VietNamNet Bridge – As many as 296 badminton players from 17 countries and territories around the world will be competing for top honours at the Ciputra Hanoi-Yonex Sunrise Vietnam International Challenge 2015 at Cau Giay gymnasium in Hanoi from March 17 to 22.

The six-day event will bring together 296 players from 17 countries across the world.

The information was released by the Vietnam Badminton Federation at a press conference on March 10.

Among the contenders are 39 Vietnamese players and 257 international shuttlers from Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China), Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Australia, Japan, China, Singapore, Canada, Scotland, Greece, the United States and the Philippines.

The participants will battle it out for titles in the men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles, and mixed-doubles categories with singles champions receiving US$1,125 and doubles champions earning US$1,185.

The men’s singles division will see the absence of reigning champion and top Vietnamese player Nguyen Tien Minh. Vietnam’s hope in this category will be placed on young player Pham Cao Cuong.

Vu Thi Trang will be Vietnam’s title hope in the women’s singles event in which she is seeded third for her rank of 46th in the world. At last year’s competition, Trang ended up in third position after making it through to the women’s singles semifinals.

Nhan Dan