HCM CITY — Traditional folk songs of Southeast Asia will be featured at the annual ASEAN Television Melodies Festival which will open tonight in HCM City.

Hosted by HCM City Television (HTV), the festival is a cultural and artistic activity that will promote friendship and solidarity among ASEAN countries, according to Nguyen Quy Hoa, HTV general director.

The event has attracted 20 professional singers representing television stations from 10 ASEAN countries: Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Singapore, and the event's host, Viet Nam.

Pop stars Duc Tuan, the winner of the Television Singing Contest in 2000, and Thanh Ngoc, the runner up of the contest in 2005, are the host's representatives.

The singers will perform traditional folk songs from their countries on opening night at HTV Theatre, while during the evening featuring pop songs, they will sing songs in English. The latter will be held on Wednesday.

All the performances will be broadcast live on HTV9.

The jury, comprising composers, vocal music experts and music producers from Viet Nam, Brunei and Indonesia, as well as the audience, will vote for the best male and female performers in the folk and pop categories.

The awards ceremony will be held on Friday and broadcast live on HTV 7.

During the festival, visiting participants will enjoy a tour of major HCM City attractions including the Ben Thanh Market and the Reunification Palace.

The ASEAN Television Melodies Festival was first held in 2008. — VNS