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Thẩm Thúy Hằng: Cinema of South Vietnam's
Legendary Screen Goddess |
Thẩm Thúy Hằng (1940-2022) was a legendary film actress of South Vietnam often accredited as Cinema of Saigon's first major movie star. Known for her striking beauty, she has been regarded by many to be the most beautiful Vietnamese woman of all time. Thẩm Thúy Hằng's immense popularity and fame began in 1958 with the release of her debut film role in
Người Đẹp Bình Dương (The Beautiful Lady of Binh Duong). The enormous blockbuster success of her first film instantly turned her into an iconic superstar. Her name has since become synonymous with the title of her debut film as she would be given the nickname of "Người Đẹp Bình Dương" by the mainstream media of South Vietnam.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Thẩm Thúy Hằng had acted in more films produced in South Vietnam than any other Vietnamese actor or actress, starring in a total of 60 films.. Unquestionably, she was South Vietnam's reigning queen of the silver screen. During her heyday, Thẩm Thúy Hằng commanded an unprecedented salary of 1 million South Vietnamese đồng, which would equal the value of 1 kilogram of gold .9999 or roughly $54,000 USD today. In addition to her stellar film career in South Vietnam, Thẩm Thúy Hằng's celebrity status grew beyond the borders of her homeland as she successfully delved into numerous film projects of world cinema accepting roles in foreign films produced in countries such as the United States, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand. Among her most popular films in South Vietnam include
Ngưu Lang - Chức Nữ (1963),
Tơ Tình (1963),
Như Hạt Mưa Sa (1971),
Sóng Tình (1972) and
Xin Đừng Bỏ Em (1974) . In 1969, Thẩm Thúy Hằng formed her own independent film production studio,
Vilifilms, which produced and released a string of major commercial blockbuster films including
Chiều Kỷ Niệm (An Evening to Remember) (1969) costarring
Năm Châu,
Phùng Há,
Thanh Tú,
Việt Hùng and
Ngọc Nuôi,
Nàng (Lady) (1970) costarring
La Thoại Tân and
Ngậm Ngùi (Pity) (1973). Thẩm Thúy Hằng retired from the film industry in the early 1980s. Her very last film role was in
Cho Cả Ngày Mai (All for Tomorrow), released in 1981,
Unlike many of her colleagues, after the Fall of Saigon in 1975 Thẩm Thúy Hằng remained in Vietnam and continued to make movies for several more years. In 1970, she married for the second time to Harvard graduate and internationally renowned economist
Nguyễn Xuân Oánh, who was 19 years her senior. She had been married once before when she was just 19 years old. That first marriage ended in divorce after 5 years and had produced a daughter which she had allegedly given up for adoption to a couple she had been close friends with. The couple then resettled in the UnitedStates shortly after the adoption. It has been reported that in 2007, Thẩm Thúy Hằng had acknowledged that she did have a daughter whom she had given up for adoption over 40 years ago and longed to establish contact with her long lost daughter, Nguyễn Thị Thúy Hằng, now living in the United Staes. However, after several unsuccessful attempts, Thẩm Thúy Hằng was heartbroken when her daughter had publicly rejected her wishes of making any contact and even denied that she was her biological daughter during a televised interview in the United States that same year. Thẩm Thúy Hằng had remained married to Nguyễn Xuân Oánh until his death in 2003. During this marriage, she gave birth to four sons. During her later years in life, Thẩm Thúy Hằng lived alone in the mansion her husband had left for her after his passing. She rarely made any public appearances and devoted most of her time volunteering for various charities. All 4 of her grown sons had completed their studies abroad and had chosen to resettle permanently overseas. Two had resettled in the United States, while the other two had resettled in Australia. On September 6, 2022, Thẩm Thúy Hằng passed away in her home in Ho Chi Minh City. She was 82.
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