The information was announced by the organising committee at a press briefing in Hanoi on April 26.

The 34th annual tournament is being co-organised by Nhan Dan Newspaper, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training and the Vietnam Table Tennis Federation, as part of activities to celebrate the 41st anniversary of the liberation of South Vietnam and national reunification (April 30, 1975-2016) and the 126th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday (May 19, 1890-2016).

The week-long event will feature the participation of most of the country’s current famous names, including Dinh Quang Linh, Duong Van Nam, Le Tien Dat (Army team); Tran Tuan Quynh, Phan Huy Hoang and Nguyen Anh Tu (Hanoi T&T); Doan Ba Tuan Anh (Hai Duong); Doan Kien Quoc (Khanh Hoa); Nguyen Thi Viet Linh and Phan Hoang Tuong Giang (Ministry of Public Security); and Mai Hoang My Trang (HCM City Petrosetco).

Players will battle it out for seven sets of medals in seven events: the men’s and women’s singles, doubles and team disciplines and the mixed doubles category, with each set comprising one first prize, one second prize and two third prizes. The seeding in each category will be based on the 2015 results.

In addition to the major awards, the organising committee will also present two prospective prizes for the best young male and female players, and grant encouraging awards to the host locality as well as the disadvantaged localities which actively develop the grassroot table tennis movements.

Notably, the organising committee is working with sponsors to implement accidental injury insurance for participants, with each injured player receiving an estimate of VND50 million.

Addressing the press conference, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper Phan Huy Hien, who is head of the organising committee, hailed the tournament as significant, which not only helps promote the table tennis movement in localities nationwide but also enables the Federation to discover new promising faces for national table tennis teams.

Hien also took the occasion to send deep thanks to the General Department, the Federation and the PetroVietnam Ca Mau Fertilizer Joint Stock Company - the main sponsor of the tournament - for their smooth coordination in organising the championships during the past years.

The draw for the tournament is scheduled to be held on May 8 in Ho Chi Minh City, two days before the official opening ceremony.