Open Rowing Challenge in Ha Long

The 2009 Open Rowing Challenge, a part of the Ha Long Tourism Carnival 2009 and sponsored by the Quang Ninh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, was recently held on the Cua Luc River in Ha Long City of Quang Ninh Province.

Men rowers start their 3km race. Women rowers from Yen Hung Team present flowers to their male mates who get the finish first. Chief of the Yen Hung Women's Team is so happy with her team's Cup. A leader ofQuang Ninh Province presents the Cup to Yen Hung Men's Team.  The 2009 Open Rowing Challenge, a part of the Ha Long Tourism Carnival 2009 and sponsored by the Quang Ninh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, was recently held on the Cua Luc Riverin Ha Long City of Quang Ninh Province. The rowers during their race on Ha Long Bay. In the past, the sport of rowing hasn't been a strong point of the people living in this area. However, in recent years it has been gaining popularity and contributed to the province's sport development, particularly in the area of tourism. This year's Rowing Challenge attracted the participation of 130 rowers (52 women and 78 men) who were divided into 10 teams including 4 women’s teams and 4 men’s teams from Ha Long City, Van Don and Yen Hung Districts and Cua Ong Coal Sorting Company, and 2 men's teams from Guangxi (China), adding an international flavour. Contestants competed in several categories including the women's 1km and 2km races, and the men's 2km and 3km races. The competitors were loudly supported by many locals and tourists. Phong Hai and Phong Coc Communes of Yen Hung District have built training facilities for their strong athletes, so not surprisingly the rowers from these locals often win high prizes at the provincial races. In the past years rowing competitions were only held at big festivals, but in recent years the sport has become more popular and is now held at major celebrations and on holidays. Rowing has turned out to be an interesting cultural event much loved by the local people of Quang Ninh and its surrounding areas. With their skills and devotion, the rowers contributed to the success of the Ha Long Tourism Carnival 2009 with wonderful and competitive races from the beginning to the end. The final results made the viewers surprised upon their expectations. In the women's 2km race First Prize was awarded to Yen Hung Team, followed by the Tuan Chau-Ha Long Team and the Cao Xanh – Ha Long Team. In the men's 2km race, the Yen Hung Team won First Prize, the Chinese Team 1 Second Prize, and the Van Don Team 3rd Prize. In the men's 3km race, the Yen Hung Team again won First Prize, followed by the Van Don Team and the Chinese Team 1 with 2nd and 3rd Prizes respectively. Prizes for impressive costumes were awarded to the Cua Ong Coal Sorting Company's Team and the Cao Xanh – Ha Long Team. Yen Hung Women's and Men's Teams won 4 Cups.