Vietnamese tank crew cross the finish line at the inpidual race of Tank Biathlon Competition at the International Army Games, Russia, August 8, 2019. Photo courtesy of Vietnam People's Army.

They will join Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan Uzbekistan and Venezuela in the semifinals.

Last year, Vietnam competed in just three disciplines at the Games, including tank crew, who did not make it past the first round.

The contest took place at the Alabino training ground on the outskirts of Moscow.

Tank Biathlon is one of the largest and most important disciplines at the 2019 International Army Games organized by Russian Defense Ministry on August 3-17.

Three tank crews from each of 24 countries participating in this category, including several military powerhouses of Russia, Iran, China, and Belarus, competed in inpidual and relay races.

This year, the Army Games has attracted over 6,000 military athletes in 223 teams from 39 countries from Europe, Asia, Africa, Central and Latin America.

The competitions are being held in 10 Eurasian countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan.

This is the second year Vietnam has sent a delegation to the event, with 125 officers and soldiers in total.

Eight Vietnamese teams are competing in eight disciplines: tank crew, medical staff, food service specialists, emergency rescue personnel, armored vehicles crew, literary/art and dancing contestants, snipers, and chemical reconnaissance vehicles.

Vietnam's snipers have also advanced to the second round while its combat engineers have entered the finals.

VNF ( Vnexpress )