The participants include members of ASEAN countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam and guests of honour from Guangxi, Beijing, the Republic of Korea and Bulgaria.

The festival is part of activities to welcome the major events of ASEAN countries and help tighten cooperation among ASEAN member countries in the fields of economics, culture and society.

The event also offered an opportunity for Vietnamese singers to conquer the regional music market and promote Vietnamese music to the world.

Folk music night will take place on October 16 while pop music night will be held on October 18. The awards ceremony will take place at the Hoa Binh Theatre on October 19.

The contestants from Television Singing Stars 2008 will have an opportunity to share experiences with singers from all participating countries on October 20.