HÀ NỘI — The ninth Việt Nam Hockey Festival 2016, an international six-a-side hockey tournament, will be held on November 5-6 at the Việt Nam Hockey Centre in Bến Lực Town in the southern province of Long An.

The event will feature 31 teams from across Asia and Australia. There will be 20 men’s team, six women’s teams and five mixed teams.

Prizes will be given to the winners and runners-up in all three categories of the competition which is sanctioned by the Asian Hockey Federation and the Việt Nam Hockey Federation.

There is no entrance fee for spectators.

“We call it a festival because the objective is to promote hockey as recreational as well as a competitive sport. There will be social events during the two days as well. Prizes will be given to the best dressed teams and there’s also an award for best player in each category,” said James Chew, the event’s organiser.

The first Việt Nam Hockey Festival was held on November 8-9 in 2008 in HCM City with 18 teams from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Việt Nam. — VNS