Seventy (70) percent of participating foreign runners will fly from their countries to join the 7th Angkor Ultra Trail in Siem Reap province on Jan. 27. The update was shared by Senior Minister H.E. Thong Khon, President of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), in a press conference here in Phnom Penh on Jan. 8. The Angkor Ultra Trail, which will be organised by NOCC in collaboration with Phoenix Voyage, aims to promote tourism, enhance the local economy, and contribute to Cambodia's sports development, said H.E. Thong Khon. The running event was first held in 2016 with only 232 runners, and more and more runners joined the event from year to year, reaching 1,200 (40 percent of whom are women) from 44 countries in 2023. According to Mr. Edouard George, Director of Phoenix Voyages, as of Jan. 8, some 1,076 runners from 43 countries had signed up for the event. Most of the registered runners are from Cambodia, France, Vietnam, South Korea, and the United States of America, he added. There wi ll be eight disciplines: Ultra-Trail Angkor 100km, Bayon Trail 64km, Marathon Trail 42km, Jungle Trail 32km, Temple Run, Nordic Walk 18km, Walk and Hike 18km, and Elephant Trail 8km. Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse Hanoi: 2023 was a challenging year for the Vietnamese automobile market as sales fell 25% year-on-year despite a 50% cut in the registration fee from July 1, according to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA). The VAMA said on January 10 that its members sold only 301,989 vehicles in the year, with the sales of domestically-assembled automobiles declining 20% to 181,380 units, and the number of imported completely built-up autos dropping 32% to 120,609. Experts blamed economic headwinds caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and unprecedented socio-political developments across the globe over the past time. Toyota led sales at 57,414 units, followed by Kia 40,733, Ford 38,322, Mazda 35,632, Mitsubishi 30,894, and Honda 23,802. Earlier, the association described the registration fee cut for locally-made or assembled cars and increasing demand in the end of the year as a driving force for auto dealers and producers to regain sales growth momentum. In fact, the auto market saw rosy recovery in De cember, the last month that the Government's registration reduction was applied, with 38,740 units sold, up 39% from the previous month. As for 2024, economic recovery and better demand are said to be in store for the auto market, experts said, adding dealers and producers should capitalise on all opportunities to renew their business strategy and improve competitive edge./. Source: Vietnam News Agency