Many Vietnamese sports officials and trainers said Hoang Anh Tuan and Nguyen Thi Thiet are likely to win medals at the Beijing Olympic Games, local newspaper Youth reported Tuesday.

Hoang Anh Tuan said: "My current achievements range from 292kg to 297kg. I will try my best to meet expectation of fans."

The man weightlifter has recently undergone intensive training in Bulgaria with expenses of 60,000 U.S. dollars.

Nguyen Thi Thiet can bag home a bronze medal if she performs well and or enjoys little luck, her trainer Pham Danh Ton said.

Besides the two weightlifters, three Vietnamese taekwondo athletes, Nguyen Van Hung, Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu and Tran Thi Ngoc Truc, are expected to grab Olympic medals.

Vietnamese sports delegation to the Games has 53 members, including 21 athletes in the nine events of taekwondo, weightlifting, badminton, table-tennis, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, athletics and wushu, said Hoang Vinh Giang, Vice President of the Vietnam Olympic Committee and the delegation's head.

Vietnam firstly attended the Olympic Games in 1980, and grabbed its first-ever Olympic medal, a silver one, in 2000 with the merit of female taekwondo athlete Tran Hieu Ngan in the 57kg category.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2008)