Born as Duong Thi Le Thuy on May 20, 1948 in Can Tho, South Vietnam, she was the eldest in a family of eight children. Coming from an impoverished family, Le Thuy learned from early on about the struggles her parents had to endure in order to provide for her and the rest of her siblings. However, as fate would have it, one day while Le Thuy was just ten years old, a family acquaintance by the name of Tu Long who had been a "cai luong" performer, as well, heard her sing a few versus form a Southern Vietnamese folk opera play and was extremely impressed. He saw such strong potential in Le Thuy that he arranged for her to study with Nam Truyen, an acting coach, and musician Tam Den for the next three years. As an apprentice, her eagerness to learn and rapid progress in learning the craft of performing in Southern Vietnamese folk opera amazed both Nam Truyen and Tam Den. Unfortunately, when financial conditions had worsened for her family, Le Thuy had to make the painful decision to discontinue as their student. Le Thuy was also unable to attend public school due to the fact that she hadn't been born in an actual hospital and therefor had not been issued with an official birth certificate documentation. At the age of 13, Le Thuy had no other choice but to find work in order to support her family. She was then accepted into the Tram Vang theater troupe and was cast in the role of a young boy in Co Gai Ban Den Hoa Giay. Within a year, Le Thuy would become Tram Vang troupe's second lead actress. At age 15, she was recruited by the prestigious Kim Chung Theater Company and was cast in her first lead role in the play, Be Bang Duyen Moi, alongside leading actor Thanh Hai. Le Thuy was on her way to becoming a major star.
Le Thuy reached the height of her popularity when she was paired up opposite leading actor Minh Phung. Together they starred in a series of successful plays such as Xin Mot Lan Yeu Nhau, Dem Lanh Chua Hoang Song Rach Gam and Kiep Nao Co Yeu Nhau.
In 1964, along with stage actor Thanh Sang, Le Thuy was honored with South Vietnam's equivalent to a Tony, a Thanh Tam Award for best actress. She would be the youngest actress to have ever been honored with this coveted award.
After the Fall of Saigon, Le Thuy continued with her career starring in many more successful plays such as Cay Sau Rieng Tro Bong, Tieng Song Rach Gam and Khi Binh Minh Tro Lai. In 1984, she joined other fellow performers like Bach Tuyet, Ngoc Giau and Minh Vuong on a wildly successful tour performing for overseas Vietnamese audiences across Europe. During the 1990s, Le Thuy in numerous "cai luong" productions made for video. At present, she still performs regularly at the historic Tran Huu Trang Theater in Ho Chi Minh City.
Le Thuy has been married for over forty years and is now a mother to three grown children. Her second eldest child has followed in her footsteps and is now an actor of Southern Vietnamese folk opera known by his stage name, Duong Dinh Tri.
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