A group of 18 Vietnamese piano students aged 9-24 have excelled at the sixth Asia International Piano Academy Festival (AIPAF).

The event took place on July 20-24 at the Ewon Cultural Institute, Cheonan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), with the participation of groups from eight countries and territories including the RoK, Japan , Singapore , Hong Kong and China .

The Vietnamese group, led by Prof Tran Thu Ha from the Vietnam National Academy of Music, won 12 golds, five silvers and one bronze medal at the competition.

During the festival, concerts were held every evening in which participants were encouraged to take part. At the end of each session, a competition was held with jury members comprising of AIPAF professors.

Ha was one of 20 faculty members including professors and pianists from South Korea, Poland, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Russia, and Israel.

AIPAF's objective was not only to nurture each participant's musical ability, but also to enhance cultural exchange and understanding among pianists of different countries and cultural backgrounds. It's hoped that the friendships formed during AIPAF will be life-long ones, said Chang Hae-won, president of AIPAF.

"In the past, the festival has been a huge succession in bringing together renowned pianists from all over Asia , and it has been our privilege to have these pedagogues share their views and opinions with us," he said./.