First prize: Cho Sae-yoon from South Korea won the first prize in the 14-17 age group. — VNS Photo Thao Binh

HA NOI (VNS) — Budget limitations resulted in few foreign competitors participating in the recently held International Piano Contest in Ha Noi, according to an organiser of the competition.

There were only 14 foreign competitors, mainly from Asia, among a total of 54 pianists at the contest, said Meritorious Artist Vu Chi Nguyen, deputy director of the National Academy of Music and also one of the organisers of the piano competition.

The main reason was budget limitations, said Nguyen.

"Though the top prize was fairly high in comparison with other contests in Asia [at US$10,000], the contest failed to attract competitors far from Viet Nam as prize totals could hardly cover travel costs," he said.

Local competitors were from various music institutes throughout the country, including the Ha Noi National Academy of Music, HCM City Academy of Music, and Hue Academy of Music.

Jitsukawa Asuka from Japan won the first prize in the 18-25 age group, with compatriot Nakamura Fuyuko taking second while local Hoang Ho Thu (VN) won third prize. Local RemoveElementpianist Ngo Duc Anh (VN) also won the title of most promising talent in the age group.

In the 14-17 age group, Chon Sae-yoon from South Korea won the first prize, compatriot Kim Hye-jun came second and Nicolas J D Bourdoncle from France shared third place with Australia's Jiang Oscar. Japan's Furumi Yasuko won the most promising talent title.

The 10-13 age group saw Vietnamese competitor Phan Thien Bach Anh win the first prize, with local Nguyen The Vinh and Chinese Taiwan's Huang Rung Jiuan sharing second place. China's Wu Yinan placed third while Russia's Bui Ylan won the most promising talent title.

The jury was chaired by Vietnamese People's Artist Tran Thu Ha and included six other members from France, the US, Poland, Macedonia, South Korea and Japan. People's Artist Dang Thai Son was the chairman and art director of the contest. — VNS