Vietnam sent 32 karate martial artists to the Philippines for the 2nd Southeast Asian Karatedo Championships to be held in Pampanga from April 18 to 21, reported local media on Wednesday.

The annual competition is expected to bring together hundreds of stellar artists from nine countries across the region including Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, Brunei, Myanmar and the Philippines.

In the debut tournament last year, Vietnam ranked fourth overall, bagging five gold, seven silver and 12 bronze medals, behind leaders Malaysia (9, 4, 3), runners-up Indonesia (8, 9, 12) and third placed Thailand (7, 8, 16).

This year, the four-day event will provide a good opportunity for regional karate artists to sharpen their skills and gain valuable experience ahead of the upcoming 27th Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar next December.