Siu Black

Siu Black (1964-     ) is a famous Vietnamese singer of rock music.  Born in Kontum, a town in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, Siu Black is a member of the Bahnar minority ethnic group of Vietnam.  She started performing while still in high school, first singing in her native Bahnar language.  Upon graduating from Dac Lac Arts School, she joined the Dac Lac Arts Troupe and performed throughout the Tay Nguyen province, as well as in other major cities and towns in Vietnam and Cambodia.  At the age of 17, she met songwriter Nguyen Cuong who encouraged her to sing more in the Vietnamese language.  Their friendship would lead to a professional association as she would later record a song he had written, Em Muon Song Ben Anh Tron Doi (I Want to Be Near You Always), would also become one of her signature songs.

In 1987, while touring Cambodia, Siu Black met her future husband, Nguyen Duc Hung.  Their wedding would take place after their first meeting.  Together the couple have since become parents to two songs, Nguyen Siu Manh (b.1989) and Nguyen Siu Hieu (1991).  After five years of marriage, the couple decided to separate.


Siu Black's journey to fame was a rather long one.  For over a decade into her career, Siu Black remained as one of Tay Nguyen's best kept secrets as she had yet to reach prominence as a professional singer.  In 1992, she found work alongside her husband at Kontum Electric Company in order to make ends meet.  While employed there she continued with her persistence of fulfilling her dream of a singing career.  She remained active performing for various local events and entering talent contests.  After winning gold medals for two consecutive years at national talent competitions in 1995 and 1996, Siu Black was then well on her way to stardom.  At the 1997 ASEAN Music Festival held in Hanoi, Siu Black took home the prize for best vocalist.

For more than a decade Siu Black enjoyed a highly successful career as a live performer and recording artist.  She has performed all over Vietnam, as well as in countries abroad for overseas Vietnamese audiences.  In addition to her music career, Siu Black has also taken part in another career as an actress.  In 2009, she costarred in the Vietnamese film, Giai Cuu Than Chet (Saving the Death) alongside Minh Hang, Chi Thien and fellow singers-turned-actresses Dong Nhi, Hong Nhung and Phuong Thanh.  In 2012, Siu Black had a supporting role in the popular television mini-series, Cau Vong Sau Mua, starring Nguyen Vu, Thuy Trang, Linh Chi and Ly Hai.  Recently, she has been involved in some financial setbacks.  It has been reported that Siu Black has a total debt in the amount of more than 2 billion VND, which is roughly $100,000 USD.  Rumor has it that her financial downfall was a result of her gambling addiction, while Siu Black maintains that the actual cause had to do with several bad business investments she made.

Ngoc Lan

For the television actress, see Ngọc Lan (Actress).

Ngoc Lan (1956-2001) was a popular overseas Vietnamese singer most famous for her interpretations of French love songs.  Born in Nha Trang, Vietnam, Maria Le Thanh Lan was the 4th eldest in a family of 12 children.  Resettled in the United States first in Minnesota, she began her career singing for weddings and parties with a local band.  To avoid any possible confusion with singer Thanh Lan, the pop music icon from Saigon during the 1970s, she chose the stage name, Ngoc Lan.  In 1982, she moved to California and began recording for various music production labels such as Da Lan and Asia Productions.  Shortly after , promoter Ngoc Chanh took notice of her talent and offered her an exclusive contract to perform at the Ritz Nightclub in Anaheim.  In 1986, she released her self-produced debut solo studio album self-entitled as Tieng Hat Ngoc Lan.  In the years that followed, she collaborated with another label, Giang Ngoc, to record her next two solo studio albums, Nguoi Yeu Dau (My Precious Love) (1987) and L'amour Tinh Ta (Our Love) (1988).  Both of these albums went on to become two of the best selling albums in the overseas Vietnamese music industry.  During the late 1980s up until the early 1990s when overseas Vietnamese-produced audio cassettes consisting of medleys, known as Lien Khuc, were at its peak in popularity, two of the biggest selling of such albums released both had included Ngoc Lan among the featured primary vocalists under the Asia Productions label, Lien Khuc Chieu Mua (1989) with Luu Hong and Huy Sinh and Lien Khuc Tinh Yeu (1990) with Trung Hanh and Kieu Nga.  Ngoc Lan also had recorded several widely received duet albums with other overseas Vietnamese artists such as Don Ho, Duy Quang, Nhat Truong, Duc Huy, Tuan Vu, Elvis Phuong, Trinh Nam Son, Nhu Mai. Vu Khanh and Kieu Nga

Ngoc Lan during a live performance in Ottawa, Canada (1991)

In 1989,  Ngoc Lan began a long collaboration with May Productions which produced seven more of her solo studio albums and two solo music videotapes, Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh (Just Like How I've Loved You) (1990) and Ben Kia Mat Troi Mua Ha (Sunny on the Other Side) (1991), both of which revolutionized the overseas Vietnamese music video production industry.  In 1992, Ngoc Lan took a break from performing due to the sudden death of her sister who had been shot during an armed robbery incident along with her own personal health matters which she had kept private from her public.



Ngoc Lan returned to performing in 1994 after getting married to a fellow performer, Kelvin Khoa, earlier in the year.  At her return performance event held in the fall of 1994 at the Anaheim Marriott, many audience members noticed that she was quite off during her performance.  It then became evident that she was suffering from multiple sclerosis.  Despite her failing health, Ngoc  Lan continued to perform and record in the following years until it became no longer possible by 1998.  She passed away on March 6, 2001 leaving behind millions of grieving, adoring fans worldwide.  Ngoc Lan was just only 44 years old.









Link(s):

Ngoc Lan Remembered Pinterest Board 
50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time
NgocLanRemembered.BlogSpot.com
Ngoc Lan Remembered on HubPages
Ngoc Lan Remembered on Facebook
ILoveNgocLan.com

Thanh Thuy

For the Vietnamese Actress, see Thanh Thúy (Actress).

Thanh Thuy (1943-     ) is a famous Vietnamese singer originally from Hue, Central Vietnam who began her professional singing career around the age of 16 in Saigon and would later become known as Tieng Hat Lieu Trai (The Sultry Singing Voice). 

How Thanh Thuy had become a professional singer was somewhat of an accident, as her career choice had come about unplanned.  Growing up in Hue in a family of 5 siblings, up until her early teenage years Saigon seemed like a faraway destination to Thanh Thuy as a young girl.  However, when she was 15, her mother had been stricken with tuberculosis and the family had to relocate to Saigon for her medical treatment.  To contribute to her family's income along with the high costs of medical care for her mother, Thanh Thuy found work singing at lounges and cabarets while still a minor at age 15, just a few weeks prior to her 16th birthday.  Almost overnight, audiences took notice of her unique style of singing that was unlike most other Vietnamese female vocalists at the time.  Among the characteristics that made her stand out was her husky, sensual singing voice in a much lower register than what was considered typical for a female vocalist along with her distinct style of pronunciation that was reminiscent of the Central Vietnamese dialect most common among native residents of the imperial city of Hue.  One other advantage she had was her natural beauty which coincided with her regal stage presence.

In a very short period of time, Thanh Thuy by 1960 had become one of the most popular musical performers at cabarets throughout Saigon.  It was at the Duc Quynh Cabaret in Saigon where she first started performing nightly that catapulted Thanh Thuy into Stardom.  Among her many admirers included a list of prominent Vietnamese songwriters.  One particular songwriter by the name of Trinh Cong Son, who was then still a virtual unknown, had been one of her biggest fans.  His very first composition, Uot Mi (Tear Drenched Eyelashes), was written particularly for Thanh Thuy.  It can be said that Trinh Cong Son had been given his first big break as a composer through the introduction of Thanh Thuy's vocal interpretations of Uot Mi which first brought his name to prominence with Vietnamese music audiences.  After the success of Uot Mi, Trinh Cong Son followed up with another composition he had written especially for Thanh Thuy entitled, Thuong Mot Nguoi (To Love Someone).  

Throughout her career, Thanh Thuy would have similar experiences with many other prominent Vietnamese composers as many other popular Vietnamese songs had been initially written specifically for Thanh Thuy's singing voice.  Hoang Thi Tho had written Loi Hat Ta On (Lyrics of Thanks) with Thanh Thuy's voice in mind.  Ton That Lap's Tieng Hat Ve Khuya (Nocturnal Voice) had also been written for Thanh Thuy, as well.  Thuy Da Di Roi (Thuy Has Left), the theme song of a 1961 film of the same name directed and written by film actor / director Nguyen Long based on Thanh Thuy, was written by Nguyen Long and composed by Y Van had also become one of Thanh Thuy's most famous signature songs throughout her career.  And her most famous collaboration was with songwriter Truc Phuong which had spawned a long list of popular songs for Thanh Thuy such as Hai Loi Mong (Both Sides of Splendor), Nua Dem Ngoai Pho (A Night Out on the Town) and Chuyen Chung Minh (Our Story).  

Thanh Thuy throughout the 1960s and 1970s in Saigon was one of the most in-demand cabaret headliners, as she graced the stages of major venues like Anh Vu, Tu Do, Queen Bee, and Quoc Te (International), in which she along with one of Saigon's most celebrated promoters, Ngoc Chanh, had each co-owned up until the Fall of Saigon in 1975.  Her tremendous success allowed her to form her own record label simply named as Thanh Thuy which produced and released most of her solo studio albums as well as for various other recording artists of South Vietnam.  In 1962, Thanh Thuy was voted by a national poll conducted by Trang Den Magazine in Saigon as Hoa Hau Nghe Si (Beauty Queen Among Entertainers).  The same magazine would also place her as most popular singer of the year for three consecutive years from 1972-1974.

In addition to her extraordinary career as a professional singer, Thanh Thuy had also acted in several films produced in South Vietnam.  Among her most popular films include Thuy Da Di Roi (1961), a film based on her own life directed by Nguyen Long and costarred Minh Hieu, and To Tinh (1963), costarring Tham Thuy Hang and La Thoai Tan.

During her initial years since her rise to fame, Thanh Thuy broke the hearts of many of her admiring male fans when she decided to get married and start a family of her own.  Happily married to On Van Tai since 1964, Thanh Thuy is a mother to a grown son who is now a pharmacist and since 1995 has been a grandmother.  Thanh Thuy has one younger sister, Thanh Chau, who had followed in her footsteps in the singing profession and is now an attorney at law.  Since 1975, Thanh Thuy has resettled in the United States and has started her own music production label which has produced and released an impressive collection of her studio recorded albums.  She continues to tour the world and makes video appearances on Thuy Nga Paris and Asia Productions.

Link(s):

50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time

External Link(s):

Thanh Thuy Facebook Page

Marcel Nguyen

Marcel Nguyen (1987-     ) is a two-times Olympics silver medalist gymnast born in Munich to a German mother and Vietnamese father.  His placing in the all-around men's gymnastics competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London was the first time in over 3/4 of a century that any German gymnast has won a medal in the all-around gymnastics category.

Nguyen began gymnastics at the age of four and at the age of seven joined TSV Unterhaching.  In 2005, he won the junior national championships parallel bars in Germany.  For two consecutive years, Nguyen took home the gold medal in parallel bars at the European Games in 2010 and 2011.  At the Summer Olympics in 2012, Nguyen took home the silver medals in both the parallel bars and the all-around men's gymnastics competitions.

Link(s):

20 Most Handsome Vietnamese Men of All Time
Marcel Nguyen's Official Website

Hoai Linh

Hoai Linh

Hoai Linh (1969-     ) is a Vietnamese comedian and film actor who first rose to prominence from his performances on comedy sketches produced by Van Son Entertainment in the mid 1990s.  Born in Cam Ranh, Vietnam, Hoai Linh began his career as an entertainer in Ho Chi Minh City prior to resettling in the United States with his family in 1993.  When he first arrived in the United States, he settled in Orlando, Florida with his family.  With the initial intentions of learning a trade, Hoai Linh at first was content to performing at various Vietnamese weddings and gigs around Orlando.  However, in 1994 while on a trip visiting Southern California, Hoai Linh's future plans completely changed.

Hoai Linh's portrayal of a Miss Vietnam
beauty pageant contestant remains among
his most popular comedic roles to date.

What had been intended only as a brief, temporary stint of replacing Bao Liem as Van Son's sidekick in 1994 resulted in a long, continuous collaboration that lasted for nearly a decade.  Viewer audiences were quickly drawn to Hoai Linh's performances in comedy sketches produced by Van Son Entertainment.  Among Hoai Linh's trademarks include his impeccable ability in masterminding all three dialects of the Vietnamese language, in which he had incorporated brilliantly into his comedy act.  Hoai Linh achieved massive success in particular with his comedic portrayals of Miss Vietnam beauty pageant contestants where he appeared in drag wearing different ao dai costumes and speaking in various Vietnamese dialects.  Hoai Linh's popularity also led him to numerous appearances on comedy sketches featured on the Paris By Night stage.


Hoai Linh was briefly married to his longtime sweetheart, Thanh Huong, in 1996.  In addition to being a father to a biological daughter, Hoai Linh has also been an adoptive father to two sons, Hoai Lam and Cao Huu Thien, also performers.  His two younger siblings are singers Phuong Trang and Duong Trieu Vu.

With his time divided between the United States and Vietnam, Hoai Linh has also partaken in an acting career starring in a string of movies produced in Vietnam.  Among his most popular movies include Vo Lam Truyen Ky (2007) costarring Dan Truong, Chi Bao, Vu Thu Phuong, Bao Quoc, Ngoc Giau and Cat Phuong, Nu Hon Than Chet (Kiss of the Death) (2008) costarring Johnny Tri Nguyen, Thanh Hang and Phuong Thanh, Bong Ma Hoc Duong (2011) costarring the late Wanbi Tuan Anh and Truong Quynh Anh, Hello Co Ba (2012) costarring Tan Beo, Hieu Hien and Phi Nhung and Nha Co Nam Nang Tien (2013) costarring Viet Huong, Ngan Khanh, Miu Le and Chi Tai, Năm Sau Con Lại Về (2014) costarring Le Khanh, Quý Tử Bất Đắc Dĩ (2015) costarring Quoc Thuan, Viet Huong and the late Minh Thuan, Ma Dai (2015) costarring Thai Hoa and Hari Won, Già Gân, Mỹ Nhân và Găng Tơ (2016) costarring Toc Tien, Tía Tui Là Cao Thủ (2016) costarring Viet Huong and Ngoc Diep and Mặt Nạ Máu (2016) costarring Duong Cam Lynh, Nguyen Phi Hung and Tinna Tinh.  

Link(s):

Hoai Linh on Facebook