As part of the celebrations for the 71^st National Day (2 September), the 2016 Da Nang Open Traditional Boat Race for the VTV8 Cup took place on the Han River on Friday morning.

Members of the female team from Hai Chau District taking the lead during the race

Co-organised by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, and the city’s branch of Viet Nam Television (VTV), the event saw the participation of around 200 racers from 9 male and 7 female teams.

The male teams were from Hai Chau, Hoa Vang, Son Tra, Lien Chieu districts and the Dong Nghe Boat Racing Club in Da Nang, and Quang Nam Province's Duy Xuyen District.  Meanwhile, the participating female teams were from the local districts of Thanh Khe, Hai Chau, Cam Le, Ngu Hanh Son, Son Tra, and Thu Bon and Duy Xuyen districts in Quang Nam Province.

The race route was on the river's sections from in front of the headquarters of the Da Nang People's Council to that of VTV and back, with the men’s teams completing 3 laps, equivalent to 7.5km, and the ladies’ teams completing just 2, equivalent to 5km.

In the female category, Hai Chau won the first prize, with Cam Le second and Son Tra third.  As for the male teams, Son Tra 1 took first place, whilst Son Tra 2 came second and Hai Chau finished third.