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Saturday, March 28, 2015

Duc Huy

Duc Huy (1947-     ) has been accredited as the most prolific overseas Vietnamese songwriter and composer since 1975.  He is also an accomplished singer and musician.

Duc Huy was born June 6, 1947 to a Roman Catholic family in Son Tay province located near Hanoi, North Vietnam.  At the age of four, his family fled from their homeland to resettle in South Vietnam.  During his years growing up, his family moved around and lived in various cities such as Da Nang, Nha Trang, Da Lat and then finally Saigon.  Encouraged by his two cousins, both of whom were accomplished musicians, Nguyen Tuan Khanh and Nguyen Vu, Duc Huy began his music career while still in high school.  At the age of 16, he joined the popular all boys band, Les Vampires, in Saigon.

After Les Vampires, Duc Huy would later become associated with several other prominent groups in the pop music scene of Saigon such as Crazy Boys, Revolution and Strawberry Four, which consisted of other fellow band members Tuan Ngoc, Tung Giang and Billy Shane.  In 1967, he had his very first song published entitled as Khoc Ha.  Unable to achieve success as a songwriter with his first published song, his luck would change for the better two years later with another song he had written and composed, Con Mua Phun.  From then on, Duc Huy's career as a songwriter was firmly established with the popularity he had gained among the young adults demographics of music lovers in Vietnam.  Among his most sought after written compositions prior to 1975 in Saigon was Bay Di Canh Chim Bien, a biopic ballad about his personal dreams of studying abroad.

In 1972, Duc Huy graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Saigon, School of Literature.  Three years later, he would flee his homeland and spent months living at a refugee camp in the Philippines before arriving to the United States where he first resettled in San Francisco, California.  In order to support himself, Duc Huy first found work helping out in the kitchen at a Vietnamese restaurant.  Through a Korean-American friend, he was introduced to the music scene of San Francisco's Chinatown.  Soon after, he would resume his music career playing for clubs and restaurants around Chinatown.

During the mid 1980s, Duc Huy had worked on a cruise ship part of the entertainment crew sailing to destinations such as Mexico, Jamaica and Tahiti.  He returned to the Vietnamese music industry eventually and continued with peforming, songwriting and recording for overseas Vietnamese audiences worldwide.  In 1989, Duc Huy recorded a highly successful duet album with the late Vietnamese singer Ngoc Lan entitled Dau Yeu Ngay Xua.  Among his most popular written compositions during this period include Duong Xa Uot Mua, Nguoi Tinh Tram Nam, Nhu Da Dau Yeu, Loi Yeu Thuong, Tieng Mua Dem, Mot Tinh Yeu, Va Toi Cung Yeu Em, Va Con Tim Da Vui Tro Lai, Sao Van Con Mua Roi and Tieng Mua Dem, which was first recorded by his then wife, singer Thao Mi.  At the height of his success, Duc Huy had owned a restaurant, a recording studio and a production company that released all of his audio recordings.

Duc Huy holding his 2 year old son (2015)
Since 2004, Duc Huy has performed on numerous live shows back in Vietnam.  He now takes up residence primarily in his native country.  Most recently, he has served on the panel of judges on popular television programs in Vietnam such as Buoc Nhay Hoan Vu 2011 and Guong Mat Than Quen.  On October of 2015, Duc Huy revealed on an interview with Lao Dong Magazine in Vietnam that he has remarried since his repatriation to Vietnam.  His current wife is 44 years his junior and together they are proud parents of a 2 year old son.  

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Minh Tuyet

Minh Tuyet (1976-     ) has been one of the most popular performers on the Paris by Night music video series produced by Thuy Nga Paris since her debut appearance in 2002.  Born in Saigon to a family of seven in Ho Chi Minh City, Minh Tuyet began her professional singing career while at the age of 17 following in the footsteps of her two older sisters, Cam Ly and Ha Phuong, both of which had become prominent singers in Vietnam.  Hailed as the Vietnamese-American Princess of Pop Music, Minh Tuyet currently is one of the most successful performers in the Vietnamese entertainment industry. 

While Minh Tuyet had already made a name for herself as a singer in Vietnam, it wasn't until after resettling in the United States in 1997 that her career really started to take off.  Her earliest professional endeavors since leaving her native Vietnam were with Tinh Productions.  Minh Tuyet managed to attain success and wide reception with overseas Vietnamese audiences with such popular recordings of songs like Quan Vang Mot Minh, Lang Thang and Bo Ben La for the label along with several of her duets with fellow artist Johnny Dung.  Along with her audio recordings were music video appearances produced by Tinh Productions that quickly turned Minh Tuyet into a bonafied star within Vietnamese communities worldwide. 

Minh Tuyet on Paris by Night
Finally, in 2002 her ultimate dream of becoming a performer on the Paris By Night stage had come true when she was approached by the owners of Thuy Nga Paris.  Minh Tuyet made a splash onto the Paris by Night stage with her debut performance of Trai Tim Lo Lam.  From then on, she has gained quite a large fan base of Vietnamese music lovers all over the world.  At present, Minh Tuyet remains as an exclusive contract performer for Thuy Nga Paris.  She constantly tours at a non-stop pace performing to sold out Vietnamese audiences worldwide.  Minh Tuyet has achieved superstardom status as a Vietnamese singer of popular music. 

Link(s):

Minh Tuyet Official Website

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Cuong Vu


Cuong Vu (1969-     ) is a Grammy Award winning jazz musician and singer.  Born in Saigon, Cuong Vu with his family left Vietnam for the United States in 1975 and resettled in Bellevue, Washington, a suburb right outside Seattle.  He began playing the trumpet at the age of 11 after he had been given one as a birthday gift from his mother that year.  After graduating from high school, Cuong Vu left Washington for the East Coast to attend the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts where he would earn his bachelor's degree in jazz studies.

Upon completing his studies, in 1994 Cuong Vu relocated to New York City where he would form his first band as co-leader called Ragged Jack with three other friends.  The band would go on to earn momentum around New York City's downtown music scene and three years later, Cuong Vu and fellow bandmember, Jamie Saft, would record an album also entitled Ragged Jack released by the Japanese label, Avant.  Cuong Vu has released a total of eight recordings and has toured extensively all over the globe.

Among some of the top musicians that Cuong Vu has worked with include David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, Myra Melford, Dave Douglas, Gerry Hemingway and Mitchell Froom.  He has won several major awards in the music industry.  In 2003, Cuong Vu was awarded with a Grammy for his work on the Pat Metheny Group's album, Speaking of Now, for best contemporary jazz album of 2002, making him the first Vietnamese-American to have won this prestigious award.  That same honor would be repeated three years later for Cuong Vu's work also with the Pat Metheny Group on another album, The Way Up (2005).  Also in 2006, Cuong Vu was named as the Best International Jazz Artist by the Italian Jazz Critics' Society.


In recent years, Cuong Vu has returned to his former home state of Washington and now takes up residence in Seattle where he is an associate professor of jazz studies at the University of Washington.  In 2015, Cuong Vu performed with accomplished French-born jazz musician Nguyen Le on several scores featured on volumes 114 and 115 of the popular overseas Vietnamese live show video series, Paris By Night, produced by Thuy Nga.

Link(s):

Cuong Vu Official Website


Sunday, March 22, 2015

Bébé Hong Suong

Bébé Hong Suong (1932-     ) is a famous Belgian singer.  Born in Hanoi to a French violinist father and a Vietnamese mother, Bébé Hong Suong moved with her family to Liège, Belgium at the age of seven.  She is best known for her hit song, Rio de Janeiro, which had hit the top five on the Belgian Hit Parade charts in 1955.  Her successful singing career began in the 1950s in Belgium and lasted well into the 1960s decade.  Bébé Hong Suong had become quite well known throughout many countries of the Francophonie.  She is greatly admired for her diversity as a vocalist, being able to sing in various music genres such as standards, jazz, blues, pop and rock music.  Among her other popular recorded songs include Nana, Mine de Rien and Love Story. 

Saturday, March 21, 2015

My Tam

My Tam (1981-     ) is a famous Vietnamese singer and actress.  Born in DaNang, Vietnam as the youngest of eight children, My Tam began her singing career at an early age after entering and winning several talent contests.  Since turning professional in the early 2000s after being discovered by singer Dam Vinh Hung, she has become known in her country as the queen of V-Pop, Vietnamese popular music.  My Tam has won several internationally recognized awards in her profession as a singer.  Among the most noteworthy awards she has won include an MTV Europe Music Award for Best Southeast Asian Act in 2013 and World Music Award for World's Best Selling Vietnamese Artist in 2014.

Among My Tam's recorded studio solo albums include Mai Yeu (2001), Dau Chi Rieng Em (2002), Yesterday & Now (2003), Hoang Hon Thuc Giac (2005), Vut Bay (2006), Tro Lai (2008), To the Beat (2008) and Tam (2013). 

In 2011, she starred in Cho Mot Tinh Yeu, a television musical alongside Tuan Hung, Quang Dung, Hieu Hien and the late Minh Thuan.

My Tam is the CEO and founder of MT Entertainment, which is the parent company of her own perfume brand and fashion line.  She is considered as one of the wealthiest Vietnamese entertainers today.


Link(s):



Monday, March 16, 2015

Manh Quynh

Manh Quynh (1972-     ) has been one of the most popular overseas Vietnamese singers of traditional Vietnamese popular music since the early 1990s.  Born in Bien Hoa, Vietnam, Manh Quynh moved to the United States in 1992 at the age of 20.  First resettling in New York, he studied accounting for two years prior to being discovered by Nguoi Dep Binh Duong, a Vietnamese music production label based in Orange County, California.

For most of the 1990s decade, Manh Quynh was under contract with Nguoi Dep Binh Duong as an exclusive recording artist.  The instant success he had achieved through his many releases of solo studio albums under Nguoi Dep Binh Duong led him to performing at live concerts for Vietnamese audiences worldwide.  Among his most famous signature songs include Vo Toi, Ben Song Cho, Viet Thu Tinh and Vong Nhan Cuoi.  


Manh Quynh has been paired with some of the top female recording artists in duets such as Phi Nhung, Nhu Quynh, Tam Doan and Kha Tu.  With Phi Nhung, Manh Quynh has also performed in many widely received cai luong plays produced by Thuy Nga Paris.  For the past several years, he has been among the most popular performers on the Paris By Night stage.  

Hong Nhung


Hong Nhung (1970-     ) is currently one of the four top divas of popular music in Vietnam along with Thanh Lam, My Linh and Tran Thu Ha.  Born in Hanoi, Hong Nhung began her singing career at the age of 10 when she joined the Hoa Mi Chorale in Hanoi.  At the age of 11, she made her very first professional recording of the song, Loi Chao Cua Em.  In her early twenties, Hong Nhung moved from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City with her father, where she would meet legendary composer, Trinh Cong Son, and from then on her professional singing career was launched centered around the famous composer's music.  Their professional relationship would develop into an intimate relationship that lasted for many years up until his passing.

Among Hong Nhung's most popular solo studio albums include Tieng Hat Hong Nhung (1988), Sao Anh Khong Den (1991), Bong Bong Oi (1993), Chot Nghe Em Hat (1995), Me Khuc (1995), Doan Khuc Thu Ha Noi (1997), Hong Nhung va Nhung Bai Top Ten (1998), Bai Hat Ru Cho Anh (1998), Vuon Yeu (1998), Loi Goi Thien Thu (1999), Ru Tinh (2000), Chau Ve Ong Mat Troi (2001), Ngay Khong Mua (2002), Thuo Bong La Nguoi (2003), Mot Ngay Moi (2003), Khu Vuon Yen Tinh (2004), Nhu Canh Vac Bay (2006) and Vong Tron (2011).  

Since July of 2011, Hong Nhung has been married to her husband, Kevin, an Anglo-American.  On August 4, 2012, the couple welcomed the birth of twins, a boy and a girl named Aiden and Lea, in Thailand.  Hong Nhung currently resides in Ho Chi Minh City with her husband and two children.

Link(s):

Vietnamese Celebrity Homes Part 1

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Elvis Phuong

Elvis Phuong (1945-     ) is a famous Vietnamese singer.  Born as Pham Ngoc Phuong in Binh Duong, Elvis Phuong was educated in Saigon at a French Catholic school.  His first public performance was in 1962 when he performed at Regina Pacis High School Auditorium.  Due to his deep admiration of international rock and roll singer, Elvis Presley, he decided on the professional stage name of Elvis Phuong.  During the 1960s, Elvis Phuong took part in joining several pop music bands in Saigon like Rockin' Stars, Les Vampires, and Phuong Hoang.  Among his trademarks included his exceptional ability to sing in the French language.  His duets with Thanh Lan covering popular French love songs were widely received by audiences in South Vietnam prior to 1975.

After the Fall of Saigon, Elvis Phuong left Vietnam for France.  After several years in France, he relocated to the United States.  Elvis Phuong was one of the first overseas Vietnamese singers to be able to continue his professional singing career successfully outside of Vietnam.  During the 1980s, Elvis Phuong produced a series of successful albums such as Tinh Ca Cho Em (1986), Vet Thu Tren Lung Ngua Hoang (1987), Lady Nguoi Toi Yeu (1988) and Tinh Muon (1989).  He had also co-produced a highly successful duet album together with singer Khanh Ly in 1985, Niem Khuc Cuoi.  In the early 1990s, Elvis Phuong gained a new following of fans with his duets recorded with Ai Van of Vietnamese folk music for Thuy Nga Paris, songs in which the pair would also perform on Paris By Night.  In 1996, Elvis Phuong released his solo autobiographical music videotape, Ta On Doi, Ta On Nguoi, which was filmed entirely in Vietnam.  The videotape was distributed by Kim Loi Productions and turned out to be one of the bestselling overseas Vietnamese music videotapes of the year.

Among his most popular songs include Muoi Nam Yeu Em, Dan Ba, Muoi Nam Tinh Cu, Tinh Cho Khong (L'amour C'est Pour Rien), and Goi Ten Nguoi Quen (Aline). 

After surviving open heart surgery in 1998, Elvis Phuong and his second wife decided to move back to Vietnam.  He now makes his home in Ho Chi Minh City.  His first marriage tragically ended in the early 1970s when his wife was killed in an automobile accident in Saigon.  In the 1980s, he was in a long term relationship with Cat Phuong, film actress and principal dancer of the legendary Luu Hong Dance Troupe which performed at Maxim's back in Saigon prior to 1975.  On May 10, 2014, he celebrated his 54th year in show business in a sold out live concert show held at Lan Anh Music Venue in Ho Chi Minh City.  Among the featured guest performers that night included Dam Vinh Hung, Duong Trieu Vu, Pham Anh Khoa, Le Hieu and Nguyen Anh 9.  Elvis Phuong has a younger sister, Kieu Nga, and a son from his first marriage, Phuong Hung, who are both established overseas Vietnamese singers.

Link(s):

Vietnamese Celebrity Homes Part 2




Thursday, March 5, 2015

Vu Linh

Vu Linh (1958-     ) is a famous cai luong actor in Vietnam.  Born in Cho Lon, South Vietnam as the fourth eldest out of six children, Vu Linh studied at Van Phat School of Performing Arts.  At the age of 14, Vu Linh joined the Dong Au Hoa The He theater troupes and performed in various towns all across South Vietnam.  In 1981, he returned to Ho Chi Minh City where he joined several different theater companies such as Khanh Hong An Giang, Thien Nga and Son Minh.  In 1988, Vu Linh performed regularly at the famous Tran Huu Trang Opera Theater and starred in such popular cai luong plays as Luong Son Ba - Chuc Anh Dai.  

Vu Linh has appeared in over 400 cai luong video productions which were quite popular with overseas Vietnamese fans during the 1990s. Among his leading ladies include Tai Linh, Thanh Thanh TamHuong Lan and Phuong Mai.  His two younger siblings, Hong Nhung and Tieu Linh, are also established cai luong performers.

Link(s):

Vu Linh Official Website



Tang Thanh Ha

Tang Thanh Ha (1986-     ) is a famous Vietnamese film and television actress.  Known for her beauty, Tang Thanh Ha was once a top fashion model of Vietnam.  Born in Tien Giang, Vietnam, Tang Thanh Ha started her acting career at the age of 16 when she was casted in the television film, Doc Tinh.  Following the success of Doc Tinh, Tang Thanh Ha went on to land roles in other television movies such as Han Mac Tu (2004) and Huong Phu Sa (2005).  After gaining national fame as a television star and winning the 2006 HTV Award for Best Actress in a Television Film or Series for her portrayal of Út Nhỏ in Huong Phu Sa,  Tang Thanh Ha shocked her fans and colleagues when she announced she was then taking an indefinite break from her acting career and resettling abroad to study hotel management at the University of Singapore.  Upon returning to Vietnam in 2007, she resumed her acting career by landing another lead role in a television film production, Bong Dung Muon Khoc starring Luong Manh Hai and Hieu Hien.  That same year, Tang Thanh Ha would be voted as the top actress in television by viewer audiences in a poll conducted by HTV Network.  On the silver screen, Tang Thanh Ha has starred in blockbuster films such as Dep Tung Centimet (2009), Canh Dong Bat Tan (The Floating Lives) (2010) starring Dustin NguyenDo Thi Hai Yen and Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc and My Nhan Ke (2013) with Thanh Hang.  In addition to her successful career as an actress of film and television, Tang Thanh Ha is also one of the highest paid spokesmodels in Vietnam with major, lucrative endorsement contracts to such world-renowned brand name companies like Audi, Malata and Toshiba currently making her one of the wealthiest women among Vietnamese celebrity entertainers.

In Tang Thanh Ha's personal life, she had formerly been romantically involved in a highly publicized relationship with Nguyen Quoc Cuong, also known by his nickname, "Cuong Do La", who would later become involved with model/actress/singer Ho Ngoc Ha.  Since November of 2012, Tang Thanh Ha has been married to a Filipino national of Vietnamese origin, prominent businessman Louis Nguyen.  The couple welcomed the birth of their first child, a son, on April of 2015.


Link(s):

Vietnamese Celebrity Homes Part 2
50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time
Tang Thanh Ha's Official Facebook Page

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

La Thoai Tan

La Thoai Tan (1937-2008) was a famous Vietnamese film actor.  Among his most popular films included Truong Chi My Nuong (1956), To Tinh (1963), Nang (1970), Ganh Hanh Hoa (1971), Le Da (1971), Tran Thi Diem Chau (1971), Nha Toi (1972), Hoa Moi No (1973), Tu Quai Sai Gon (1973) and Nam Vua He Ve Lang (1974).  He costarred alongside some of South Vietnam's most popular leading ladies such as Thanh Nga, Kim Cuong and Tham Thuy Hang.

Tham Thuy Hang and La Thoai Tan in Nang (1970)
La Thoai Tan resettled in Southern California after the Fall of Saigon in 1975.  He continued to maintain an active career as a performer within the overseas Vietnamese community until his death in 2008.  He left behind a wife and two grown children.