HCM CITY — The third season of Buoc Nhay Hoan Vu, the Vietnamese version of the US reality TV show Dancing with the Stars, will start at the Quan Ngua Gymnasium in Ha Noi this Sunday.

Buoc Nhay Hoan Vu, produced by Viet Nam Television and the Cat Tien Sa Media and Television Company, pairs 10 celebrities with professional ballroom dancers, with the pairs performing in 10 shows that are broadcast live.

The third season, which will wrap up on June 17, features singers Phuong Thanh, Minh Hang and Minh Quan, actors Van Trang, Huynh Dong and Quach Ngoc Ngoan, models Anh Thu and Truong Nam Thanh, MC Tuan Tu, and Miss Viet Nam runner-up Hoang My.

Their partners are all professional dancers from Bulgaria.

The contestants will perform standard ballroom dances like slow waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot and quicksteps, and Latin dances like chachacha, samba, rumba, paso doble and jive.

The judges, including composer Quoc Bao and dance sport champions Khanh Thi and Chi Anh, and the audience will decide on the eliminations, which will begin in the third show.

The winner will get VND150 million (US$7,200) and two runners-up, VND120 million and VND100 million.

Actor Thanh Van will be the host of the show which will be shown live on VTV3 on Sundays at 8pm.

The last two years' winners were singer-actress Ngo Thanh Van and singer Thu Minh. — VNS