A team of 32 Vietnamese karate martial artists has departed for the Philippines to take part in the 2nd Southeast Asian Karatedo Championships to be held in Pampanga from April 18 to 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.

In the debut tournament last year, Vietnam ranked fourth overall with a total of 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).

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.-VNA