Bang Chau

Bang Chau (1955-    ) is a Vietnamese singer and film actress.  She first rose to prominence in South Vietnam as a singer in 1971 at the age of 16 when she scored her first big hit with the song, Qua Con Me, written for her by composer Trinh Lam Ngan.  That same year during the early fall season in Saigon, Bang Chau's acting debut in the film, Tran Thi Diem Chau, in which she costarred alongside legendary actor La Thoai Tan, would be released in movie theaters throughout South Vietnam and turned her into a star.

Born in Can Tho, South Vietnam, Bang Chau was the third eldest child in a family of ten.  While she was a teenager, Bang Chau became actively involved in music singing for various youth choir groups.  With the guidance from musicians/composers Chau Ky and Duy Khanh, Bang Chau was introduced into the music industry.  Her first professional recording was of a song written by Anh Viet Thu, Nho Nhau Hoai.  During the following years up until the Fall of Saigon, Bang Chau would record numerous songs for both of her mentor's record labels, Chau Ky's Tieng Thuy Duong and Duy Khanh's Truong Son.  Her acting career also continued to flourish as she appeared in three more major motion pictures produced in pre-communist South Vietnam:  Truong Toi (1973) starring Quoc Dung, Thanh Mai, Xuan Phat and Thanh Lan, Bon Thuy Thu So Ma (1974) and Nam Vua He Ve Lang (1974), a comedy with an all-star cast which included several Cinema of Saigon's key players such as La Thoai Tan, Tuy Hoa, Tham Thuy Hang, Thanh Nga, Thanh Duoc, and Phuong Hong Ngoc.  Bang Chau would become known as one of Cinema of Saigon's most beautiful actresses.


After the Fall of Saigon, Bang Chau remained in Vietnam for several years.  In 1977, she acted in her last major motion picture in Vietnam entitled as Moi Tinh Dau (First Love) starring The Anh, Tra Giang and Nhu Quynh.  The following year Bang Chau would leave her native homeland to immigrate to the United States where she first lived in Utah for several months prior to permanently resettling in Southern California.  In the United States, Bang Chau continued fervently with her music career throughout the 1980s and 1990s recording for several major overseas Vietnamese music production labels like Lang Van, Thuy Nga Paris, Thanh Lan, Diem Xua and Thuy Anh and performed weekly at Vietnamese cabarets such as Maxim's and Caravelle located in Orange County, Southern California.  She achieved further success as a performer of Southern Vietnamese opera known as cai luong.  In the 1980s, Bang Chau appeared in several cai luong video productions for Thuy Nga Paris.  In 1988, she was cast in the cai luong live production of Tam Long Cua Bien alongside veteran performers Thanh Duoc, Viet Hung,  Huu Phuoc, Dung Thanh Lam, Huong Lan and Phuong Mai where they played at the Anaheim Convention Center to a packed audience of over 7,000 that were in attendance.

During the 1990s, Bang Chau still managed to continue in both of her careers as singer and actress.    Her last recorded studio album to date, Em, was released in 1996 under the music production label, Ha Trang.  In 1994, Bang Chau starred in a Hai Dang video production of the comedy skit Share Phong Lon - Share Tinh Lam (Sharing the Wrong Room and the Wrong Lover) alongside actress/singer Mai Le Huyen. In 1995, she costarred in the Charlie Nguyen directorial film debut, Thời Hùng Vương 18, with Thuy Vi and Joseph Hieu.  During the latter part of the 1990s, for several years Bang Chau co-hosted a Vietnamese language radio talk show called Saigon Cali Radio Hai Ngoai on 106.3 FM with Quoc Thai, singer and former member of the popular Vietnamese music group, May Bon Phuong.

Bang Chau remains active both as an actress and singer to this day.  She is a mother of two grown children.

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50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time