Jane March

Jane March (1973-     ) is a British film actress most known for her roles in The Lover (1992) and Color of Night (1994).  Born to a British father and Chinese-Vietnamese mother on March 20, 1973 in London as Jane March Horwood, she began working as a fashion model when she signed with Storm Model Management at the age of 14.  Director Jean-Jacques Annaud had casted her in the lead role for The Lover after seeing her on the cover of Just Seventeen Magazine.

March had already turned 18 prior to shooting for The Lover.  However, controversy had spawned about due to false rumors that the sex scenes involving March and costar Tony Leung Ka-fai were actual and had been filmed while she was still a minor.

After The Lover, Jane March costarred with Bruce Willis in the erotic thriller, Color of Night.  Unlike The Lover, Color of Night was both a commercial and critical failure.

Jane March has continued to appear in films during the last two decades.  Her films include Never Ever (1996), Provocateur (1998), Tarzan and the Lost City (1998), Beauty and the Beast (2003), My Last Five Girlfriends (2009), Clash of the Titans (2010), Will (2011) and Grimm's Snow White (2012).

She was married to film producer Carmine Zozzora from 1993 until 2001.

Link(s):

20 International Celebrities You Didn't Know Are Vietnamese
50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time

Bach Tuyet

Bach Tuyet (1945-     ) is a famous "cai luong" stage and film actress of Vietnam.  Born in Chau Doc, Vietnam, Bach Tuyet experienced the loss of her mother while at the young age of 9.  She first rose to prominence when she landed the lead role in the Kien Giang Theater Company's production of La Tham Chi Hang.  Soon after, Bach Tuyet would win the hearts of audiences in other "cai luong" plays such as Kiep Chong Chung, Suoi Mo Ren Ao Cuoi, Tieng Hat Muong Tenh, Trang The Vuon Thuy and Tan Nuong That.

Hung Cuong and Bach Tuyet

In 1966, she along with fellow "cai luong" performer, Hung Cuong, formed Da Ly Huong Theater Company.  Together with Hung Cuong, the two would become among the most popular acting couples on the "cai luong" stage throughout South Vietnam.

Ut Tra On (Left), Thanh Sang (Center) and Bach Tuyet (Right)
 in the 1989 video adaptation of Tan Nuong That.

Bach Tuyet also had ventured onto film acting.  Prior to 1975, her film acting credits include Nhu Hat Mua Sa (1971) starring Tham Thuy Hang, Nhu Giot Suong Khuya (1972) starring Tran Quang and Doan Chau Mau, the film adaptation of Tinh Lan va Diep (1972) starring Thanh Nga and Ngoc Giau and Con Ma Nha Ho Hua (1973) starring Thanh Tu and Dung Thanh Lam.  









                               


She graduated from the University of Sofia, Bulgaria in 1988 majoring in film and theatrical arts.  In 1995, Bach Tuyet became the first "cai luong" performer to have earned a doctorate degree.  Twice divorced, Bach Tuyet now lives in Ho Chi Minh City.  She is a mother to a grown son who now resides in the United States.

Link(s):

Vietnamese Celebrity Homes Part 8a

Ngo Thanh Van

Ngo Thanh Van (1979-     ) is a famous Vietnamese actress, singer and former model.  She has also been credited as either Veronica Ngo or just by her initials, NTV, on several of her films and audio recordings.

Born in Tra Vinh, Vietnam on February 26, 1979, Ngo Thanh Van moved to Norway at the age of 10. When she was 20, she returned to Vietnam to enter a beauty pageant put together by Woman's World Magazine where she placed as second runner up.  It was there in Vietnam where she launched her successful modeling career.  This would be followed by her careers as a film actress, as well as a singer.

Her starring roles in films include Saigon Love Story (2005), 2 in 1 (2006), Dong Mau Anh Hung (The Rebel) (2007), Ngoi Nha Bi An /  Suoi Oan On ( The Haunted House) (2007), Clash (2009), Ngoc Vien Dong (Pearls of the Far East) (2011) House in the Alley (2012) Lua Phat (Once Upon a Time) (2013) with Dustin Nguyen, Ngày Nảy Ngày Nay (2015), Siêu Trộm (2016) and Tấm Cám: Chuyện Chưa Kể (2016) starring Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc, Isaac, Ngoc Trai, Huu Chau, Ngoc Giau and Hieu Hien.  In many of her films, Ngo Thanh Van starred alongside leading actor, Johnny Tri Nguyen.  In 2007, it was revealed that she had been having a relationship with her co-star which had ended his marriage with singer, Cathy Viet Thi.  That same year, Ngo Thanh Van was awarded as Best Actress at the Vietnam Film Festival.

Ngo Thanh Van has recorded a total of 5 solo studio albums.  They consist of The Gioi Tro Choi (2003), Bi An Vang Trang (2004), My Way (2005), Studio 68 (2008) and Nuoc Mat Thien Than (2008).  In 2006, she signed an exclusive contract to appear on the popular overseas music video live show series produced by Van Son Entertainment.  In 2009, Ngo Thanh Van set up her own talent management company, VAA.  Recently she had been voted by World Actuality Magazine as one of the world's 10 most beautiful women.

Link(s):

• 20 Hottest Viet Celebs of 2017
• Vietnamese Celebrity Homes Part 3
• 30 Sexiest Vietnamese Celebs of 2016
• 50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time
• Ngo Thanh Van Facebook Page

Tran Anh Hung

Tran Anh Hung (1962-     ) is a world renowned French filmmaker originally from Vietnam.  He was born in Da Nang, Central Vietnam.  After the Fall of Saigon, Tran Anh Hung while at the age of 12 along with his family left their homeland to resettle as refugees in Paris, France.

Tran Anh Hung welcomed the onset of his teenage years in Paris, France where he would later graduate from high school, as well as further his studies at Louis Lumière College, one of the most prestigious French institutions of higher education which specialized in film studies.  For his graduation film project, he directed and wrote a short film production, Nguoi Thieu Nu Nam Xuong.  Tran Anh Hung's making of this short film while still a student filmmaker was based on an an ancient Vietnamese folkloric tale, Truyen Ky Man Luc.  

Poster for The Scent of Green Papaya (1993)

The Scent of Green Papaya, released in 1993, would serve as the true turning point in his career as a filmmaker.  Focused on Vietnamese civilization and modern society during the French colonial days prior to the years ravaged by war, the film was shot entirely in France yet from beginning to end its screenplay was written and performed in the Vietnamese language.  Like his short film graduation project, The Scent of Green Papaya was directed and written by Tran Anh Hung.  It won two of the most coveted prize awards at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, the Camèra d'Or and the Youth French Film Award.  Tran Anh Hung also took home France's other most prestigious film award, a César, which is often referred to as the French equivalent of an Oscar, as Best Debut Filmwork that year. Outside of France, The Scent of Green Papaya would also be given recognition of excellence in several of the world's most developed cinema industries and acclaimed film awards such as the Sutherland Trophy from the British Film Institute and a nomination for an Academy Award as an entry in the category of best foreign language film.  The Oscar nod would also be Vietnam's first and only to date.  The Scent of Green Papaya was both a critical, as well as a commercial success.  It generated a total of $1.7 million USD from worldwide box office sales.  With a total cost in production much lower than the film's generated total gross revenue, The Scent of Green Papaya turned out to be quite profitable.

Tran Anh Hung and Tran Nu Yen Khe

The commercial success of The Scent of Green Papaya allowed Tran Anh Hung to make Cyclo, a film released in 1995 with a much larger production budget depicting the struggles in the lives of laborers in modern day Ho Chi Minh City.  Prominent Hong Kong film actor, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, would star in the film. A soundtrack for this film would also be made with the collaboration of Vietnamese musician, Ton That Tiet, which featured the song, Creep, by Radiohead, as well as a Vietnamese song sung by Vietnamese pop music diva, Thanh Lam.  Cyclo would go on to win the coveted Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival in 1995.   Tran Anh Hung released his third film of his Vietnam trilogy. The Vertical Ray of the Sun, in 2000.

His last two films, I Come with the Rain (2009) and Norwegian Wood (2010), were projects that did not involve storylines pertaining to with Vietnamese culture.  His films have received critical praise from film critics worldwide.  Tran Anh Hung is married to actress, Tran Nu Yen Khe, who had starred in all three previous films in his Vietnam Trilogy.  The couple live in Paris with their two children.  

Ai Van

Ai Van (1954-    ) is a famous singer of Vietnamese popular music and former film actress in Hanoi.  Born to a show business family as the twelfth eldest out of fourteen children, Ai Van's mother was Ai Lien, a famous Northern Vietnamese singer, and her father was Ha Quang Dinh, a film producer and owner of Viet Film, one of Hanoi's most prolific film studios.  Her two younger sisters, Ai Thanh and Ai Xuan, would also grow up to become established singers of Vietnam. 

At the age of 15, Ai Van enrolled at Nhac Vien Hanoi, a nationally acclaimed school of music and performing arts.  It was at Nhac Vien Hanoi that she would be recruited by Doan Ca Mua Nhac Nhe Trung Uong, one of Vietnam's most prestigious music and dance companies.  While in Vietnam, Ai Van had established herself both as a singer and film actress.  In 1970, she starred in the acclaimed film, Chi Dung, which gained her national fame.  She would go on to act on two other films, Chu Re Di Dau and Ban Danh Sach Mat, both of which were supporting roles.  Although her filmworks were well received by both audiences and film critics, Ai Van found her career in the film industry to be dissatisfying.  Unable to find suitable film roles, Ai Van instead focused primarily on her singing career.  She had her greatest success in her music career while in Hanoi with her vocal interpretations of the song, Trieu Bong Hong.  Another popular song of Ai Van's, Bai Ca Xay Dung, had won her a best vocals performance prize award at the Dresden International Music Festival held in Hanoi. 

In 1990, Doan Ca Mua Nhac Nhe Trung Uong sponsored Ai Van to study abroad relocating to Germany.  While in Berlin, she would be approached by Thuy Nga Paris, the most prolific Vietnamese music production label based outside of Vietnam.  From her debut appearance on the Paris By Night stage as a solo musical performer followed by her duets with Elvis Phuong, Ai Van instantly won the hearts of Thuy Nga Paris' viewer audiences with her unique, well-polished style of performing with her authentic vocal interpretations of Northern Vietnamese folk songs along with her most obvious attribute, her striking physical beauty.  Soon after, Thuy Nga Paris released her first overseas produced solo studio album, Ngay Ay Xa Nhau, which featured the track, Em Di Chua Huong, that would become known to many of her fans as Ai Van's signature song.  Throughout the rest of the 1990s decade, Ai Van would enjoy a long tenure with Thuy Nga Paris as one of the most popular performers on the Paris By Night live show music video series.  She has recorded duets with various other artists including Duy Quang, Huong Lan, Thai Chau, Nguyen Hung, Thai Hien, Trinh Nam Son and Anh Dung.

Ai Van ended her professional association with Thuy Nga Paris in 2000 and went on to make an appearance on video with Asia Productions.  In 2002, since leaving Vietnam Ai Van returned to Hanoi to make her first live show performance there in over a decade.  A breast cancer survivor, she currently resides in San Jose, California and is on her third marriage.  She had been previously married to pantomime artist, Dang Duc, while still in Vietnam and to another fellow musical performer, Tran Binh, during her years spent in Germany.  Ai Van is a mother of two children.

Link(s):

50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time

Phung Ha

Phung Ha (1911-2009) was a legendary performer of Southern Vietnamese opera known as cai luong.  Her two most famous roles on the cai luong stage were of Lu Bo and Co Luu in the classic plays, Phung Nghi Dinh and Doi Co Luu, respectively.  The latter had costarred Thanh Nga, Ut Tra On and Hoang Giang.

Phung Ha was born in My Tho, South Vietnam in an affluent household.  Her mother was Vietnamese, while her father was Chinese originally from Canton, China, a city that is now known as Guangzhou.  When she was just 9 years old, her father died unexpectedly.  As her mother had promised to her father on his deathbed, for his burial the family would make a trip out to his hometown in Southern China where he would be laid to rest. Upon their return back to Vietnam, their lives would be changed forever as their land and family home in My Tho had been taken by the very same individuals they had entrusted with prior to leaving on the trip to China.  Phung Ha's once happy and carefree childhood was now replaced with having to take on the adult responsibilities of finding work to supplement the family income.  At the age of 13, due to her family's economic hardship Phung Ha had to quit school altogether and joined her older siblings working as a laborer out in the mine fields.

From early childhood, Phung Ha had always had a deep admiration for Southern Vietnamese traditional opera, cai luong.  A chance meeting with cai luong opera producer Hai Cu while Phung Ha was still in early teenage years would change her life and lead her toward her destiny.  When Hai Cu was forming Tai Dong Ban, a theater company, he casted her as the leading actress opposite leading actor Nam Chau.  Under the guidance of cai luong play director Nguyen Cong Manh, musician Tu Choi and fellow cai luong performer Nam Chau, Phung Ha excelled at her craft and quickly established herself as a famous actress on the cai luong stage.  She made her professional debut in the play, Hoang Phi Ho Quy Chau, with her triumphant portrayal of Gia Thi.  Soon after, Phung Ha would repeat the equivalent level of success as the lead actress in such plays as Thoi Tu Thi The Quan, Moi Tim Ty Can, Anh Hung Nao Tam Mon Nhai, and Khuc Oan Vo Luong.  With Nam Chau as her leading man, audiences instantaneously took notice of their incredible chemistry together on stage.

Just two years since turning professional, Phung Ha together with Nam Chau, Tu Choi and Ba Du developed their own successful theater company, Tran Dac, and worked with reputable "cai luong" play promoter Tran Dac Nghia.  However, their harmonious success would only be short lived as Phung Ha had been romantically involved with both Tu Choi, as well as Nam Chau.  In the end, she chose Tu Choi as the two wedded in 1926.  As expected, the union of Phung Ha and Tu Choi would result in the departure of Nam Chau from the Tran Dac Theater Company.  Their marriage would also end in divorce in 1929.

After divorcing Tu Choi, Phung Ha would come across a new love interest.  Known as Bach Cong Tu, Le Cong Phuoc then became the new man in Phung Ha's life.  An avid fan of cai luong, Bach Cong Tu formed a theater company called Huynh Ky and appointed Phung Ha as the promoter in addition to her duties as the leading actress.  She would tie the knot with Bach Cong Tu shortly thereafter.  Their newly formed theater company would experience unimaginable levels of success, selling out performance after performance throughout the entire country travelling to different cities on a showboat.  Their biggest success came with a play called Giot Mau Chung Tinh where Phung Ha starred alongside lead actor Nam Thien.

Phung Ha at the Paris Peach Talks in 1968

Just like her first marriage, her union with Bach Cong Tu also ended in divorce.  For many years after that Phung Ha was involved in a romantic relationship with wealthy aristocrat Nguyen Buu and was the de facto stepmother to his son, Nguyen Khanh, who would later become president of South Vietnam.  She did give birth to one biological child during her second marriage, but unfortunately that child had died young.  Childless and unmarried for the rest of her later years, Phung Ha occupied herself in her career as well as in her charity work.  In 1958, Phung Ha financed the building of Chua Nghe Si, a retirement home set up for fellow cai luong peformers.  In addition to the stage, Phung Ha also acted on motion pictures.  One of her most popular films was Chieu Ky Niem that had been produced by actress Tham Thuy Hang's own film production company.

On July 5, 2009, Phung Ha passed away at the age of 98.

Thanh Lam

Thanh Lam (1969-     ) along with Tran Thu Ha, My Linh and Hong Nhung are among the four divas of Vietnamese popular music in Vietnam today.  Thanh Lam was born in Hanoi to a musical family.  At the age of 9, Thanh Lam enrolled at Nhac Vien Hanoi to study vocals and would later appear frequently on Tieng Noi Viet Nam, a nationally broadcasted radio program in Vietnam.  In 1989, Thanh Lam won the coveted prize as best vocals performance at the Lahavan Music Festival held in Havana, Cuba.

Since the 1990s, Thanh Lam has been among the most popular female singers of Vietnam.  She has traveled all around the world performing for Vietnamese audiences.  Among her most popular songs include Chia Tay Tinh Dau, Khoanh Khac, Em va Toi, Hat Voi Chu Ve Con, Ben Em La Bien Rong, Chieu Xuan, La Thu and Tra No Tinh Xa.  Thanh Lam has recorded duet studio albums with Tran Thu Ha, Hong Nhung, Bang Kieu, Dam Vinh Hung, Duy Quang and Lam Truong.

From 1994 until 2004, she was married to composer Quoc Trung.  Together, they are parents to three children.  Thanh Lam has been awarded the honorary title, Nghe Si Uu Tu (Meritorious Artist), in her homeland.

Link(s):

Another 50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time

Anh Duong

Anh Duong (1960-     ) is a former fashion model turned painter and actress.  Born in Bordeaux, France to a Spanish mother and Vietnamese father, Anh Duong started out as a ballet dancer in Paris.  She was discovered by photographer David Seidner who launched her modeling career when he featured her alongside established model Tina Chow on ads for Yves Saint Laurent in the 1980s.  Soon after she modeled for runways for world top fashion designers such as Emanuel Ungaro, John Galliano, Yohji Yamamoto, Moschino, Christian Dior, Donna Karan, Karl Lagerfeld, Geoffrey Beene, and became the favorite muse of designer Christian Lacroix.  Anh Duong has been featured on editorials for Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar.  Ivana Trump even commented on Vogue magazine once noticing Anh Duong for having the best skin she had ever seen.

In 1988, Anh Duong relocated to New York City and embarked on a new career as a painter under the wings of former boyfriend Julian Schnabel.  It was there she furthered her modeling career appearing on ad campaigns for The Gap, J Crew and Banana Republic.  As a film actress, Anh Duong started out with smaller roles in several Hollywood films such as The Mambo Kings (1992), Scent of a Woman (1992) and My Best Friend's Wedding (1997).  She has also landed meatier roles in a series of independent films such as I Shot Andy Warhol (1996) starring Lili Taylor, Jared Harris and Martha Plimpton, High Art (1998) starring Radha Mitchell, Ally Sheedy and Patricia Clarkson, Appropriate Behavior (2014) starring Desiree Akhavan and Rebecca Henderson, Welcome to New York (2014) starring Gérard Depardieu and Jacqueline Bisset and Creative Control (2015) starring Benjamin Dickinson and Nora Zehetner.  Anh Duong has also costarred in a trilogy of French-language films written and directed by Laetitia Masson including Love Me (2000) with Sandrine Kiberlain and Johnny Hallyday and GHB:  To Be or Not to Be (2014) with Marina Hands and Élodie Bouchez. 

Anh Duong's paintings have been said by critics to convey a signature style often compared with that of the late Frida Kahlo.  Her artwork was first given a museum exhibition in 1997 at P.M.M.K., Provincial Museum of Modern Art, in Ostende, Belgium.   A book about her artwork, Anh Duong (Self) Portraits, was published in 2001.  She was awarded the Veuve Cliquot Tribute to Inspiring Women Award in 2011.  Her portraits have been commissioned by collectors such as Bruno Bischofberger, Diane Von Furstenburg, Aby Rosen, Princess Maria Theresia of Thurn and Taxis, Simon de Pury, Natalia Vodianova and Domenico Dolce.

From 2006 until 2008, Anh Duong was married to architect and heir Barton Hubbard Quillen.  She has been romantically linked previously with Julian Schnabel and auction house owner Simon de Pury.  



Link(s):

50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time
Anh Duong Official Website

Tila Tequila

Tila Tequila (1981-     ) is a Vietnamese-American model, television personality and singer who first rose to fame as the most popular artist on MySpace with a total of 31.5 million views.  Tequila once had her own MTV reality show, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, which had aired for two seasons. Born in Singapore to Vietnamese parents, Tila Tequila moved to the United States with her family in 1982 and grew up in Houston, Texas.  She now lives in Los Angeles.

Tila Tequila grew up with a troubled adolescence where she had run away from home during high school, taking drugs and joining a gang.  After surviving a drive by shooting at the age of 16, she became pregnant the following year and suffered a miscarriage.  Despite such difficulties, Tila Tequila had managed to graduate from Alief Hastings High School in Houston in the year 2000.

Before relocating to Southern California in 2001, she was discovered at Sharpstown Mall by a Playboy scout and was later featured as Playboy's Cyber Girl of the Week on April 22, 2002.  Tila Tequila would also become Playboy's first Cyber Girl of the Month.  She has appeared on the covers of such magazines as Penthouse, King, Blender and Maxim UK.

In 2006, it was announced that Tila Tequila would be signed as a recording artist for Will.I.Am, a music label under A&M.  Despite signing with the label, Tila Tequila released her first official hit single, I Love U, in 2007 and shot a music video for the song.  On March of 2007, a Washington-based music label, The Saturday Team, released an EP by Tila Tequila entitled as Sex.  On October 9, 2007, Tila Tequila released her second official hit single, Stripper Friends.  And on April of 2010, she released her last single to date, I Love the DJ.  

A self-help autobiographical book was published by Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group in 2008, Hooking Up with Tila Tequila:  A Guide to Love, Fame, Happiness, Success and Being the Life of the Party, written by Tila Tequila and Sarah Tomlinson.

As for Tila Tequila's personal life, in recent years she has experienced quite a bit of tumultuous events.  In 2009, she had been allegedly choked and restrained by former boyfriend, Shawne Merriman.  She would sue Merriman for $1.5 million only to have Merriman countersue several weeks later.  The judge ruled in Merriman's favor for $2 million against Tequila.  At the end of 2009, Tila Tequila announced that she had become engaged to heiress Casey Johnson.  Unfortunately, Johnson was found dead on January 4, 2010 who had been a long sufferer of Type 1 Diabetes.   On November 14, 2014, Tila Tequila gave birth to a daughter, Isabella Monroe Nguyen.

Link(s):

Tila Tequila's Official Website

Lam Nhat Tien

Lam Nhat Tien (1971-     ) is an overseas Vietnamese singer most popular for his music video appearances on Asia Productions.  He made his debut on Asia Productions with an appearance with Lam Tuong Bao on Dem Saigon 4.  Since then, his popularity has enabled him to perform at live shows all around the world.  To this day, Lam Nhat Tien has managed to keep his professional association with Asia Productions.  For a short period of time, he had collaborated with Thuy Nga Paris, in which he had made music video appearances and recorded a studio album, Dau Chan Cua Bien.  

Blessed with good looks and a unique singing voice, Lam Nhat Tien had become a heartthrob among Vietnamese audiences worldwide.  Among his studio albums include Em Da Quen Mot Dong Song (1997), Yeu Em Am Tham (1998), Lam Lai Tu Dau (1999), Mai Yeu Nguoi Thoi (2001), and Noi Voi Toi Mot Loi (2006).  His duet recordings with fellow label mate, Lam Thuy Van, have been widely received making them one of the most popular duos among overseas Vietnamese singers.










Link(s):

30 Most Beautiful Viet Celebs of 2015
20 Most Handsome Vietnamese Men of All Time

Phi Nhung

Phi Nhung (1972-2021) was one of the most successful Vietnamese female singers during the past three decades starting in the 1990s and well into the 2010s. 

Born on April 10, 1972 in Pleiku, South Vietnam, Phi Nhung was a child of war whose father was an American soldier stationed there during the Vietnam War and whose mother was a local Vietnamese woman. Her childhood was filled with many challenges and struggles which had only worsened after the Fall of Saigon in 1975 as she had been brought up in a single parent household with five younger half-siblings.  With her mother's unexpected passing, Phi Nhung was left as an orphan at age 11 and being the eldest was given the tremendous responsibility of having to care for her five younger siblings.  For the years to come, Phi Nhung relied on what little money she was able to earn through odd jobs working as a domestic help and a little bit of aide from an adoptive uncle.  

In 1989, Phi Nhung resettled to the United States in Tampa, Florida under the Amerasian Homecoming Act.  Four years later, she would relocate to Orange County, California upon being discovered by singer Trizzie Phuong Trinh who would help introduce Phi Nhung to the Vietnamese music production label, Thuy Anh, based in Southern California that would produce her earliest professional recordings.  

From her first music video appearance on Hollywood Night Volume 15 produced by May Productions, Phi Nhung was able to win the hearts of many viewers with her heart-wrenching vocals in a duet song with Thai Chau, Song Que 1.  Under the guidance of veteran singer, Huong Lan, Phi Nhung was given the encouragement to further her career.  Soon after, Phi Nhung began recording and making music videos for numerous other music production labels such as Tinh Productions, Bien Tinh Productions, Van Son Entertainment, Asia Productions and Thuy Nga Paris, where she has often been paired up on duets with male vocalist Manh Quynh on the Paris By Night live show series.  In 1998, Phi Nhung became the Vietnamese singer with the most released studio albums.  By then, her career and immense popularity had taken her all over the world performing at live concerts for overseas Vietnamese audiences throughout Europe including Russia, Australia, Canada, Japan and all across the United States.  Phi Nhung had recorded many duets with various other artists including Giao Linh, Tuan Vu, Quang Le, Che Linh, Thanh Tuyen, Duy Truong, Truong Vu, Manh Dinh, Dan Truong and Kim Tu Long.   

In addition to her successful career as a professional singer of traditional Vietnamese popular music, Phi Nhung had also enjoyed success as an actress and performer of Southern Vietnamese folk opera known as "cai luong".  She acted in many widely received "cai luong" productions remaking such classics as Nua Doi Huong Phan, Song Dai, Hai Au Phi Xu, Tam Long Cua Bien and Lan va Diep.  Phi Nhung's other acting credits include comedy skits such as Vo Thang Dau, Ngao So Oc Hen and Lam Dau Dat Khach and supporting roles in two comedy movies starring Hoai Linh, Hello Co 3 (2012), which also featured Tan Beo and Hieu Hien, and Nha Co 5 Nang Tien (2013), which also featured Viet Huong, Ngan Khanh, Miu Le and Chi Tai.  Both films went on to become major commercial blockbusters in the cinema of Vietnam.

In 2005, Phi Nhung signed a lucrative recording contract with Rang Dong Entertainment, a major music production label based in Ho Chi Minh City.  For the next several years, Phi Nhung would be an exclusive recording artist on all audio recordings for the label.  However, not wanting to neglect her huge fanbase among overseas Vietnamese audiences, Phi Nhung continued to make frequent appeances on music videos produced by various overseas Vietnamese studios such as Làng Văn, Thuy Nga Paris and Asia Entertainment.  Her extraordinary success and professional accomplishments had then allowed her to pursue her lifelong dream of building an orphanage near her hometown in Vietnam.  In January of 2009, after years of planning costing over 800 million VND, much of which had come from her own fiinancial contributions, her dream had finally come true with the completion of Phi Nhung – Vòng Tay Dưỡng Tử, an orphanage located within the Pháp Lạc Buddhist Temple in the provincial town of Bình Phước.  Since its inception, the orphanage has provided a home to over 40 orphans whom all have looked onto Phi Nhung as their adoptive mother.  She also founded the Phi Nhung Charitable Fund, a non-profit organization which provides aide to the less fortunate living in the same region in Vietnam.   

On August 26, 2021, Phi Nhung was hospitalized after she had fallen ill to Covid-19.   She died exactly one month later on September 26, 2021 at Chợ Rẫy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.  Phi Nhung is survived by her daughter, Wendy Pham, a registered nurse residing in the United States.  

Link(s):

Phi Nhung on Facebook

Thanh Ha

Thanh Ha (1969-     ) is a beautiful Amerasian singer originally from Da Nang, Vietnam.  Born on March 18, 1969 to a Vietnamese mother and an Anglo-American father, Thanh Ha grew up in Da Nang and as a child had participated in a youth choir that performed frequently for a major radio broadcasting network based in that city.  Her father was an American soldier stationed in Vietnam during the war by the name of Bill Williams.  Unfortunately, when she was just two years old, her father was killed in action while stationed in Chu Lai, Central Vietnam.

In the years following the Fall of Saigon, Thanh Ha remained in Da Nang with her mother and spent her adolescent years focused primarily on her studies.  Up until her graduation from high school, for Thanh Ha, the possibility of one day becoming a professional singer had been rather far fetched since she neither had the encouragement from her family to pursue such a career nor had she given it much thought.  Although her physical appearance overwhelmingly favored that of a typical European, Thanh Ha's upbringing from childhood to adolescence in Vietnam did not differ much from her peers as she had grown up in a normal and stable household.

After a couple of years spent living in Ho Chi Minh City where she had graduated from Tran Phu High School, Thanh Ha at age 20 and her mother left Vietnam under the Amerasian Homecoming Act and temporarily relocated to Bataan, Philippines, a temporary resettlement site for Amerasians and their families from Vietnam while awaiting for their paperwork to be processed prior to entering the United States.  During the months spent in Bataan, with the encouragement from friends Thanh Ha entered herself in a beauty pageant that had been put together for the Vietnamese Amerasian population there.  To the disappointment of her friends, Thanh Ha did not take home the trophy as winner of the beauty pageant.  However, she did end up winning in the pageant's talent competition as judges were tremendously impressed with her singing voice.  She was awarded $150 US as her winning prize.  According to Thanh Ha, she was not saddened by the least bit for not winning the beauty pageant crown and was extremely content to discover that her voice had been liked by so many people, much to her surprise.

After six months in Bataan, Thanh Ha and her mother resettled in Utica, New York during the latter part of 1991.  As she was about to embark on a new life now in her fatherland, the music business and a performing career as a professional singer began to spark the interests of Thanh Ha.  After partaking in various gigs as a singer for a local Vietnamese band, Thanh Ha managed to garner the attention of many local audience members as well as musicians and performers.  One particular singer who had taken notice of Thanh Ha's star potential was Trizzie Phuong Trinh.  Thanh Ha had worked on a show performing as one of the local singers opening up for Trizzie Phuong Trinh, the show's featured headliner performer.  Although Trizzie Phuong Trinh had provided the show promoters the much needed draw and attention in advertisement prior to the night of the performance, undoubtedly it was Thanh Ha's performance that would end up being the show stopping crowd pleaser.  This was undeniably evident, as even Trizzie Phuong Trinh that night would concede.  A few weeks would pass after the night of that performance as Thanh Ha would travel out to Southern California upon the introduction carried out by Trizzie Phuong Trinh.  This would be the first of two Amerasian performers graciously discovered by Trizzie Phuong Trinh and brought over to the overseas Vietnamese entertainment capital located in Orange County, California.  After Thanh Ha, Phi Nhung would follow as Trizzie Phuong Trinh's next discovery all the way from Tampa, Florida.

Although her journey to stardom was rather brief, Thanh Ha's arrival in Orange County, California did not come with a rolled out red carpet or paparazzi.  She was still a virtual unknown when she first came to California.  Through Trizzie Phuong Trinh's introduction, Thanh Ha was given the opportunity to record for Thuy Anh, a music production label owned by Tien Bac, the youngest brother of the owners of Thanh Lan and Lang Van, two of the most established and reputable overseas Vietnamese music labels owned by two sisters.  Thanh Ha's recordings of five solo tracks would be released by the Thuy Anh label on a duet album together with the legendary, iconic chanteuse of the Vietnamese genre of popular music known as Nhạc Trẻ, singer Thanh Lan, during the spring of 1994.  This would mark Thanh Ha's earliest released audio recordings of her career.  Despite the high level of anticipation for Thanh Lan by the overseas Vietnamese community since her arrival to the United States that reunited her with many of her fans after so many years, lack of promotion from Thuy Anh resulted in this duet album being unnoticed.

Once resettled in Southern California, Thanh Ha found work with a steady gig performing weekly at the Can Nightclub in Garden Grove which was owned and operated by Le Uyen who had also been the owner of another popular venue years prior called Saigon Cabaret.  It would be here that she would meet the popular Vietnamese songwriter/singer, Duc Huy, who would invite her to become one of the two lead singers for his band, Forever Young, alongside his then wife, singer Thao Mi. In a matter of a few short months, Thanh Ha would manage to gain quite a following of Vietnamese Orange County locals with her weekly performances at the Can Nightclub.  Week after week, audiences came in droves to see this beautiful Amerasian girl with blonde hair and chestnut hazel eyes belt out songs like Ban Tinh Cuoi, Mua Tren Bien Vang, Autumn Leaves and Tieng Mua Dem. Audiences took notice of the similarities between the voices of Thanh Ha and that of her idol, Khanh Ha, who was then at the top of her game.  Even Khanh Ha had taken notice of Thanh Ha's talents and had booked her for several performances at the Chez Moi Nightclub in Alhambra, a club that was run by Khanh Ha and The Uptight band.  Thanh Ha would also make several recordings produced under the label, Khanh Ha Productions, during this time. 

Within a few months after Thanh Ha first made her debut on the Vietnamese cabaret circuit in Orange County, California, she would spark the interest of Thai Xuan, the owner of Diem Xua Productions.  It was this music production label that would produce and release Thanh Ha's breakthrough debut album, Mot Doi Xin Nho Mai.  Upon its release, Thanh Ha would make several appearances on Vietnam Performing Arts Television performing songs such as Buon and Xa Em Ky Niem.  The latter of the two songs was a Duc Huy penned tune Thanh Ha had recorded also for Diem Xua Productions but was featured on a compilation album with various other artists.  Television viewers were in awe of how this exotic Amerasian singer who beared a striking resemblance to the likes of  iconic American celebrities such as Sharon Stone, Michelle Pfeifer, and Madonna could sing in Vietnamese so beautifully.  Sales of Thanh Ha's debut album skyrocketed which catapulted Thanh Ha to be well on her way to superstardom.  Music videos would be made and produced by Diem Xua Productions for two of the tracks from her debut album would follow, Mot Doi Xin Nho Mai, a Vietnamese version of a song made popular by Jennifer Rush and Celine Dion called The Power of Love, and Buon.

Thanh Ha's photogenic and striking features were obvious factors that would make her an audience favorite with music videos.  One of her most memorable earliest videos was of a song written by Vietnamese songwriter, Le Tin Huong, Co Nhung Niem Rieng.  Produced by Truong Thanh, the music video captured Thanh Ha's essence and beauty on every angle and was shot in the Mojave Desert.  This would become one of Thanh Ha's signature songs throughout her career and the music video continues to be one of her most viewed videos on YouTube.

In the fall of 1994, Thanh Ha was now a regular performer at the prestigious Ritz Nightclub in Anaheim, California.  She was then asked to perform at a major event produced by Quoc Thai that would feature legendary singer, Ngoc Lan, who was making a return to the stage after a long absence held at the Anaheim Marriott.  The sold out event due to the general public's extremely high anticipation for Ngoc Lan's return boasted an impressive list of headliner performers such as Tuan Ngoc, Don Ho and Lynda Trang Dai, but in the end it was Thanh Ha who walked away as the crowd's favorite performer of the night.  This solidified Thanh Ha's status as a live performer and put her in the ranks of such highly admired Vietnamese pop music divas of the day such as Khanh Ha, Ngoc Lan and Y Lan.

After a successful stint with Diem Xua Productions came a lucrative contract with Thuy Nga Paris.  It was of no surprise that Thanh Ha would finally arrive on the Paris By Night stage.  In the years Thanh Ha was under contract with Thuy Nga Paris, she continued to enchant viewer audiences with each music video appearance and recorded studio album.

At the height of her popularity, Thanh Ha decided to take a break and focus on starting a family.  In 1999, Thanh Ha gave birth to a daughter, Isabella.  After a few years spent in Houston, her career hiatus would be put to an end as her large following of fans insisted on her return to the stage.  Thanh Ha resumed her career with live performances all around the world and appearances on music videos for Thuy Nga Paris, Diem Xua, Asia Entertainment, Van Son Entertainment, New York Night Productions, May Productions, Kim Loi Studio, Blue Ocean and Tinh Productions.  She has since formed her own music production label and has released several studio albums including Chia Khoa Tinh Yeu, Ru Long Kho Dai and The Evolution of Thanh Ha.  Since the beginning of 2016, Thanh Ha can be seen on the weekly hit television talent show in Vietnam, Tình Bolero, serving on the panel of celebrity judges.  

As for her personal life, Thanh Ha has been twice divorced.  At present, she is in a committed relationship with Roland Casiquin, Jr., a talented musician who was once associated with the popular Vietnamese pop band, The Tranz.  Among her best friends in the Vietnamese entertainment industry include fellow performers Don Ho, Truc Lam, Truc Linh and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen. 

(Left to Right):  Giao Linh, Thanh Ha, Hoa Mi, Phuong Dung after a taping
of the popular Vietnamese television talent show, Tình Bolero (February, 2016)

Link(s):

• 30 Sexiest Vietnamese Celebs of 2016
• 10 Viet Celebs Who Don't Look Vietnamese
• 30 Most Beautiful Viet Celebs of 2015
• 50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time
• Thanh Ha on Facebook