Viet Nam's karate team left for Bangkok, Thailand yesterday to take part in the Southeast Asian Karate Championships on Friday-Sunday.

The 28-member team will compete in both kata (performance) and kumite (combat) events.

In preparation for this three-day competition, the team won two gold medals in the German Open which wrapped up on Monday with the participation of 24 teams all over the world.

In the kata event, Nguyen Hoang Ngan defeated Japanese Kajikawa Rimi 3-2 to take a gold medal in the women's singles.

Meanwhile, Do Thu Ha, Nguyen Thi Hang and Nguyen Thanh Hang beat the host team's Jasmin Bleul, Christine Heinrich and Wachter Sophie to bring home another gold in the women's team.

However, after finishing their performance, the women's kata team suffered injuries that prevented them from competing at the Thailand event, which is expected to give the Vietnamese athletes a chance to hone their skills and gain experience for the world championships in November. — VNS