Viet Nam won three bronze medals during the first day of the Asian Taekwondo Championships which was kicked off in HCM City yesterday.

The medals went to Ngo Thi Thuy Dung in the women's single event, Nguyen Minh Van in the men's single category and the women's team at the Asia Juniors Poomsae Championships.

The host team is currently at sixth place on the ranking table.

South Korea, the native country of the martial art, proved their power with three gold medals, followed by Iran with two golds and Thailand with three silvers and one bronze.

The continental championships is a combination of four different events: the first Asian Juniors Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, the second Asian Taekwondo Poomsae Championships which starts today, the sixth Asian Junior Taekwondo Championships on May 6-8, and the 20th Asian Taekwondo Championships on May 9-11.

As many as 600 athletes from 34 countries and territories have registered to come to the city. As the host, Viet Nam will send four teams determined to win titles in all events. Two local London Olympic hopefuls include Le Huynh Chau and Chu Hoang Dieu Linh, who will face many powerful rivals this summer.