Vietnam Airlines increases flights to Shanghai to serve football fans
The national-flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will increase flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam to Shanghai (China) to serve spectators of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship.
U23 Vietnam footballers after their historic victory (Photo: tuoitre.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) – The national-flag carrierVietnam Airlines will increase flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City ofVietnam to Shanghai (China) to serve specta꧟tors of the Asian Football Confederation(AFC) U23 Championship.
Vietnam, the only ASEAN country advanced to thecontinental tournament’s semi-finals, will play Qatar on January 23. The airline will also work with the VietnameseConsulate General in Shanghai to carry Vietnamese supporters free of charge fromShanghai Pudong International Airport to the venue of the match. Vietnam continued their dream journey at the AFC U23Championship after beating Iraq 5-3 in the penalty shootout on January 20 inChangsu, China.
Talented goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung denied a kick from anIraqi player while all five Vietnamese players were successful with theirfinishes in the quarter-finals seesaw match - the only one happening in extratime and then penalties. Earlier, in the official 90 minutes and nervous extratime, Vietnam drew 3-3 with the Asian powerhouse. The Southeast Asian team’s striker Nguyen Cong Phuongopened the score in the first half, surprising not only their rivals but alsothe whole continent. Iraq, the last championship’s bronze medalist,levelled the result with a penalty by striker Ayman Hussein some minutes later. The second half saw efforts from both sides but noneof them bagged more goals, leading the match to the extra time which saw twogoals from both sides. On January 20 evening right after the match, streetsin Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, and other localities nationwide werecrowded with thousands of football lovers celebrating the win together with thenational flag. The victory was said to lit up faith in local fans.-VNA
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the top five most impressive goals made in the qualifying round of the AFC U23 Championship finals in China.
International sport news agencies have called Vietnam’s win in the Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship’s semi-final against former champion Iraq a historic victory.
“The victory is a pride of Vietnamese sports,” Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc wrote in a letter to the U23 team, who just made it to the last-four round of the AFC U23 Championship.
Eight teams will join the tournament, divided into two groups. Group A features Vietnam, the Philippines, Sichuan Club (China), and Australia, while Group B consists of Vietnam U21, Korabelka Club (Russia), Taiwan (China), and U21 Thailand.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
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.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
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.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
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.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The event served as a vibrant display of solidarity, promoting peace, cooperation, and development through cultural dialogue, and reaffirmed HCM City's role as a dynamic hub for cultural diplomacy and international friendship.
The Indian Film Festival not only honours the artistic value of cinema but also contributes to strengthening the friendship and enhancing cultural exchange between the people of Son La in particular and Vietnam in general and India.
An art exchange programme between Vietnam and Cambodia was held on the evening of June 13 in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long as part of the 2025 Cambodia Culture Week in Vietnam.
Digitalisation does not mean commercialisation or oversimplification of culture. It is a way of selecting, adapting, and spreading traditional values through a modern language.
U23 Vietnam footballers after their historic victory (Photo: tuoitre.vn) 
