A team of 32 Vietnamese karate martial artists has departed for thePhilippines to take part in the 2nd Southeast Asian KaratedoChampionships to be held in Pampanga from April 18 to 21.
Theannual competition is expected to bring together hundreds of stellarartists from nine countries across the region including Vietnam,Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, Brunei,Myanmar and the Philippines.
In the debut tournament lastyear, Vietnam ranked fourth overall with a total of five gold, sevensilver and 12 bronze medals, behind leaders Malaysia (9, 4, 3),runners-up Indonesia (8, 9, 12) and third placed Thailand (7, 8, 16).
Thefour-day event will provide a good opportunity for regional karateartists to sharpen their skills and gain valuable experience ahead ofthe upcoming 27th Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar next December.-VNA