Plaudits: Pop singer Tung Duong was named "Singer of the Year 2011" at the seventh Cong Hien (Devotion) Music Awards. — VNA/VNA Photo Quang Nhut

HCM CITY — Pop singer Tung Duong was named "Singer of the Year 2011" at the seventh Cong Hien (Devotion) Music Awards at HCM City Television Studios (HTV) last night.

He was also awarded the same title at awards organised by the Vietnam News Agency's The Thao & Van Hoa (Culture and Sport) newspaper the previous year.

Composer Anh Quan won the title "Musician of the Year". Quan and his band Anh Em (Brothers) are well-known for their acoustic performances.

His wife, pop diva My Linh won "Album of the Year" for her Mot Ngay (One Day) album, produced by musicians Anh Quan, Huy Tuan, and Anh Em band. The album once again affirmed Quan's talent.

Ho Ngoc Ha's live performance last year was voted "Concert of the Year". Directed by Viet Tu, the concert had been in the making since 2007, and eventually came to fruition in December last year.

Fifty journalists from Ha Noi and fifty from HCM City were invited to vote for the event's four categories, and according to the organisers, the vote was open and transparent.

According to Truong Le Kim Hoa, editor in chief of The Thao & Van Hoa, the awards aimed to promote Vietnamese music, and a fund would be started in the near future to support those who made significant contributions to the industry.

The Cong Hien (Devotion) Music Awards, the Vietnamese equivalent of the Grammys, involved several popular performers and musicians, including Hong Nhung, Ho Ngoc Ha, My Linh and Tung Duong.

Since 2004, 25 Vietnamese singers and composers have been honoured for their contributions to Vietnamese music. — VNS