The Toyota Concert 2012 through Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia got underway in Phnom Penh for the first time on July 28, as part of activities to mark the 45 th anniversary of the Vietnam – Cambodia diplomatic ties and boost cultural exchanges between the two peoples.

The event was jointly organised by the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) and the Toyota Vietnam Foundation.

Under the baton of Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji, the event also saw the presence of Vietnamese singer Trinh Thanh Binh and other artists from Cambodia and VNSO.

The participating artists performed works written by Vietnamese musicians Trong Bang, Hoang Viet, and former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk as well as classical pieces by world-renowned composers Johann Strauss and Leroy Anderson.

Cambodian Secretary of State of Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts Minh Kosny spoke highly of the event, saying that it manifests unseparatable friendship between the two countries./.