Over 1,000 artists from ten countries gathered in central Vietnam on Wednesday for the opening ceremony of the Fifth Vietnam International Choir Competition.

The four-day event is being held in Hoi An Ancient Town, located in Quang Nam Province, a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site since 1999 known amongst tourists for being an exceptionally well-preserved ancient Southeast Asian trading port.

The competition was first held in 2010 and since 2011 has been co-organized biennially in the coastal Vietnamese town by German musical event organizer Interkultur and the People’s Committee of Hoi An City.

Thirty-four choirs from Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam gathered in Hoi An Ancient Town on Wednesday to participate in the competition’s opening night.

The choirs took turns in performing unique choral pieces and enthralling the audience with traditional costumes from their respective countries.

The teams will compete in five different categories: children’s and youth choirs, mixed and female choirs, female and chamber choirs, sacred choir music, and folklore.

On Friday, each choir will perform during a friendship concert following the theme ‘International Melody’.

The international artists will also parade through the city on Saturday to bid farewell to locals and close the competition.

A performance by the Samsung Thai Nguyen Harmony Choir from Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A performance by a choir from the Philippines. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A performance by a choir from the Philippines. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The Vietnamese audience cheers on the performing artists. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The Vietnamese audience cheers on the performing artists. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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