Pop star My Tam was named Singer of the Year in the Cong Hien (Devotion) Music Awards, which took place in Ho Chi Minh City's Hoa Binh Theatre on April 24 night.

Tam, a judge on Vietnam Idol 2012, was the first and only Vietnamese performer to receive the Best Asian Artist title at the Republic of Korea's Mnet Asian Music Awards last year.

Her song Chuyen Nhu Chua Bat Dau (A Story That Has Not Begun), composed by Hoang Nha, became a runaway hit with over eight million views on YouTube.

Veteran composer Quoc Trung, currently a judge on TV singing contest The Voice of Vietnam, won the Musician of the Year award.

Trung judged Vietnam Idol in 2011 and 2012. Last year, he launched the "Listen with Copyright Awareness" programme, which aims to protect music copyrights in Vietnam.

Album of the Year was granted to young soprano Pham Thu Ha's Classic Meets Chillout album, which combines classical and chill-out music, as its title indicates.

Produced by musician Vo Thien Thanh and Dream Studio, the album includes nine classic masterpieces like Serenade, Habanera and Ave Maria, mostly translated into Vietnamese by Thanh.

In The Spotlight, a series of live music performances organised by the My Thanh entertainment and advertising company, won Show of the Year.

The programme, launched in 2012, focuses on the musical career of popular singers Tuan Ngoc, My Linh and Hong Nhung and musicians Tran Tien, Trinh Cong Son and Thanh Tung.

Best New Artist and Song of the Year were given for the first time this year. These titles went to 17-year-old Huong Tram - the Nghe An-based winner of the first season of The Voice of Vietnam – and Doan Nho, composer of Chiec Khan Pieu (The Pieu Scarf).

Chiec Khan Pieu, which describes the beauty of the traditional scarf of Thai ethnic people, was performed by Tung Duong. Last year, the composition won Song of the Year on Vietnam Television's Favourite Song show.

Since 2004, the Devotion Music Awards has honoured popular performers and musicians like Hong Nhung, Ho Ngoc Ha, Tung Duong, Thanh Lam and My Linh. The awards are organised by Vietnam News Agency's publication The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports and Culture). This year, 101 journalists from Hanoi and HCM City were invited to vote for their favourite shows and performers in six categories. Truong Le Kim Hoa, Editor-in-Chief of The Thao & Van Hoa, said the awards aims to promote Vietnamese music and honour artists who have made significant contributions to the industry.-VNA