Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has hailed China as a sports power and called for its strong support for Vietnam ’s bid for hosting the 18 th Asian Games scheduled for 2019.

Nhan told the Chinese Minister of Sports and Head of the State General Administration of Sports, Liu Peng, in Hanoi on April 20 that the two countries should further support each other in increasing the presence of their sportspeople in international organisations as well as strengthen coordination of action and reach consensus in sports issues on international forums.

“Over the past 60 years, Vietnam and China have not only fostered relations in politics, economics and diplomacy but also in culture, tourism and sports”, emphasised the Deputy PM.

As many as 12 Chinese experts are coaching Vietnamese national teams in 12 events, including women’s football, Wushu, swimming, springboard and platform diving, and table tennis. A number of provinces such as Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City , Da Nang and Haiphong have their sports teams coached by Chinese experts.

Some 300 Vietnamese students are following their tertiary and graduate studies in Beijing and Shanghai sports universities or studying sports as a major at Guangzhou and Guangxi teacher training colleges.

Vietnam and China have recently increased the exchange of high-level sports delegations, including coaches, sportspeople and referees, thus contributing to improving Vietnam ’s sports records.

For his part, Chinese head delegate Liu Peng assured his host of China ’s continued help in training sports sciences personnel, admission of Vietnamese postgraduates and interns in sports and further exchange of sports research.

The State General Administration of Sports will continue sending experienced sports experts to Vietnam to help in selecting and training sportspeople, thus contributing to Vietnam’s improvement of its achievements in Olympic and ASIAD events, firstly at the London 2012 Olympics, and then the 17 th ASIAD in Incheon, the Republic of Korea, in 2014, the Chinese sports head pledged./.