International singers perform onstage at the opening night of the 2008 ASEAN Golden Voice Festival in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday

The first 2008 ASEAN Golden Voice Festival kicked off Thursday in Ho Chi Minh City with a host of international singers performing traditional folk songs.

Highlights of the show included Myanmar performers re-enacting scenes from the country’s popular water-throwing festival, Malaysian artists singing of the peaceful countryside, and Vietnamese singers telling of the country’s beauty.

A second round of performances is set for Saturday featuring pop songs, which artists will perform in English.

Two gold medals, two silver medals and two bronze medals will be awarded to the six best performances of each night.

Prizes will be handed out on Sunday at Hoa Binh Theater in HCMC’s District 10.

The second concert will air on HTV9 at 20:30.

The singers are from the eight Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries including Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Guest singers from the non-ASEAN countries of China, the Republic of Korea and Bulgaria are also participating in the event.

Reported by Diem Thu