Vietnam to compete in regional karate tournament

Hanoi - Vietnam sent 32 karate martial artists to the Philippines for the second Southeast Asian Karatedo Championships to be held in Pampanga April 18-21.

The annual competition is expected to bring together hundreds of stellar artists from nine countries across the region, including Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, Brunei, Myanmar and the Philippines, reports Xinhua.

In the debut tournament last year, Vietnam, ranked fourth overall, bagged five gold, seven silver and 12 bronze medals behind leaders Malaysia (9, 4, 3), runners-up Indonesia (8, 9, 12) and third placed Thailand (7, 8, 16).

This year, the four-day event will provide a good opportunity for regional karate artists to sharpen their skills and gain valuable experience ahead of the upcoming 27th Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar next December.