HANOI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Ciputra Hanoi-Yonex Sunrise Vietnam International Challenge 2018 kicked off here on Tuesday with the participation of 292 badminton players from 18 countries and regions.

The six-day tournament has attracted players from eight Asian badminton powerhouses, including China, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand and India.

The male players include Momota Kento from Japan, who is ranked 42nd in the world; Nguyen Tien Minh from Vietnam and Lin Yu Hsien from Chinese Taipei.

The female players include Ramadini Hanna (39) and Ayustine Dinar Dyah (41) both from Indonesia and Chen Su Yu (45) from Chinese Taipei.

The tournament has total cash prizes of 25,000 U.S. dollars.