The ABU TV Song Festival 2013 was the second annual edition of the ABU TV Song Festivals. The festival, which is non-competitive, that took place on 26 October 2013 in the Hanoi Opera House, Hanoi, Vietnam and coinciding with the 50th general assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) which took place between 23 and 29 October 2013.[1][2] Sixteen songs from fifteen countries participated in the second edition of the event. Brunei, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, and Thailand made their début at the festival[6]
| ABU TV Song Festival 2013 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dates | |
| Final | 26 October 2013[1] |
| Host | |
| Venue | Hanoi Opera House, Hanoi, Vietnam[2] |
| Presenter(s) | |
| Host broadcaster | Vietnam Television[5] |
| Participants | |
| Number of entries |
|
| Debuting countries | |
| Non-returning countries | None |
| |
Location
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts,[7] 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction.[8] From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam. It was eclipsed by Huế, the imperial capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945), but Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina from 1902 to 1954. From 1954 to 1976, it was the capital of North Việt Nam, and it became the capital of a reunified Vietnam in 1976, after the North's victory in the Vietnam War.
The city is located on the right bank of the Red River. Hanoi is located at 1,760 km (1,090 mi) north of Ho Chi Minh City and at 120 km (75 mi) west of Hai Phong city.
Initially, Vietnam Cultural Friendship Hall was chosen as the festival's venue. The venue was later changed to Hanoi Opera House, which was smaller in terms of capacity (nearly 600 seats in comparison to 1100 seats of the former)
National host broadcaster
Vietnam Television will be the host broadcaster for the second edition of the annual Song Festival. The venue for the 2013 TV Song Festival is the Hanoi Opera House in central Hanoi, Vietnam.[1][2]
Format
Unlike the format used in the Eurovision Song Contest there are two versions of the ABU Song Festivals. The ABU Radio Song Festival which is a biennial competitive event and the ABU TV Song Festival which is an annual non-competitive event. The TV Song Festival is scheduled to take place on 26 October 2013, in conjunction with the 50th ABU General Assembly which takes place between 23 and 29 October 2013.[1] During the TV Festival, musicians from participating countries will perform a song from their repertoire in a musical gala presentation.
Participating countries
A total of fifteen countries took part in the 2013 ABU TV Song Festival.[6]
| Draw | Country[9] | Artist[9] | Song[9] | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 |  Thailand | Kandy | "Aeb saeb" | Thai |
| 02 |  Brunei | Qeez Idrus[10] | "Salahkah Aku"[10] | Malay |
| 03 |  Hong Kong | Mag Lam (林欣彤)[11] | "Shi Jian" (時間)[11] | Mandarin |
| 04 |  Indonesia | Putri and Shella[12] | "Mimpiku"[12] | Indonesian |
| 05 |  Vietnam | Văn Mai Hương[13] | "Là em đó"[13] | Vietnamese |
| 06 |  Australia | Justice Crew[14] | "Boom Boom" and "Everybody" (mashup)[14] | English |
| 07 |  Malaysia | Alyah | "Kisah hati" | Malay |
| 08 |  Iran | Mohsen Mirzadeh (محسن میرزازاده)[15] | "Arman" (رمان)[15] | Persian |
| 09 |  Kyrgyzstan | Tola Tursunaliev (Тола Турсуналиев)[16] | "Enekeme"(Энэкеме)[16] | Kyrgyz |
| 10 |  Japan | May'n (メイン)[17] | "ViViD"[17] | Japanese |
| 11 |  Sri Lanka | Sarith & Surith[18] | "Together, Forever"[18] | English |
| 12 |  Singapore | Shabir[19] | "Maybe"[19] | Tamil, English |
| 13 |  Afghanistan | Shahzad Adeel (شهزاد عادل) | "Ma Ba Tu'em (ما به تو ایم) | Dari |
| 14 |  China | Splendid7 | "Ài ràng wǒmen zài yīqǐ" (爱让我们在一起) | Mandarin |
| 15 |  South Korea | Sistar | "Give It to Me" | Korean, English |
| 16 | Vietnam | Ngũ Cung | "Cao nguyên đá" | Vietnamese |
International broadcasts
Each participating country was invited to broadcast the event across their respective networks and provide commentary in the native languages to add insight and description to the shows.[5]
Afghanistan – Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA)
Australia – SBS Two (9 November 2013)[20]
Brunei – Radio Televisyen Brunei (RTB)
China – China Central Television (CCTV)
Hong Kong – Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB)
Indonesia – Televisi Republik Indonesia (23 November 2013)
Iran – Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)
Japan – Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK)
Kyrgyzstan – Kyrgyz Television (KTRK)
Malaysia – Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) (26 December 2013)
Singapore – MediaCorp Suria
South Korea – Korean Broadcasting System (KBS)
Sri Lanka – MTV Channel (MTV)
Thailand – National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT)[21]
Vietnam (host) – VTV (26 October 2013; live)[22]