HCM CITY (VNS)— The final round of HCM City's Television (HTV) singing contest for amateurs aged 35 and above will begin at the HTV Theatre tonight.

In the round, nine contestants in the Tieng Hat Mai Xanh (Evergreen Voice) competition will be divided into three groups of three people each, aged between 35 and 50, between 51 and 65, and 66 and up.

They will sing romantic, folk and revolutionary songs in three shows to be broadcast live on HTV9 today.

Judges are composers Tran Long An, Phan Huynh Dieu and Tran Hieu, and the director of the city's Conservatory of Music, Van Thi Minh Huong.

The judges will choose the winners of each group, who will enter the grand finale at Hoa Binh Theatre in District 10 on May 31.

The three finalists will be required to sing a solo and perform in a duet with a professional singer.

The audiences will vote for the grand winner, who will receive VND50 million (US$2,390) in prize money. The winner of each group will receive VND30 million ($1,430).

A special concert featuring performances of winners in the last two years will be held at Hoa Binh Theatre on May 24.

Tieng Hat Mai Xanh was organised by HTV and May Quynh Media in 2011.

This year, 2,700 people took part in auditions held in Ha Noi, Da Nang and HCM City in early March.