Asian finswimming powerhouse Vietnam won four, while Indonesia took two out of seven events held on May 21 at the My Dinh Water Sports Palace in Hanoi.
Finswimmer Nguyen Thanh Loc (back, centre) broke the SEA Games record and won the gold medal in the men's 100m surface event on May 21. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) — Asian fin▨swimming powerhouse Vietnam won four, whileIndonesia took t♒wo out of seven events held on May 21 at the My Dinh WaterSports Palace in Hanoi.
The hosts set four new records on the first day of thecompetition. Nguyen Thanh Loc finished first and broke the SEA Games recordwith a time of 34.82sec in the men's 100m surface event. His result passed the old record of 36.94 set by NguyenTrung Kien in the 2011 Games in Indonesia. Pham Thi Thu added the second in the women's 100m surfaceevent. She won with a time of 40.41sec, another record. The previous besttime of 40.61sec was set by Thu in qualification. Cao Thi Duyen proved her talent in the women's 100m bi-finsevent, coming in at 49.04sec. Duyen broke the 50.41sec record sheset in the morning. Later in the day, Kim Anh Kiet broke a 19-year-old record in themen's 1,500m surface. The 19-year-old completed his race in 12:52.45, beating the oldrecord of 13:19.26 set by compatriot Ngo Xuan Phuong in the SEAGames 22 in 2003, also in Vietnam. The Vietnamese team finished first in the men's 4x200m relaysurface event, but the final result will not be announced until May22 due to a complaint from Indonesia. Indonesia haveinvested strongly in finswimming and recently secured two golds and a record.Harvey Hubert Marcello Hutasuhut clinched the gold with a new Games record of43.51sec in the men's 100m bi-fins, beating compatriot Wesshasartar Nutt's44.37s feat set in the 2011 Indonesia Games. The other gold was in the women's 4x200m relay surfaceevent. There are 13 finswimming events this Games. The remainingsix will be held on May 22. Vietnam hope to take eight to nine gold medals todefend their top place in the table./.
Vietnam’s national swimming team surpassed the gold medal target set for the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) after winning two more gold medals on May 18.
Beyond expectations, swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang earned two more gold medals for Vietnam on May 19 – also the last competition day of swimming at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).
Singapore’s Teong Tzen Wei on May 19 set a record in Southeast Asia in the men’s 50m freestyle swimming at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) in Vietnam.
After four days of competition, the Vietnamese judo team has won nine gold medals, three times higher than the set target for the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).
The Vietnamese women’s football team had a 1-0 win over the Thai rivals to take the gold medal in the final match on May 21 at Cam Pha Gymnasium, Quang Ninh province, at the on-going SEA Games 31.
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Quang Duc pottery is known for its wide range of forms, including wine bottles, jars, lime pots, vases, plant pots, incense burners and candle stands. Decorative motifs are equally rich, featuring mythical creatures, pastoral scenes, floral patterns, deer, peacocks, bats and more.
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The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
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The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
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Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
Finswimmer Nguyen Thanh Loc (back, centre) broke the SEA Games record and won the gold medal in the men's 100m surface event on May 21. (Photo: VNA) 
