Fans on the way to Noi Bai international airport to welcome Vietnamese athletes (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines arranged an Airbus A321 plane designated to transport the Vietnamese sports delegation back home from the 2018 Asian Games (ASIAD) in Jakarta on September 2.
The aircraft was scheduled to land in the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at 12:30.
Earlier in the morning, a ceremony was held at the Soekarno Hatta international airport in Jakarta to see off Vietnamese players. Attending the event were Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Pham Quang Vinh; Ambassador Tran Duc Binh, head of the Vietnamese Delegation to ASEAN; and representatives from the Vietnamese community in Indonesia.
A programme titled “Proud of Vietnam” will be held by the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) from 5-7pm on the same day at the My Dinh national stadium to honour outstanding athletes.
The Vietnamese delegation finished 17th in the tally of the ASIAD 2018 with 4 gold, 16 silver and 18 bronze medals.
Vietnam bagged one silver medal in the women’s sepak takraw on September 1, the last official competition day of the continental sporting event.
The same day, Vietnam missed the bronze medal in the men’s football after losing to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 3-4 in a penalty shootout.
The country sent 352 athletes to compete at the event. Vietnam pocketed four gold medals in pencak silat (men’s tanding 70-75 kg and 90-95 kg), women’s long jump and women’s lightweight quadruple sculls categories.
The Asian Games is the world’s second biggest multiple sports event after the Olympics. This year’s edition, held in Jakarta and Palembang of Indonesia, has drawn 16,000 competitors and officials from 45 countries and territories.
At the 2014 ASIAD, Vietnam won one gold, 10 silver and 25 bronze medals, ranking 21st in the overall medal tally.-VNA
