Representing Vietnam will be the duos of Phan Thi Cam Hong/Do Thi Hong Loan, Nguyen Thi Mai/Truong Thi Yen and Pham Thi Minh/Pham Thu Ha. The pairing of Pham Thi Minh/Pham Thu Ha did particularly well in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December.

Teams will be divided into two groups where they will compete in a round robin format to select the best four teams for the next round.

"China are perhaps the strongest contenders at this year's event. They are expected to perform well and grab the biggest bonus prize," said Ha Manh Thu from the tournament's organising board.

"Spectators will have a chance to admire some first-rate volleyball skills as they [the Chinese duo] are members of the Chinese national team who will compete at the Beijing Olympics this August."

New Zealand are also a threat, owing to the fact they are seasoned veterans. Thailand will also send two teams with a view to winning a medal.

"Vietnam are new to the sport, and just want to garner experience for future tournaments," Thu said.

Apart from local referees, two Thai officials have been invited to oversee the event.

The US$10,100 tournament, which is also known as the The Thao Viet Nam (Viet Nam Sports) Cup is one of several activities lined up for this year's Ha Long Carnival Week which launched yesterday.

The opening match will be aired live at 1pm today on VTV3 while the final match is on Sunday.