The Asia Property Awards will include Vietnam from this year, helping showcase the country's best properties on the regional stage.

Started in Thailand in 2006 by Ensign Media, the publisher of Property Report magazine, the awards honoured consultants, architects and designers in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and China until last year, and has been expanded this year to include Myanmar and Indonesia besides Vietnam.

The 2015 Vietnam Property Awards were open to nominations from the real estate industry and general public, Terry Blackburn, CEO of Ensign Media, said.

Entries will close on March 27 and the final winners will be honoured at a gala dinner in Ho Chi Minh City on June 25, he said.

In all 32 awards will be given away to the most exceptional projects, designers and developers covering residential, commercial, office, hospitality, villa, and green development.

Special recognition will also be given to the company exhibiting excellence in corporate social responsibility.

Winners will go on to compete in the grand finale in Singapore in October.

All award categories will be assessed and judged under the supervision of BDO International, one of the world's largest accountancy networks, Blackburn said.

After remaining frozen for a few years, Vietnam's real estate market has bounced back strongly this year, he added.-VNA