Feature: Chinese, Vietnamese singers sing friendship songs at contest

"Music is borderless. Cultural exchanges between the two countries will be further promoted through activities like this," Jiang Dongjian from China, one of the winners of the China-Vietnam Friendship Song Contest 2015 told Xinhua in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on Monday night.

"Activities like this will contribute to the bilateral relationship between the two countries, bringing peoples of the two countries' closer together," Tran Thi Bich Ngoc from Vietnam, another winner of the contest, said after receiving the highest prize.

Jiang and Ngoc were among 10 contestants, including five Chinese and five Vietnamese, qualified for the final round of the contest in Hanoi on Monday night.

"Through the contest, I had chances to work with Chinese friends and learn more knowledge on singing," Ngoc told Xinhua while Jiang said he was amazed by the performance of Vietnamese contestants as they performed songs which are very difficult to sing.

The annual China-Vietnam Friendship Song Contest was held alternately between the two countries since 2010, attracting the participation of people from both countries.

Under the theme "Sing the Friendship Songs Together," the sixth edition of the contest in 2015 was jointly organized by Vietnam Music Dance and Song Theater, Vietnam's Military University of Culture and Arts and China's Guangxi People's Radio. Each finalist performed a Vietnamese song and a Chinese song.

"The event is of great significance in promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries as it is held on the occasion when the two countries are celebrating the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties, and after the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Vietnam in November," said Liu Sanzhen, Cultural Counselor of Chinese Embassy in Vietnam.

In recent years, the two countries have witnessed frequent cultural exchanges with a series of activities, among which the China-Vietnam Friendship Song Contest has become one of major events in bilateral cultural exchanges, Liu added.

Sharing the same view, Nguyen Quang Vinh, director of Au Co Art Performing Center in Hanoi, who was among judges at the contest, said "as the two countries share similarities in cultural features, the event will help strengthen cooperation and exchanges for mutual development in music profession."

"This is an event not only to seek good singers but also a cultural exchange to tighten the friendship between the two countries," Vu Ha Son, a 20 year-old audience from the Vietnam's Military University of Culture and Arts, told Xinhua.

"Chinese contestants had very good performances. They successfully conveyed the meaning of Vietnamese songs just like Vietnamese singers with their outstanding performances," said Duong Van Duc, another student from Vietnam's Military University of Culture and Arts.

"Vietnamese contestants also performed well. I love Chinese songs and Chinese music," Duc told Xinhua.

"I hope that Vietnam and China will organize more activities like this in the future to cement the long traditional friendship." Endit