Khanh Ly

Khanh Ly (1945-     ) along with Thai Thanh and Le Thu was considered among the three primary female vocalists of South Vietnam prior to 1975.  Born in Hanoi as Nguyen Thi Le Mai, she would later take on the surname, Pham, as a result of her mother's remarriage.  In 1956, she along with her family relocated to Da Lat.  As a child, she entered a singing talent contest held at the Norodom Venue in Saigon and placed second.  At the age of 19, she chose the stage name, Khanh Ly, and turned professional upon landing her first steady gig performing nightly at Anh Vu Nightclub in Saigon.  In less than a year working in Saigon, Khanh Ly decided to return to Da Lat where she would work for the next three years singing for local clubs there.

Trinh Cong Son and Khanh Ly

In 1964, Khanh Ly would meet up with musician / composer Trinh Cong Son, then still an unknown, who tried to persuade her to return to Saigon in order to further pursue her singing career.  Content with her life in Da Lat, Khanh Ly turned down Trinh Cong Son's invitation and remained in Da Lat until 1967.  Another chance meeting with Trinh Cong Son in 1967 would lead to Khanh Ly's decision to give Saigon another try and from then on her career rose to prominence.  Her recording of Diem Xua, written and composed by Trinh Cong Son, instantly gave her national recognition.

From the years 1967-1975, Khanh Ly collaborated with numerous record labels based in Saigon such as Continental, Du Am, Song Nhac and Tinh Ca Que Huong.  Khanh Ly became most famous for her interpretations of songs written and composed by Trinh Cong Son like Cuoi Cung Cho Mot Tinh Yeu, Ca Dao Me, Phuc Am Buon, Mua Hong, Nhu Canh Vac Bay and Phoi Pha.  She had also scored a number of hits with songs written by others such as Vi Toi La Linh Muc, Niem Khuc Cuoi, Roi Mai Toi Dua Em and Dau Tinh Sau.  In 1970, Khanh Ly accepted an invitation to perform on a concert tour of Japan by NHK Television and while there recorded an album produced by Columbia Nippon of Trinh Cong Son composed songs in both Vietnamese and Japanese.  In 1972, Khanh Ly opened her own nightclub in Saigon named simply as Khanh Ly Nightclub where she peformed nightly until 1975.  Upon the Fall of Saigon, Khanh Ly left for the United States where she has continued her career as a Vietnamese singer, started her own music label, Khanh Ly Productions, and has remained active to this day.

Khanh Ly has been married three times.  Recently widowed, her last marriage was to Nguyen Hoang Doan, a Vietnamese newspaper editor and columnist.  She is a mother to four grown children.  Her two oldest, a son and a daughter, were from her marriage to her first husband who was known by the pseudonym, Minh Di.  Another daughter was from her marriage to Mai Ba Trac.  And her youngest son, the only out of her four children born in the United States was fathered by her third husband, Nguyen Hoang Doan.  Khanh Ly currently resides in Cerritos, California.

Khánh Ly Live in Concert
at Hanoi Opera House (November, 2017)

Link(s):

Khanh Ly's Official Website