Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh (C) presents first prize to Malaysian singer Rosario Ninih Chamini Bianis

The second prize was shared by Tran Thi Hong Nhung of Vietnam and Aicelle Anne Conronel Santos of the Philippines, while Indonesia’s Olivia Christina and Myanmar’s Eint Chit got the third prize.

Held by the radio The Voice of Vietnam (VOV) from July 26-28, this year’s event featured 22 professional singers aged 18-35 from 10 ASEAN member states and four guest singers from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

It aimed to raise mutual understanding and cultural exchange between Vietnam and regional countries, as well as seek young talents in the bloc.

Speaking at the final night, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh spoke highly of the initiative to organise the biennial contest and the contributions by Quang Ninh province, ministries and enterprises to the success of the second contest.

Binh said the Vietnamese Government always supports activities to intensify relations between Vietnam and other countries.-VNA