At a press conference on 15/10, Nguyen Kim Khiem, Deputy General Director of the Hanoi Radio and Television Station and Deputy Head of the organizing committee, announced the prize structure for the new season. In addition to the grand prize, the organizing committee will award three first prizes, each worth 100 million dong; three second prizes, each worth 50 million dong; and three third prizes, each worth 30 million dong. Two specialized prizes, "Outstanding Contemporary Voice" and "Creative Talent, Impressive Performance," are each valued at 50 million dong. Winning contestants will also receive electric motorbikes.

A new feature of this season is the online preliminary round. Contestants will submit their applications and performance videos for evaluation by the judges, eliminating the need to travel to Hanoi for the initial selection round. Submitted videos must feature live vocals, without backing tracks or digital audio editing. According to the organizing committee, this format aims to genuinely assess vocal ability while enabling participation from contestants in various localities and foreign nationals.

Dao Le Phuong Chi, the contestant who won the grand prize at "Tieng Hat Ha Noi" 2025. *Photo: Organizing committee*

The competition features four styles: Classical, Folk, Contemporary Music, and Creative, Versatile Performance. The Creative, Versatile Performance category is a new addition, encouraging contestants to combine singing with songwriting, playing instruments, choreography, or other performance art forms.

In the Contemporary Music group, contestants can select genres such as Pop, Ballad, R&B, Soul, Jazz, Rock, Dance-pop, Indie, Alternative, Hip-hop/Rap, and EDM. Despite the expanded genres, the competition prioritizes vocal quality as the primary evaluation criterion, alongside emotion, artistic individuality, and performance ability.

Beyond the televised competition nights, the organizing committee aims to develop digital content, allowing audiences to follow the training and performance journeys of each contestant. The competition partners with TikTok Vietnam, intending to support vocalists in creating personal content and increasing public engagement.

According to the rules, the organizing committee will select 30 contestants for the final round and 12 contestants for the ranking and awards night. Judges will score on a 10-point scale, based on vocal technique, emotion, ability to convey the work, artistic individuality, creative interpretation, and stage presence. Online views or interactions will not replace professional assessment scores.

Phuong Chi's performance at "Tieng Hat Ha Noi" 2025. *Video: Organizing committee*

Hong Kien, the contest's music director, stated that the team will assist contestants with arrangement and orchestration to enhance performance quality. For songs about Hanoi, the organizing committee focuses on staging to highlight the content and spirit of the works. Regarding contestants using AI for songwriting, he indicated that the expert panel will evaluate each work objectively, while ensuring the artistic criteria of the competition are met.

Participants must be Vietnamese citizens aged 16 to 30 or foreign nationals aged 16 to 35, as of 31/12. Contestants are not required to have professional music training but must be able to sing in Vietnamese and meet other regulatory conditions. The organizing committee accepts applications from 12/10 until 12/11.

The semifinal round is scheduled from 1/12 to 3/12. The three final nights for Classical, Folk, and Contemporary Music will take place on 16/12, 18/12, and 20/12, respectively. The final ranking and awards ceremony is anticipated on the evening of 28/12.

Tieng Hat Ha Noi (formerly known as Tieng Hat Truyen Hinh Ha Noi) was established in 1994 by the Hanoi Radio and Television Station. The competition has launched the careers of many singers, including Mai Hoa, Anh Tho, Hong Hanh, Phuong Anh, Minh Thu, Ho Quynh Huong, Khanh Linh, and Hoang Quyen. Last year, Dao Le Phuong Chi, a student at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, won the top prize. Since its return to an annual format in 2023, the competition has progressively innovated its scale, format, and public engagement methods.

Ha Thu