Vietnam’s Vovinam martial artists on Oct. 31 bagged the first two gold medals at the third Asian Indoor Games (AIG III) which opened on Oct. 30.

Pham Thi Phuong and Nguyen Van Cuong surpassed rivals from four other nations to take the first gold in the women’s self-defence event, which was organised at the Military Zone 7’s Competition Hall in Ho Chi Minh City .

The event’s silver medal went to the duo Vilay Nang and Chiveak Sokhom from Cambodia , while bronze was presented to Indonesian artists Harik Adi and Puspita.

A few minutes later, the quartet, including Nguyen Van Cuong, Phan Ngoc Toi, Nguyen Binh Dinh and Huynh Khac Nguyen, secured the second gold medal in the leg attack techniques category for the host country.

Competitors from Cambodia brought home the silver and those from India snatched the bronze.

Vietnamese artists also advanced to the final round of the 55kg men’s and the 55kg women’s combat events. They are expected to win two more gold medals later on the day.

At the My Dinh indoor Athletic Gymnasium in Hanoi, Le Thi Phuong took a silver medal in the women’s pole-jump event after she failed to conquer the 4.05m level. This category’s gold medal was handed over to Linh Li from China .

The same day, the chess competition started at the Quang Ninh Gymnasium, drawing the participation of 11 players from 18 countries and territories. It will last until Nov. 7./.