The event was jointly held by Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV), the South East Asian Table Tennis Association (SEATTA), the Vietnam Table Tennis Federation (VTTF) and the Hai Duong Provincial People’s Committee.

The VOV-Cup drew the participation of many leading table tennis player in the region, including Singapore’s Gao Ning (World No. 19), Malaysia’s Yu Mang Yu (No. 17), and Thailand’s Nathana Komwong (No.89), who will compete with Vietnam’s best players such as Doan Kien Quoc, Dinh Quang Linh, Tran Tuan Quynh, Nguyen Nam Hai, Mai Hoang My Trang and Mai Xuan Hang.

This information was announced at a press conference held by VOV at its headquarters 58 Quan Su Str., Hanoi on September 8.

VOV Director General Vu Van Hien said at the conference it is the first time VOV has held such an important event and VOV has gathered a lot of useful experience while preparing for the tournament, which will run until September 12.

The opening and closing ceremonies and the men’s and women’s finals will be broadcast live on the Vietnam Television Corporation (VTC) and the Radio Image Broadcasting Channel (VOVTV).

16 male players will be divided into four groups and compete in round robin to choose the four best players to play in the semi-finals. The same rule will be applied for women’s event.

Pham Duc Thanh, VTTF General Secretary said the championships provides an excellent chance for Vietnamese players to gain valuable experiences and prepare for the upcoming Asian Games.

The VOV-Cup has a total cash prize of US$17,000, the largest amount of money yet award for a Vietnam’s table tennis event. The event will be subsequently held by VOV and VTTF to mark the country’s National Day (September 2) and VOV’s anniversary (September 7) annually and will become an official event of the SEATTA.