Malaysia’s Aina Abdul took fourth with her powerful ballad Bluest Sky. Thinla of Laos finished fifth with Bae, a playful dance track that had the audience dancing whenever it was replayed during the show.
Bhutan, South Korea, Mongolia, Nepal, Cambodia and Bangladesh also competed.
Contestants made their entrances aboard tuk-tuks, the motorised three-wheeled vehicles common in Bangkok’s tourist districts. They waved national flags as thousands of fans cheered inside the city-center venue.
Bulgarian singer Dara appeared as a special guest, performing Bangaranga, the song with which she won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna earlier this year.
The European contest seeks to put music before politics but has repeatedly been caught up in international conflicts. Russia was expelled in 2022 following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has also roiled the competition, prompting protests outside contest venues and leading organizers to restrict political flag-waving.
Five longtime participants – Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia – boycotted this year’s European competition over Israel’s participation.
Eurovision Asia appeared less overshadowed by politics, said Eurovision historian Dean Vuletic, who attended the show in Bangkok.
He said an analysis of voting patterns might reveal political tendencies among participating countries.
“But for now I can say it was a very beautiful atmosphere inside the venue and it was a great window into the musical cultures of Asia.”