France's Vo Hong Quan has topped the chamber music category at this year's Sao Mai (Morning Star) National Television Singing Contest.— File Photo

HA NOI (VNS) – France's Vo Hong Quan has topped the chamber music category at this year's Sao Mai (Morning Star) National Television Singing Contest.

The final round of the 9th Sao Mai was held in Hai Phong on Saturday with 12 finalists performing across chamber, pop and folk music categories.

This year's contest saw Vietnamese performers from Europe join the competition for the first time, with Quan, a student at the musical academy of Vitry sur Seine, the only European representative to progress to the final round.

Tran Thi Huyen Trang from the central province of Nghe An took out first place in the folk music category while Thanh Hoa's Ngo Thi Thanh Huyen dominated the pop music division.

The biennial singing contest, hosted by Viet Nam Television, aims to promote the music industry and develop Vietnamese talent. – VNS