They are from Australia , the Chinese mainland,Hong Kong , Indonesia , Japan , Kazakhstan , Laos , Malaysia ,Thailand and host nation Vietnam .
They will compete for a total prize of 10,500 USD, with champions pocketing 2,200 USD.
Except for Lao pair Pany Nanthavong and Rumpaipruet, who competed atthe tournament last year, other countries are sending new faces to thetournament. Japan and Australia are attending for the first time.
The most noticeable pair is Malaysian duo Shun Ting and Teck Hua, whowon the bronze medal at the 25th Southeast Asia Games in Laos twoyears ago.
Two Vietnamese duos are in the competition,Truong Thi Yen and Nguyen Thi Mai, and Pham Thi Cam Hong and Nguyen ThiTiep. This is a good opportunity for the Vietnamese to prepare for theSoutheast Asia Games later this year./.