Victory dance: Hip hop dancer Nguyen Ngoc Thinh, winner of the second season of the Vietnamese version of the US TV So You Think You Can Dance. — Photo courtesy of Dong Tay Promotion

HCM CITY (VNS) — Nguyen Ngoc Thinh from HCM City has been named Viet Nam's Favourite Dancer for the second time on the Vietnamese version of the US television's So You Think You Can Dance.

After six months of competition, the 19-year-old dancer defeated thousands of contestants on Saturday to receive a cash prize of VND400 million (US$19,000).

He received 41,311 votes from audiences, representing 35 per cent of the total votes.

Thinh, who quit school in the 10th grade to move to the north to follow his dance dream, said, "I have had the idea of giving up dancing because of pressure from my family. But this competition helped me realise how much I love dance."

"The victory is truly a dream come true."

Dancesport dancer Hoang My An, 17, and contemporary dancer Dang Dinh Loc, 23, were the runners-up.

This year's award ceremony featured performances by the contest's 20 finalists – 10 male and 10 female contestants, as well as the competition's first season winner Lam Vinh Hai, and contemporary dancer Robert Roldan – who was second runner-up in 2010 in the US television's So You Think You Can Dance competition.

The competition, organised by HCM City Television and Dong Tay Promotion, presented competitions in several dance genres, including ballroom, ballet, contemporary, Broadway, jazz, salsa, jive, and hip-hop.

The dance routines were created by popular Vietnamese choreographers and dancers, such as John Huy Tran, Viet Max, Ta Thuy Chi, Quynh Lan, as well as choreographers from Canada, the US, and Germany. — VNS