Vietnamese actor Liên Bỉnh Phát is a rising film star in Việt Nam. Photo variety.com

HÀ NỘI Vietnamese actor Liên Bỉnh Phát will be honoured at the 2019 Asian Stars: Up Next Awards presented by the International Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM) and American entertainment media company Variety.

The awards, which recognise and promote Asian on-screen talent with great potential, will be given at the 4th International Film Festival & Awards Macao in Macao from 5 to 10 December.

Besides Phát, seven other artists from six Asian countries will also receive the award, include Asmara Abigail (Indonesia), Bea Alonzo (Philippines), Bumi Pednekar (India), Jennis Opraset and Praewa Suthampon (Thailand), Lim Yoona (South Korea) and Ryota Katayose (Japan).

Phát previously won the Gemstone Award in the best newcomer category at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

According to film critic Marcus Mạnh Cường Vũ, it is a great honour for a young Vietnamese actor to be appreciated internationally.

A native of the southern province of Kiên Giang, the 29-year-old actor is an emerging star and TV host in Việt Nam.

He is considered as a new factor of the country’s film industry after playing Dũng Thiên Lôi in Song Lang (The Tap Box), a drama that pays tribute to cải lương, a traditional Vietnamese musical theatre art. The film recently won the Golden Lotus, the State’s most coveted prize for a cinematic work. VNS