Students compete in last year's VSBL. The second season will begin on November 21 with the participation of 48 teams in two leagues for secondary and high schools. Photo of VSBL

HÀ NỘI - The Việt Nam Student Basketball League (VSBL) will kick off later this month with the participation of hundreds of student-athletes in the capital city.

In its second edition, organisers have added the competition of 24 high schools along with a tournament for 24 secondary schools as it was last year.

Teams will be divided into groups and compete in the home and away format from November 21 to February 17, 2023, in the first round of qualifications.

In the second round, teams will compete in a knock-out format. The best four teams of each tournament will advance to the semi-finals.

The winners will walk away with a trophy and a bonus of VNĐ10 million (US$403). The second-place teams will pocket VNĐ5 million while the third-place ones will take VNĐ3 million.

The Most Valuable Player of each tournament will be awarded VNĐ1 million.

The VSBL is co-organised by the Thiếu Niên Tiền Phong và Nhi Đồng (Young Pioneers and Children) Newspaper, Bóng rổ TV and the American Edu-Sports Academy.

The event, which is considered the leading school sporting tournament in the city, is expected to promote sport in general and basketball in particular among students.

Organisers expect to extend the league nationwide in the near future and find talented athletes for Việt Nam basketball. VNS