HAUFO ACTIVITIES
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Hanoi’s Liberation Day and the 25th anniversary of Hanoi being recognized by UNESCO as a “City for Peace,” the HAUFO, in collaboration with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, organized the 2024 Friendship Tennis Tournament on the morning of September 22 at the My Dinh Indoor Athletics Stadium.
The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the HAUFO’s leadership, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, the Pakistani Ambassador to Vietnam Kohdayar Marri, the Head of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam Jonathan Baker, as well as representatives from embassies and international organizations in Vietnam.
Mrs. Trần Thị Phương, the Standing Vice Chairwoman of the HAUFO, emphasized that through the tournament, athletes would have more opportunities to exchange and understand each other, further love and be attached to Hanoi, and contribute to enhancing friendly cooperation between the city of Hanoi, the embassies, and international organizations based in the city.
This year’s tournament attracted nearly 100 athletes from the embassies of Australia, Israel, the USA, Russia, Japan, France, the UNESCO Office in Vietnam, the Filipino community in Hanoi, and athletes from the Department of Culture and Sports and some member associations of the Hanoi Union participating in men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles events.
The final results saw the organizing committee awarding first place in the women’s singles for ages 31-40 to Marina Xaganova (Russian Embassy); men’s singles age 31-40 to Trần Thanh Đô (Vietnam-UK Friendship Association); men’s singles age 41-50 to Jonathan Baker (Head of UNESCO Office in Vietnam); and men’s singles age 51-60 to David Fidex (US Embassy).
In the men’s doubles event, Trần Thanh Đô and Đỗ Văn Lưỡng (Vietnam-UK Friendship Association) won first place for ages 31-40, Đoàn Long and Trần Hạnh (UNESCO Association of Hanoi) won first place for ages 41-50, and Nguyễn Mộng Thắng and Trần Phương (Japanese Embassy) won first place for ages 51-60. In the mixed doubles event, Utsumi Rai and Utsumi Mako won first place for ages 41-50.
Additionally, the organizing committee awarded the Overall First Place to the Vietnam-UK Friendship Association of Hanoi, a Friendship Award to Mr. Lê Quang Long, Head of the Management Board of Hanoi’s Export Processing Zones and Industrial Parks; Ambassador Nguyễn Quang Khai, Vice President of the Vietnam-Palestine Friendship Association of Hanoi; and Ambassador Nguyễn Minh Trí, member of the Advisory Council for People’s Foreign Affairs of Hanoi.
The tennis tournament left a very positive impression with international friends, serving as an opportunity for foreign diplomats working in Hanoi to meet and exchange with officials from the people’s diplomacy sector. It also helped promote to international friends the image of a peaceful Hanoi and its dynamic, enthusiastic, and sports-loving people, creating a bridge for cooperation in areas of mutual interest and promoting international integration.
Uyển Nhi