Few people outside Viet Nam would speak of Vung Tau and dog racing in the same sentence but that could very well change when the World Greyhound Racing Federation holds its annual conference in the coastal holiday town on the mid-south coast from this Thursday.
Sports and Entertainment Services Co. (SES), which became a WGRF member in 2001, will be hosting the four-day conference. This will be a first in Viet Nam, where greyhound racing is in its infancy.
SES, a joint venture between Australia’s Hemlock Services and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province’s Tourism Company, will put on special dog races on Saturday night at Lam Son Stadium, a greyhound track for SES since 2004.
Formed in 1969, the WGRF is an international forum for the interchange of information, new technology and other developments to improve greyhound racing globally.
This year’s conference will cover breeding matters; current research on greyhound and medical information for dog owners, trainers and breeders; the spread of dog racing across the globe; advances in the greyhound industry, and marketing issues.
SES will use the opportunity to announce its development plans to the WGRF members from Ireland, Britain, Australia, the USA, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the Czech Republic, Macau, Mexico, Morocco, Finland and elsewhere.
SES chairman Nguyen Ngoc My, a Vietnam-born Australian, set up a 10-hectare greyhound breeding and training farm in 1999. From 200 dogs in the beginning he now has more than 700.
At the moment Vung Tau houses Viet Nam’s only dog track but Mr. My is planning to bring greyhound racing to Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City. “I’m working on it,” he said with a smile.
Related Link
World Greyhound Racing Federation
