HANOI, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- An international dragon boat race kicked off here on Saturday with participation of nearly 500 rowers from five countries and regions.

A total of 29 teams from China's Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam competed at the qualifying round on presence of hundreds of fans.

The final round will take place on Sunday when rowers are to cover a distance of 600 meters on West Lake in Hanoi city.