. My work is going on right track and I find it interesting and busy here so I do not want to be national head coach," said Hung who was Goetz's first assistant.

Coach Thang of the defending champion Song Lam Nghe An also refused.

"VFF's decision is good as there is chance for local coaches to show off ability but I myself don't feel confident," he said.

A basic difference between the idea of a local coach is that he would be paid only about US$7,000 a month while Calisto and Goetz were paid more than $20,000 - plus an apartment and travel expenses.

This year Viet Nam have only one competition, that is to compete at the AFF championship in Malaysia and Thailand. — VNS

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro meets ecstatic fans in HCM City

2012-01-10T11:23:00.000+07:00

Age cannot weary: Fabio Cannavaro vies for the ball against a player from HCM City's under-15 team. The Italian legend is visiting Viet Nam for the first time. — VNA/VNS Photo Quang Nhut

HCM CITY — Italian football legend Fabio Cannavaro said he was surprised and deeply moved by his reception from local fans in his three-day visit to Viet Nam.

"I was deeply moved by the admiration you have for me," said Cannavaro. "It is a great surprise for me because this is the first time I have come here and because Viet Nam and Italy are so far away geographically."

Speaking through an interpreter at a reception with hundreds of Vietnamese fans at the Youth Culture House in HCM City yesterday, the last day in his visit, Cannavaro shared some football tips and talked about his family life.

Some fans declared their love to him, while others held banners praising the football player and his team Juventus. One female fan even sang a song in Italian for Cannavaro.

"Money is important and it can change a person's life but since I began playing football, it is always my passion," he said in answer to a fan's question about football and money.

Cannavaro is one of the best defenders in his generation. He won the World Cup with the Italian team in 2006 and also became the FIFA World Player of the Year that year.

He has played for many famous football clubs, including Juventus and Real Madrid.

Not only is he a talented footballer but Cannavaro's life has been free of scandal, making him a role model for young footballers.

"Many fans think that footballers often have a self-indulgent life with love affairs but it is not true for most footballers. For me, I am a man of family," he said.

Ma Tien Phong, a freshman at the HCM City College of Culture, said he has been a fan of the Italian player since he was six years old.

While Cannavaro signed autographs for many of his fans, Phong missed out in the rush to meet the football star.

"I carried this portrait of Cannavaro around with me for the past three days, but I didn't manage to get his autograph because there are so many fans here," Phong said.

Cannavaro came to Viet Nam as a football ambassador and to promote Italian football across the country.

On Saturday, he held a training session with HCM City's U15 football team at Thong Nhat Stadium. — VNS

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Stunning finale for Vietnam's Next Top Model 2011

2012-01-09T20:45:00.001+07:00

Hoang Thi Thuy beat 2,000 contestants to become the winner of Vietnam's Next Top Model 2011 at a glitzy finale in the presence of the show’s creator and former fashion supermodel Tyra Banks.

Hoang Thi Thuy, the winner of Vietnam's Next Top Model 2011

The final round of Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2011 was held in HCM City on January 8 featuring finalists Hoang Thi Thuy, Tra My and Le Thuy.

The first section of the round required contestants to express their personality and ‘fashion aesthetics’ while wearing costumes designed by renowned designer, Do Manh Cuong.

Le Thuy, 20, from the central province of Quang Binh, was eliminated, leaving Tra My and Hanoi University of Architecture student Hoang Thi Thuy to contest the final section.

Hoang Thi Thuy, also known as Hoang Thuy, outstripped her friend Tra My in the photography section and become Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2011.

Winner 1.76 tall Hoang Thuy, was awarded with a two-year contract worth VND1 billion (USD47,537) with Singaporean model agency BeU.

She will also appear on the cover of women’s lifestyle magazine Herworld, and receive VND200 million (USD9,507) in cash and a short-term model training course in Paris.

Some photos of Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2011:

Hoang Thuy greeting the audience

Hoang Thuy revealed her strong personality

Hoang Thuy in catwalk section

Professional style

Saying farewell to Le Thuy

Hoang Thuy in the photo shoot section

Impressive Hoang Thuy

Pristine beauty

Hoang Thuy on the cover of Herworld magazine

Moved by the final result

Hoang Thuy with supermodel Tyra Banks and her friends

Happy smiles

dtinews.vn

Clock ticks as London marks 200 days till Olympics

2012-01-09T20:41:00.001+07:00

London marks 200 days to go until the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games on Monday with several setbacks in the ticketing system failing to affect the organisers' upbeat mood.

London marks 200 days to go until the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games on Monday with several setbacks in the ticketing system failing to affect the organisers' upbeat mood

The British government will hold a special cabinet meeting in the Olympic Park in east London to mark the day, while from Tuesday the gymnastics facilities will be the latest to be tested.

As London prepares to become the first city to host the Olympics for the third time, most of the venues are completed and tickets for all events -- except the hundreds of thousands available for the football competition -- are sold out.

Organisers can take pride in the remarkable transformation of a once rundown area of scrapyards and workshops into a collection of high-tech sporting venues, virtually a new city of housing and, eventually, a green park.

Yet amid the excitement, many Britons failed to secure tickets after a lottery left the majority of applicants disappointed amid massive demand.

There were red faces last week when organisers LOCOG admitted they had mistakenly oversold tickets for synchronised swimming sessions and were forced to offer thousands of people tickets to other events.

Some 10,000 tickets were meant to go on offer in the second round of sales but 20,000 were mistakenly made available.

Those who missed out on synchronised swimming tickets now have the consolation of a chance of receiving tickets to the men's 100 metres final, the blue riband event of the Games which is likely to feature Usain Bolt.

Adding to the organisers' blushes, the website for recipients to resell tickets they do not want has been suspended because of technical problems.

An additional one million non-football tickets are due to go on sale in April once the final configuration of the stadiums has been worked out, and they are certain to be snapped up.

David Beckham's likely inclusion in the British squad should help to sell tickets for the men's football competition being held at Wembley, Old Trafford and other major stadiums.

As the clock ticks down to the July 27 opening ceremony, chief organiser Sebastian Coe said the acid test of his organisation would be whether athletes could be delivered to their event on time, and ready to compete.

"I never want an athlete telling me he did not make a final because the Olympic Village did not create the right atmosphere, or he did not get the right service or the transport did not work," Coe told the Evening Standard newspaper.

"The Games have to work for the most important client group, the athletes. I can't screw it up for them. That would be a cardinal sin."

In an already congested city like London, few doubt that transport is one of the biggest issues the Games face.

Specially reserved Olympic road lanes, reserved for athletes, officials and the media are designed to ensure competitors are not delayed but their effect is likely to be traffic snarl-ups elsewhere in the capital.

India is now expected to send a team after its Olympic authorities threatened to boycott the Games over plans to have the branding of sponsor Dow Chemical on the fabric 'wrap' around the Olympic Stadium.

India is opposed to the company's involvement because of its links to the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster which killed tens of thousands of people.

The row was defused when LOCOG said Dow's name will not appear on the wrap.

There was also criticism when Prime Minister David Cameron ordered an additional £41 million ($63 million, 50 million euros) to be spent on the opening and closing ceremonies -- seen by some as frivolous at a time of austerity in Britain.

"Slumdog Millionaire" director Danny Boyle has the difficult task of ensuring that London's opening ceremony can compete with the spectacular show staged by Beijing four years ago.

dtinews.vn

Vietnamese movie to be shown at Berlin int’l film festival

2012-01-07T13:12:00.000+07:00

The movie “Hot Boy Noi Loan” (Lost in Paradise) by director Vu Ngoc Dang will be sent to the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2012.

The film, the full title of which is the longest in Vietnam cinema’s history, is the first in Vietnam to feature a positive view of homosexual life. It will be shown at the festival’s Panorama category.

Earlier, Lost in Paradise was screened in the Toronto film festival in September 2011, then shown in Vancouver, Canada, and Pusan, the Republic of Korea. The Berlin Festival is the film’s first venue in Europe.

In Vietnam, the film won many prestigious awards, including: Best Director for Vu Ngoc Dang, Best Supporting Actor for Ho Vinh Khoa, and Best Cameraman for Nguyen Nam.

In 1995, the Panorama category included a Vietnamese film for the first time, named “Giot le Ha Long” ("The Teardrop Pearl of Ha Long") directed by Tran Vu and Nguyen Huu Phan.

dtinews.vn

Bollywood looks east to tap Chinese market

2012-01-07T13:09:00.002+07:00

India's Bollywood film industry is eyeing its Asian rival China as a potential market, after a successful run of "3 Idiots", the coming-of-age comedy starring Aamir Khan.

Indian films were popular in China in the 1940s and 1950s but ties between New Delhi and Beijing became frosty,

The 2009 film, about a group of struggling students at one of India's elite universities, opened in China in October and takings have so far topped 160 million rupees ($2.9 million), according to producers Vinod Chopra Films.

"The Chinese audience identified with the societal and parental pressures on today's generation of young students seeking success," said Vinod Chopra, who helped to adapt Chetan Bhagat's novel "Five Point Someone" for the big screen.

The writer-producer-director said he was already receiving enquiries from China for his next film "Ferrari Ki Sawaari" (A Ride in a Ferrari), which is due for release at the end of April.

He and other industry figures said he hoped the success of "3 Idiots" would see more Hindi-language films released in China, where only a handful of foreign movies are allowed to be shown each year.

"This has demonstrated that universal themes will cross cultural and linguistic boundaries," Chopra added in emailed comments to AFP.

Indian films were popular in China in the 1940s and 1950s but ties between New Delhi and Beijing became frosty.

The two countries also fought a war in 1962 over disputed border territory.

The first Hindi-language film to be shot on location in China -- "Chandni Chowk to China" -- was released in India in 2009 and was hailed as a breakthrough, although panned by critics and audiences.

The action comedy about a lowly Indian chef in New Delhi who is mistaken for the reincarnation of a fabled Chinese warrior starred Akshay Kumar and "Kill Bill" actor Gordon Liu.

Before "3 Idiots", only the 2010 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "My Name Is Khan" has recently been shown in China.

Meenakshi Shedde, a Mumbai-based film critic and film festival consultant, said Bollywood had largely ignored the potential of China and other Asian countries in favour of courting the Indian diaspora in the West.

But she said that Indian film-makers and studios were now looking east.

"I'm 100 percent sure of it. It's just a matter of time... We have a one-billion-strong population and the whole world is looking at us. But we've never looked at these markets in Asia." she added.

"China, which also has a one-billion-plus population, is the biggest market. But we've never crossed-over consciously. The market is too big to be ignored."

Hollywood studios have been making inroads into Indian cinema in recent years, forging joint ventures with local partners for pre- and post-production work.

Some Chinese film-makers have also started to realise the need to win new audiences and have adapted movies to draw in crowds from non-traditional markets like India.

Jackie Chan's "The Myth", for example, was shot on location in India and co-starred Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat, while Peter Chan's musical drama romance "Perhaps Love" used Bollywood choreographer Farah Khan.

Shedde noted that both "Chandni Chowk" and "My Name Is Khan" were produced or distributed by US studios (Warner Bros and Fox), which could provide the key to unlocking the Chinese market for Bollywood in the future.

"It's Hollywood opening doors for Bollywood in China. We're riding on Hollywood's coattails," she added.

dtinews.vn

Phu Van flower village before Tet

2012-01-06T23:36:00.000+07:00

Phu Van, a famous flower village, near Phu Ly City in the northern province of Ha Nam, has seen a very exciting atmosphere these days when Tet is nearing.

Traders from different localities nationwide have flocked to the village to find flowers for Tet, while local people busy themselves taking care of the flowers. This Tet promises to be a great crop.

Phu Van is the flower hub not only for Ha Nam but also for the neighbouring provinces of Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh and Thai Binh.

Nguyen Thi Hue, a flower grower, shared, “Unlike the previous years, the weather has been quite favourable. Most kinds of flowers have done quite well and bloomed on schedule. Currently, daisies and gerbera blossoms are coming earlier than roses, so we have to slow down the progress to keep the flowers in good condition for Tet.”

Phu Van is also well-known for kumquat, with trees priced up into millions of VND.

Tran Van Nam, another experienced grower, said, “This year the weather is not too cold, which is good for growing kumquat trees. But, the fruit tends to be quite small due to the lack of rain in May and June."

This year, the average price of a kumquat tree is of VND2-3 million (USD95-142.85). The price is up to VND2-10 million (USD95-475.37) for a tree with nicer shapes.

Prices for flowers also rise around the Tet holiday.

Some photos of Phu Van flower village:

Daisy fields

Farmers take care of flowers

Kumquat gardens

Rose gardens promise a great crop

Violet beds

dtinews.vn

Russian TV channel spotlights Vietnam

2012-01-06T23:32:00.001+07:00

TV channel Russia-2 broadcast a one-hour program on January 2 introducing Vietnam’s country and people.

The programme “Top Gear”, described a trans-Vietnam motorbike tour by three foreigners who departed from Ho Chi Minh City and went through the Central Highland city of Dalat and then the central cities of Nha Trang, Danang, Hoi An, Hue and Vinh. They dropped in the capital city of Hanoi before making their final leg in the northeastern city of Ha Long.

Through their trip, the foreigners had a chance to enjoy the most special dishes of the Vietnamese cuisine, study the customs and daily life of Vietnamese people and see the most popular sites in the country.

The tour’s members saw with their own eyes the hospitality, hardworking, cleverness and creativeness of the local people.

“Top Gear” is expected to promote Vietnam’s country and people, contributing to attracting more Russian visitors to Vietnam.

dtinews.vn