Singer Thu Minh poses for a photo with the trophy for Best Asian Artist Award 2013. — Photo Depplus.vn/MASK

HA NOI (VNS) — Vietnamese pop singer Vu Thu Minh on Friday won the Best Asian Artist Award at the annual Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) 2013 for her distinguished contributions to music.

The Ha Noi-born 36-year-old soprano C (spinto soprano accent in the opera genre) accent singer rose to popularity mainly with songs in the pop/dance genre, though she has not taken any professional vocal training.

Although she could not attend the award ceremony in Hong Kong since she was performing in Russia, Minh said she was very proud to be among the Vietnamese singers who have won the title. She further said she would try her best to promote Vietnamese music in the international market.

Last year, singer My Tam won the same title.

MAMA was initiated in 1999 by the South Korean Mnet Media entertainment company. The annual awards cover various categories including the Grand Awards for artist, album, and song; Solo/group Awards; Music Genre awards; Music Video Awards; and Popularity Awards. —VNS