20 years of 'Golden Bell of Traditional Vietnamese Music'

The Golden Bell Vọng Cổ Singing Contest, organized by Ho Chi Minh City Television, has launched for its 2025 season.

Over the course of 20 years and with remarkable efforts, the competition has become a prestigious award in the world of Cai Luong and Vong Co (traditional Vietnamese opera).

Meritorious Artist Vo Minh Lam, the winner of the first Golden Bell Award for traditional Vietnamese folk singing in 2006, is now a judge of the competition.

PHOTO: HK

Starting in 2006 under the name " Television Cai Luong Star ," the competition made a strong impact on the theater community and music lovers from North to South Vietnam. Later, in 2007, the competition changed its name to "Golden Bell Cai Luong," with increasingly higher quality. 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the Golden Bell Cai Luong , with innovations in its organization. For example, the judging panel for the preliminary rounds consists of young artists who have previously won this award, such as People's Artist Ho Ngoc Trinh, Meritorious Artist Vo Minh Lam, and Meritorious Artist Ngoc Doi. The final judging panel still features veteran artists such as People's Artist Thanh Nam, People's Artist Trong Phuc, and People's Artist Phuong Loan. Guest judges include: artists Chi Tam, People's Artist Trong Huu, People's Artist Que Tran, People's Artist Huu Quoc, Meritorious Artist Kim Phuong, Meritorious Artist Kim Tu Long, Meritorious Artist Cam Tien, and Meritorious Artist Thoai My.

The competition rounds have been revamped to make them more exciting and challenging for the contestants. Sponsor Saigonbank has also increased the prize money: 150 million VND for the gold medal (previously 100 million VND), 80 million VND for the silver medal (previously 50 million VND), and 50 million VND for the bronze medal (previously 30 million VND). In addition, contestants will have the opportunity to perform for the people and soldiers in coastal and island areas, or perform at universities and on Nguyen Hue pedestrian street (Ho Chi Minh City), creating a beautiful sense of community integration.

Nearly 200 contestants in the 2025 Golden Bell of Traditional Vietnamese Music competition have passed the audition and preliminary rounds, and now 32 contestants have advanced to the selection round taking place from July 20-25. Following this, 9 contestants will be selected for the final round – broadcast live on September 7, 14, 21, and 28. In addition to the three main prizes, there will also be other awards voted on by the press and the audience.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/20-nam-chuong-vang-vong-co-185250722224957197.htm