ASEAN Skills Competition kicks off in Vietnam

The 10th ASEAN Skills Competition kicked off here on Thursday with the participation of 293 contestants from the 10-member grouping.

With the theme "Skills - Our intrinsic values," the 2014 event will see participants compete in 23 occupational skills.

The contest also sees the attendance of nearly 700 international teachers and technical experts, among others.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said the event provides a great opportunity for members of the bloc to further strengthen cooperation on skilled human resource development.

The ASEAN Skills Competition is held every two years to present talents on skills and advanced technologies in the sector of vocational training.

The first event was organized in Malaysia in 1995 with the involvement of four countries in the competition of six skills.

Vietnam first hosted the event in 2004, receiving 153 candidates from eight countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Vietnamese delegation topped the ranking in 2004 with 13 gold medals.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.