HO CHI MINH CITY, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Female athletes from nine Vietnamese teams and seven overseas ones will compete in an international cycling tournament from March 8 to 16 in Vietnam's southern region.

80 Vietnamese cyclists and their foreign opponents from Australia, the Philippines, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand will cover a total distance of over 850 km in the seven provinces of Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Lam Dong, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Ba Ria Vung Tau, the Vietnam Cycling Federation said Tuesday.

The nine-stage tournament's cash prizes total over 500 million Vietnamese dong (21,800 U.S. dollars).