HCM CITY (VNS)— The Vietnamese song Ha Noi Niem Tin va Hy Vong (Ha Noi Belief and Hope) won Tran Huu Kien first prize in the grand finale of Vietnam's Got Talent on Sunday.

Kien – a young trainee lawyer – won the hearts of the jury and the audience when he performed the song in original opera style. He surpassed the competition by a wide margin to win VND500 million (US$25,000).

The runner-up (the children's circus group Hoa Mau Don) won only one per cent of votes, while he drew 33 per cent.

The competition, first held in Viet Nam last year, aired on Sunday nights on VTV3 and MTV Vietnam.

The show is based on the Got Talent series started by Simon Cowell, a former judge on American Idol.-VNS