Nguyen The Vinh, the 15-year-old winner of the national round of the Steinway International Youth Piano Competition 2016, will represent Vietnam in the Asia-Pacific regional round.

Pianist Nguyen The Vinh

The competition will be held in Malaysia this July with the participation of contestants from countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia.

The Vietnam competition was held by Viet Thuong Music to search for talented pianists aged between six and 17.

Vinh beat out three competitors to win first prize in the finale in Vietnam on April 23.

According to information on Viet Thuong’s website, Vinh said he is confident he stands a good chance of winning the upcoming round.

Vinh, who has been learning to play the piano since he was five, is a student at the Vietnam National Academy of Music in Hanoi.

He has won a number of international prizes including second prize at an international competition in Vietnam and second prize in the concerto category at an international competition in Malaysia.

He is now a member of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra.