HA NOI — The Toyota Concert 2012 for Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia got underway in Phnom Penh for the first time on Saturday as part of activities to mark the 45th anniversary of the Viet Nam – Cambodia diplomatic ties and boost cultural exchanges between the two peoples.

The event was jointly organised by the Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) and the Toyota Viet Nam Foundation.

Under the baton of Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji, the event also saw the presence of Vietnamese singer Trinh Thanh Binh and other artists from Cambodia and the VNSO.

Participating artists performed works written by Vietnamese musicians Trong Bang and Hoang Viet, and former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk, as well as classical pieces by world-renowned composers Johann Strauss and Leroy Anderson.

Cambodian Secretary of State of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts Minh Kosny spoke highly of the event, saying that it showed the inseparable friendship between the two countries. — VNS