Trish Thuy Trang

Trish Thuy Trang (1980-    ) is a Vietnamese-American singer and songwriter who had first gained prominence in the late 1990s with her video appearances and audio recordings for Asia Productions.

Born on December 15, 1980 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Trish Thuy Trang left Vietnam with her family to live in the United States while at a very young age.  The family first resettled in Sugarland, Texas before finally relocating to Southern California.  At the age of 17, Trish Thuy Trang sent in a demo tape to Asia Productions.  The following year, she was signed with a contract as an exclusive artist for Asia Productions and released her first solo studio album, Don't Know Why.  From her debut appearance on video for Asia Productions, viewer audiences were drawn to her unique style of singing and performing, a combination of both Eastern and Western flair, a reflection of her own upbringing being from Vietnam and having been raised in the United States.  In a short period of time, Trish Thuy Trang would join the ranks of Lam Nhat Tien, Lam Thuy Van and Shayla as one of Asia Productions' hottest new discoveries in the overseas Vietnamese music industry of the 1990s.  After the success of her first album in 1998, Trish Thuy Trang would follow up with solo studio albums, I'll Dream of You (1999) and Siren (2002), for the Asia Productions label.

In 2005, Trish Thuy Trang formed her own music production label, Triple T Productions.  That same year, she made a memorable appearance on Asia Productions in a duet of Y Van's May Lang Thang with legendary singer Kieu Nga.  She has since released three more solo studio albums:  Trish (2005). Shades of Blue (2008) and Whispers (2010).  She also writes most of the songs that she has recorded.  Among her most well received singles include Crossing Over, Stay a While, Paper Lantern, Without a Trace, Ice Queen and In the Middle of Nowhere.  

With a fan base that includes overseas Vietnamese audiences in Europe, Australia, North America and Asia, Trish Thuy Trang continues to perform at live shows all over the world.  She has been married since 2010 and is now a mother of two children, a son and a daughter.  Trish Thuy Trang sings, speaks and writes in both English and Vietnamese fluently.

Link(s):

Trish Thuy Trang's Official Website
Trish Thuy Trang on Facebook
Trish Thuy Trang on Twitter

Second Ten in a Row

In the following ten days, we will be featuring ten overseas Vietnamese celebrities for their contributions to Vietnamese culture abroad since 1975.  This is the second of our Ten in a Row series.

Overseas Viet Celebs Since 1975:

Trish Thuy Trang:  Singer

Truong Vu:  Singer

Thuy Tien:  Singer 

Viet Dzung:  Singer, Songwriter, Political Activist,
 Radio Talk Show Host, Columnist & Master of Ceremonies
for Asia Productions Live Show Music Video Series

Jennifer Pham:  Overseas Vietnamese Celebrity Personality,
 Former Beauty Queen and Model

Dai Trang:  Eurasian Singer of French and Vietnamese Descent

Nguyen Ngoc Ngan:  Host of Paris by Night Series

Thu Phuong:  Singer

Tran Thu Ha:  Singer 

Loan Chau:  Singer

Carol Kim

Carol Kim (1948-    ) is a Vietnamese singer of Malaysian and Vietnamese descent.  Known for her powerful and soulful voice, she has been dubbed as Vietnam's Queen of Soul.

Born as Hoang Kim Hoa in Chau Doc, South Vietnam to a Vietnamese father and a Malaysian mother, she was the fourth eldest in a family of eleven children.  At the age of 19, she was discovered by musician Le Van Thien after he had heard her sing Moon River during open mic one night at the Tour d'Ivoire Nightclub in Saigon.  Impressed with her powerful vocals, Le Van Thien took the initiative of introducing her to Pat Lam, an established singer that had toured with the USO and performed for clubs and venues all over South Vietnam which primarily catered to patrons of US military personnel.  Through Pat Lam's guidance, she was able to land her first gigs as a professional singer entertaining US troops.  Her powerful, husky voice and soulful interpretations of popular American songs like Respect, Chain of Fools, Unchain My Heart, Unchained Melody, Oh Carol, Black Is Black, If You Go Away and What I Say quickly made her a crowd favorite at such venues.  For the next two years, she would become one of the top performers at shows held at major US military bases in Cam Ranh, Ban Me Thuot and DaNang, as well as nightclubs with predominantly American audiences in Saigon.  She was then known by her stage name simply as Carol.

She added "Kim" to her professional stage name, making her Carol Kim, in 1969 when she became a contracted exclusive headliner at the prestigious Tu Do cabaret in Saigon which was then run by singer Khanh Ly.  Now, as she played in front of audiences made up of mostly Vietnamese members, Carol Kim had to learn and start singing Vietnamese songs.  She would continue to perform exclusively at Tu Do until the infamous bombing incident in the fall of 1971, which resulted in the untimely death of film actress Thuy Ngoc, who had also been the wife of musician Le Van Thien, the man who had discovered Carol Kim several years prior.   After Tu Do cabaret was shut down, she went on to perform nightly at Queen Bee, another upscale music venue in Saigon.  During this period, she began recording for various Vietnamese record labels such as Shotguns, Pham Manh Cuong, Viet Nam, Nhac Tre, Jo Marcel, Kim Dang, Thanh Thuy and Truong Hai.  Among her most popular Vietnamese hit songs prior to 1975 included Hay Khoc Di Em (Just Cry, My Dear) written by Trinh Cong Son, Noi Buon Con Gai (The Sadness of Being a Girl) written by Nhat Ngan and Tinh Phu (Betrayed Love) written by Do Le, which was also the featured theme song of the film, Song Tinh, starring Tham Thuy Hang released in 1972.

Carol Kim resettled in the United States after the Fall of Saigon where she has managed to continue with her successful singing career.  Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, she was a regular performer at the Ritz Nightclub in Anaheim, California, owned by legendary musician and promoter Ngoc Chanh.  Among the lineup of singers of Ritz Nightclub, Carol Kim had held the longest professional association as she remained as a regular performer there up until 1999 when it went through a change of hands in ownership.  She has also toured extensively performing at live shows for overseas Vietnamese audiences throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia.  In recent years, she has made several triumphant returns performing for live shows in her native Vietnam.  Most notable was in 2007 when she had returned and performed with Kim Anh and Quang Thanh in a sold out show in Ho Chi Minh City.

In 1987, Carol Kim formed her own music production label, Carol Kim Productions, and released her first solo studio album outside of Vietnam entitled Chuyen Tinh Khong Doan Ket.  The album was a commercial success and would be the first of a series of solo studio albums produced and released under her label.  Among her other solo releases include Dung Bo Em Mot Minh (1988), Chi Co Anh (1989), Rong Reo (1992), Mot Coi Di Ve (1993), Trong Vang (1999) and Tai Doi Vang Anh (2001).  In addition to recordings produced and released under her own label, Carol Kim had recorded and appeared on video for various other music production labels such as Lang Van, Thuy Nga Paris and Nguoi Dep Binh Duong.  During the late 1980s, Carol Kim had appeared on Paris By Night Volumes 7 & 8 with performances of Phut Say Dam (Stop the Rain) and Oh Carol.  She had also recorded a duet album with Tuan Anh, Thien Duyen Tien Dinh, released in 1992 by Tuan Anh Productions. Her last solo studio album released to date, Dau Tinh Thien An (2011), was a collection of Gospel songs.  In 2011, Carol Kim had appeared on Paris by Night Volume 101 videotaped live at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Southern California in a comedy sketch with comedian/musician Chi Tai, Be Ti and Hoai Tam.

Link(s):

10 Viet Celebs Who Don't Look Vietnamese

Duy Quang

Duy Quang (1950-2012) was a famous Vietnamese singer and songwriter.  He was the eldest son of Vietnam's most prolific songwriter Pham Duy and singer Thai Hang.  As a singer, his most popular hit songs included such songs written and/or composed by his father such as Tha Nhu Giot Mua, Em Hien Nhu Ma Soeur, Chuyen Tinh Buon, Co Bac Ky Nho Nho and Hai Nam Tinh Lan Dan.  As a songwriter, his most famous song was Kiep Dam Me.  Duy Quang had once been married to singer Julie Quang.

Born on December 20, 1950 in Thanh Hoa province of North Vietnam, Duy Quang was the eldest in a family of eight.  When he was just a year old, he and his parents moved to South Vietnam resettling in Saigon.  From the age of ten, Duy Quang started learning to play various instruments such as the mandolin, guitar, piano and drums.  He began his professional singing career at the age of 17.

Julie Quang and Duy Quang in Saigon prior to 1975

After forming the pop group, The Dreamers, along with his brother, Duy Cuong, his then girlfriend, Julie (later known as Julie Quang) and Veny, Julie's younger sister, Duy Quang began to gain prominence in the year 1969.  He and Julie performed as the male lead and female lead singers, respectively, in The Dreamers.  Extremely popular with younger audiences, The Dreamers focused primarily in covering top hit songs of Western pop groups such as The Beatles, The Carpenters and The Rolling Stones.  At the height of their popularity, The Dreamers headlined nightly at the Ritz in Saigon, a venue headed by singer/songwriter Jo Marcel.

In 1970, Duy Quang and Julie Quang welcomed the birth of their daughter, Ly Lan.  To commemorate their love, Duy Quang wrote a song called Bai Tho Vu Quy for Julie Quang to record.  The song became a hit single upon its release and has since been considered one of Julie Quang's signature songs.  This would be the first time that Duy Quang's songwriting skills were introduced to audiences.

Duy Quang moved to France in 1978 to be near his wife, Julie, who had resettled there since 1974.  After an absence from live performances since the Fall of Saigon, it was in Paris that year when Duy Quang would make his return to the stage.  The couple would move to Southern California a year later to reunite with the rest of Pham Duy's family.  They divorced in 1982.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Duy Quang became one of the best selling overseas Vietnamese recording artists.  He collaborated with numerous overseas Vietnamese music production labels such as Asia Productions, Lang Van, Thuy Nga Paris, Kim Ngan, Diem Xua and Da Lan.  In 1984, Duy Quang got married for the second time to My Ha, a former resident of Washington, D.C.  During the course of this marriage which lasted 18 years Duy Quang would become a father twice again with the births of their two daughters.  He had settled in Midway City with his new family unit in the mid-1980s and built a recording studio inside the family home where he would arrange music and record material for his own music production label, Dream Musical Productions.  Among the most successful studio albums produced and released under Dream Musical Productions include Lam Sao Ma Quen Duoc (1987), Tha Nhu Giot Mua (1988) and Tinh Phai (1989), a duet album recorded with singer Ngoc Lan.  Duy Quang had also recorded duets with numerous other artists including Billy Shane, Nhat Ha, Thai Hien, Ai Van, Thanh Mai, Huong Lan, Bang Chau, Kim Anh, Hoa Mi, Phuong Mai and Jenny Trang.  Toward the end of the 1980s decade, Duy Quang and his then wife, My Ha, had opened a nightclub in Orange County, California called Dem Dong Phuong.  Although the nightclub had been initially successful with many packed nights filled to capacity, the couple began to experience some financial woes and had to close down the venue in the early 1990s.  According to Duy Quang, one of the key factors in his financial downfall was his then wife's gambling addiction.  The couple divorced in 2002.

Album Cover of Duy Quang and Billy Shane Duet Album, Je t'aime (1986),
 a Collection of French Love Songs Originally
Made Popular by Italian Pop Singer Christophe.  

After making several trips back to Vietnam in the early 2000s where he had enjoyed enormous success performing at live shows for local audiences, Duy Quang contemplated repatriation to his native land.  In 2005, he along with his father, Pham Duy, and brother, Duy Cuong, decided to resettle in Vietnam where they would take over and run a nightclub in Ho Chi Minh City called Tinh Van Nghe.  In 2007, a dispute with the owners of Tinh Van Nghe led to Duy Quang and Pham Duy's decision to sever ties and open their own nightclub in which they would name Tinh Ca.  That same year, Duy Quang at age 57 married for the third time to a singer in Ho Chi Minh City named Yen Xuan.  Unfortunately, both the marriage and Tinh Ca Nightclub were short-lived.  Duy Quang and Yen Xuan's marriage ended in divorce two years later.

Diagnosed with end stage liver cancer on October of 2012, Duy Quang returned to the United States on November 7th for medical treatment.  He died on December 19, 2012.  Prior to his death, a sold out event had been held in his honor at Bleu Nightclub in Huntington Beach on December 2nd.  Among the celebrities in attendance that night included Elvis Phuong, Kieu Nga, Thai Chau, Tuan Ngoc, Don Ho, Huong Lan and Cong Thanh & Lynn.

Duy Quang had come from one of the most famous families in the Vietnamese music industry.  His younger sisters, Thai Hien and Thai Thao, are both accomplished Vietnamese singers.  His brother, Duy Cuong, is a famous musician.  He is also the nephew of legendary singer Thai Thanh and singer/songwriter Pham Dinh Chuong.  His first cousins include singers Mai Huong, Y Lan and Quynh Huong.  

Thai Chau

Thai Chau (1951-    ) is a popular Vietnamese singer.

Born as Truong Chieu Thong in a family of five children altogether, he grew up in a showbiz family with a background of Southern Vietnamese folk opera known as "cai luong".  Thai Chau's mother was the legendary "cai luong" actress Kim Nen, while his father was the vice-president of the prestigious Kim Chung Cai Luong Theater Company.  Despite such ties with the "cai luong" stage, Thai Chau's interests from an early age were in Vietnamese popular music instead.  

At the age of 15, while in Vung Tau Thai Chau landed his first steady singing gig performing nightly at a café owned by musicians Nguyen Dinh Nghia and Tran Xuan Nga after they had watched him perform during open mic Lan Dau Cung Nhu Lan Cuoi (The First Time Just Like the Last Time), a song written by Minh Ky that was first made popular by his idol, singer/actor Hung Cuong.  Three years later, Thai Chau would be among the lineup of nightly performers for a nightclub at Khach San De Nhat (Premiere Hotel) in Saigon, which was run by singer/actress Mai Le Huyen.  Through an introduction from legendary performer Tran Van Trach, Thai Chau would join Ngoc Chanh's Shotguns band shortly thereafter.  His recordings for Ngoc Chanh's Shotguns record label included songs like Co Tham Ve Lang, Xuan Nay Con Khong Ve and Linh Hon Tuong Da, along with several duets with Thanh Tuyen, Phuong Dung, Son Ca, Diem Chi and Anh Khoa.  Among other record labels Thai Chau had recorded for prior to 1975 included Son Ca, Kim Dang, Thanh Thuy, Hoa Mi and Truong Son, owned by legendary singer/songwriter Duy Khanh.  Thai Chau had become one of the most popular young male singers of Vietnamese popular music in the early 1970s.  His other popular hit songs during this period included Ong Lai Do, Bai Thanh Ca Buon and Tinh Chet Theo Mua Dong.  

During the first several years after the Fall of Saigon, the careers of Thai Chau and many other famous singers of Vietnamese popular music prior to 1975 were deeply affected by certain restrictions implemented by the new communist regime which included the closing down of previous music venues and dance halls and a ban on many Vietnamese songs written and composed in South Vietnam from 1954-1975.  However, such restrictions had not been imposed on more traditional genres of Vietnamese music such as "cai luong" and "vong co".  Like Thanh Tuyen and Phuong Hong Que, Thai Chau switched over to performing "vong co" in order to earn a living during these difficult initial years after the Fall of Saigon.  When such restrictions were finally lifted during the 1980s, his career would then take on a full resurgence as a Vietnamese singer of pop music.  Again, his popularity would make him one of the most successful male singers in Vietnam.  It has been reported that during the 1980s up until when he left Vietnam to live abroad in 1991, Thai Chau along with singer/actress Thanh Lan were the top two entertainers mostly missed by overseas Vietnamese audiences worldwide.

In 1991, Thai Chau was able to leave Vietnam upon the sponsorship from his mother who had been living abroad in Canada.  Shortly thereafter, he would make his way to Southern California where he would resume his career as a Vietnamese singer.  Immediately, Thai Chau collaborated with numerous overseas Vietnamese music production labels on audio recordings and video appearances for Thuy Nga Paris, May Productions, Bien Tinh Productions, Nguoi Dep Binh Duong and Tinh Productions.  During the 1990s, he recorded a series of successful solo studio albums overseas, as well as many well-received duet albums with other artists such as Huong Lan, Ai Van and Phi Nhung.  He was reunited with his former boss, Ngoc Chanh, when he became a featured performer at Ngoc Chanh's Ritz Nightclub in Anaheim, California.  Thai Chau toured extensively performing for overseas Vietnamese audiences across the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia.  In recent years, Thai Chau has made numerous return trips to Vietnam and has performed on many shows in his homeland.  Despite a career that has lasted over 40 years, his star power among audiences continues to show no signs of dimming anytime soon.

Thai Chau is a father to three grown children who now all reside outside of Vietnam.  

Giao Linh

Giao Linh (1949-    ) is a famous Vietnamese singer who had first gained prominence during the late 1960s back in Saigon and has since been dubbed as Nu Hoang Sau Muon, the Queen of Sadness, for her signature style of interpretations of songs about heartbreak and tragedy.

Born as Do Thi Sinh on September 8, 1949 in Saigon, she was raised in a poor family of seven children.  Her family's primary source of income came from a kiosque that her mother ran selling pho, a traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup, to street vendors.  Knowing how she had such a profound interest in music since her early childhood years, her mother managed to provide for her to take private singing lessons.  The private lessons would be kept a secret between mother and daughter from her disapproving father.  During a trip to Da Lat at the age of 16, she confided in a close friend about her dreams of one day becoming a professional singer.  That friend then convinced her to take on the stage name of Giao Linh, as he had really strong beliefs that the name would bring her luck.  

In 1966, Giao Linh represented Air Vietnam in the Kim Hoang-Nhu Mai Music Festival and ended up taking first prize for her performance.  Shortly thereafter, she would catch the eye of musician Thu Ho at one of her live performances.  So impressed with Giao Linh's singing voice, Thu Ho immediately arranged an audition for her with Nguyen Van Dong, the owner and CEO of Continental record label in South Vietnam.  The audition resulted in Giao Linh being signed to a three-year contract as a exclusive recording artist for the Continental record label.  In 1969, Giao Linh made her first national television appearance captivating viewer audiences with her powerful and somber vocals.  From then on, she would be dubbed as Nu Hoang Sau Muon, the Queen of Sadness.  With her earnings as a recording artist and popular nightclub performer, Giao Linh was finally able to help her family out by turning the kiosque run by her family that sold pho to street vendors into a swanky restaurant called Pho Giao Linh.

After she had fulfilled her three years of being under contract with the Continental record label, Giao Linh went on to collaborate with numerous other prominent record labels such as Kim Dang, Shotguns, Nguyen Thao, Nghe Thuat Tam Anh, Nha Ca, Pham Manh Cuong, Premier, Song Ngoc, Song Nhac, Thuong Ca, Truong Hai, Truong Son and Son Ca, which would release her first solo studio album, Giao Linh, in 1973.  Among her most popular songs in South Vietnam prior to 1975 include Tieng Xua, Mau Tim Pensee, Tham Kin, Phuong Buon and Ta Ao Cuoi.  

In 1982, Giao Linh left Vietnam and resettled in Toronto, Canada.  She would continue with her career recording for various overseas Vietnamese music production labels such as Thanh Lan, Lang Van, Diem Xua, Giang Ngoc, Truong Hai and Nguoi Dep Binh Duong and performing at live shows for overseas Vietnamese audiences worldwide.  In 1984, Giao Linh recorded her first solo studio album outside of Vietnam entitled Thuong Muon for the Thanh Lan label.  Together with Tuan Vu, Giao Linh had recorded a trilogy of well-received duet studio albums released under the Giang Ngoc label:  Doi Mat Nguoi Xua (1986), Ngo Y (1988) and Em Sap Ve Chua (1992).  In 1986, Giao Linh along with Khanh Ly and Thanh Tuyen embarked on a highly successful European concert tour performing for overseas Vietnamese audiences in several countries including West Germany, France, Belgium and Holland.  By 1990, Giao Linh had formed her own music production label, Giao Linh Productions, which to date has released over a dozen studio albums along with several solo music videotapes.  She reached the pinnacle of her success with her career as an overseas Vietnamese singer in 1993 with her 15th solo studio album, Nhung Dua Con Cua Me, produced and released under Giao Linh Productions.  Featured in the album was her powerful recorded version of Long Me (A Mother's Heart), a song written by Y Van that would become Giao Linh's biggest hit song of the decade.

Despite her busy schedule with her singing career, Giao Linh had partaken in maintaining a family run restaurant, Pho Linh, in Toronto with her siblings during the years she had spent living there.  Pho Linh Restaurant is still in business today and continues to be run by her family members in Toronto.  When Giao Linh moved back to Vietnam in 2000, she decided to reopen Pho Giao Linh Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.  Although the restaurant had proven to be a profitable business venture for Giao Linh, without the help of her siblings back in Toronto she found it to be too overwhelming to run along with a full performing schedule and decided to close it down in 2012.  Since returning to Vietnam, Giao Linh has kept at a busy touring schedule performing for live audiences in cities across the country.  In recent years, she has collaborated with Rang Dong music production label based out of Ho Chi Minh City and has recorded a pair of solo studio albums and another duet studio album with Tuan Vu.  In November of 2014, Giao Linh performed Con Gai Cua Me written by Giao Tien in a duet with Phi Nhung on the Sol Vang television show in Vietnam.

Giao Linh during a live performance
in Ho Chi Minh City (July, 2015)

Giao Linh (right) and singer Thái Châu
(left) in Vietnam (2016)

Giao Linh has been happily married since 1987.  Before tying the knot, she and her husband had been friends for twenty years.  Giao Linh has no children of her own, but says she is content in her role of being a stepmother to her husband's children from his previous marriage. The couple reside primarily in Ho Chi Minh City.






Link(s):

• Another 50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time
• Vietnamese Celebrity Homes Part 6b

Huu Phuoc

Huu Phuoc (1932-1997) was one of the most popular actors of the Southern Vietnamese folk opera stage known as "cai luong".

Born in Soc Trang, Huu Phuoc began his professional career in 1954 when he was discovered by musician Muoi Luong in Can Tho.  Soon after, he would began recording for various major record labels in Vietnam such as Hoang Son, Asie, Tu Hai and Continental.  Huu Phuoc would become the best-selling "cai luong" recording male artist of the 1950s, 1960s up until the Fall of Saigon in 1975.

Huu Phuoc had starred in numerous well-received "cai luong" plays while in South Vietnam prior to 1975 including Con Gai Chi Hang, Tam Long Cua Bien, Nua Doi Huong Phan, Tinh Mong, Gio Nguoc Chieu and Doi Mat Nguoi Xua, for which he was awarded with a Thanh Tam Award, South Vietnam's equivalence to a Tony Award, for best actor in 1960.  Among his leading ladies included Thanh Nga, Phung Ha, Ut Bach Lan and Thanh Huong.

Huu Phuoc and daughter, Huong Lan

In 1977, Huu Phuoc and his family left Vietnam to resettle in Paris, France.  He continued with his career in France for the overseas Vietnamese community and appeared in many "cai luong" productions produced by Thuy Nga Paris during the 1980s.  In 1988, he along with Thanh Duoc, Viet Hung, Dung Thanh Lam, daughter Huong Lan, Phuong Mai and Bang Chau performed in a reprisal of Tam Long Cua Bien for the overseas Vietnamese community in Southern California at the Anaheim Convention Center in front of an audience that was 7,000 strong in attendance.  This would be followed by another successful reprisal performance of Nua Doi Huong Phan in Orange County, California and Oakland.

Huu Phuoc was a father to five children, including two daughters that had followed in his footsteps becoming well-known performers in the Vietnamese entertainment industry, Huong Lan and Huong Thanh, and his two sons, Steve Tran and Jean Claude Tran, who are now both established actors in mainstream French cinema.  He died on February 21, 1997 in Paris, France.  

Le Thuy

Le Thuy (1948-    ) is a popular actress of the Southern Vietnamese folk opera stage known as "cai luong".

Born as Duong Thi Le Thuy on May 20, 1948 in Can Tho, South Vietnam, she was the eldest in a family of eight children.  Coming from an impoverished family, Le Thuy learned from early on about the struggles her parents had to endure in order to provide for her and the rest of her siblings.  However, as fate would have it, one day while Le Thuy was just ten years old, a family acquaintance by the name of Tu Long who had been a "cai luong" performer, as well, heard her sing a few versus form a Southern Vietnamese folk opera play and was extremely impressed.  He saw such strong potential in Le Thuy that he arranged for her to study with Nam Truyen, an acting coach, and musician Tam Den for the next three years.  As an apprentice, her eagerness to learn and rapid progress in learning the craft of performing in Southern Vietnamese folk opera amazed both Nam Truyen and Tam Den.  Unfortunately, when financial conditions had worsened for her family, Le Thuy had to make the painful decision to discontinue as their student.  Le Thuy was also unable to attend public school due to the fact that she hadn't been born in an actual hospital and therefor had not been issued with an official birth certificate documentation.  At the age of 13, Le Thuy had no other choice but to find work in order to support her family.  She was then accepted into the Tram Vang theater troupe and was cast in the role of a young boy in Co Gai Ban Den Hoa Giay. Within a year, Le Thuy would become Tram Vang troupe's second lead actress.  At age 15, she was recruited by the prestigious Kim Chung Theater Company and was cast in her first lead role in the play, Be Bang Duyen Moi, alongside leading actor Thanh Hai.  Le Thuy was on her way to becoming a major star.

Le Thuy reached the height of her popularity when she was paired up opposite leading actor Minh Phung.  Together they starred in a series of successful plays such as Xin Mot Lan Yeu Nhau, Dem Lanh Chua Hoang Song Rach Gam and Kiep Nao Co Yeu Nhau.

In 1964, along with stage actor Thanh Sang, Le Thuy was honored with South Vietnam's equivalent to a Tony, a Thanh Tam Award for best actress.  She would be the youngest actress to have ever been honored with this coveted award.

After the Fall of Saigon, Le Thuy continued with her career starring in many more successful plays such as Cay Sau Rieng Tro Bong, Tieng Song Rach Gam and Khi Binh Minh Tro Lai.  In 1984, she joined other fellow performers like Bach Tuyet, Ngoc Giau and Minh Vuong on a wildly successful tour performing for overseas Vietnamese audiences across Europe.  During the 1990s, Le Thuy in numerous "cai luong" productions made for video.  At present, she still performs regularly at the historic Tran Huu Trang Theater in Ho Chi Minh City.

Le Thuy has been married for over forty years and is now a mother to three grown children.  Her second eldest child has followed in her footsteps and is now an actor of Southern Vietnamese folk opera known by his stage name, Duong Dinh Tri.

Thanh Sang

Thanh Sang (1943-2017) was a famous actor of Southern Vietnamese folk opera known as "cai luong".  During the 1960s and 1970s, he was the leading man in many successful "cai luong" productions.  Together with lead actress Thanh Nga, the two were among the most popular acting couples of "cai luong" plays.

Born as Nguyen Van Thu in Vung Tau, South Vietnam, he grew up in a family of four children.  At the age of six, his father was killed while serving in the French Indochina War.  Being the only son out of four children, he felt obligated to find work as a fisherman at an early age to help provide for his family.  Due to his family's house being situated next to the Hai Lac Cai Luong Theater in Vung Tau, he developed an interest in Southern Vietnamese folk opera.  Without any formal training, he learned how to sing Southern Vietnamese folk opera through listening to and imitating such famous performers like Ut Tra On, Thanh Cong and Chin Som.

In 1960, he joined the Ngoc Kieu Theater Troupe when he was cast in the cai luong play, Chieu Dong Gio Lanh Ve.  It was then he was given his professional stage name as Thanh Sang by legendary "cai luong" theater promoter Hoang Kinh.  Two years later, Thanh Sang would be given his big break when promoter Hoang Kinh chose him to replace Hung Cuong in the lead role for the "cai luong" play, Tuyet Phu Chieu Dong.  In 1964, he was honored with a Thanh Tam Award, South Vietnam's equivalence to a Tony, for his portrayal of the lead character in the cai luong play, Co Gai Do Long.  

Thanh Nga and Thanh Sang
  in Tieng Trong Me Linh

Thanh Sang reached his career peak when he starred opposite Thanh Nga in the plays, Ben Cau Det Lua and Tieng Trong Me Linh.  The enormous successes of the two plays continued in production in the years following the Fall of Saigon up until Thanh Nga's untimely death in 1978.

Thanh Sang and Bach Tuyet

In 1985, Thanh Sang announced his retirement from live theater performances, but that he would continue with his career in cai luong through audio recordings and video productions only. However, three years later he would return to the stage in a successful tour in Paris, France.  In 2001, Thanh Sang once again went into retirement due to illness.

On March 4, 2007, a live show was held at the Saigon Opera Theater in Thanh Sang's honor to commemorate his 50th year in show business.  The show was a tremendous success with guest appearances from many of his fellow performers like Bach Tuyet, who was also the show's director, Mong Tuyen, Le Thuy, Thanh Tu and the late Kim Ngoc.

On April 21, 2017, Thanh Sang passed away at his home in Ho Chi Minh City.  In the mid 1970s, he was briefly married to Vietnamese pop singer Ngoc Bich.  

Mong Tuyen

For the Vietnamese pop singer, see Kim Loan.

Mộng Tuyền (1947-    ) also credited as Kim Loan, is a famous actress of the Southern Vietnamese folk opera known as "cải lương" and films.  Born as Huynh Thi Kim Loan in Can Tho, she began her career at the age of 14 with the stage name Kim Loan.  She made her debut in the "cải lương" play, Sanh Duong Dao Dong, in the role of Huong Huyen in 1961.  The following year, she joined the Phuong Nam theater troupe and performed at the legendary Nguyen Van Hao Theater in Saigon portraying the role of Phuong Loan in Nua Kiep Oan Thu.  Soon after, she was recruited by the famous Thanh Minh - Thanh Nga Folk Opera Theater Troupe and was cast in the play, Mua Xuan Con Mai, costarring alongside the late legendary stage actress Thanh Nga in the role of Son Nu Mong Tuyen. In 1963, she was awarded a Thanh Tam award, the Vietnamese equivalent of a Tony, for best actress for her portrayal of cavalier Thu Lan in the play, Phu Tử Tòng Tử.  That year, she joined the list of such major stars of the "cải lương" stage to be honored with a Thanh Tam accolade which included Bach Tuyet, Truong Anh Loan, Tấn Tài, Thanh Tu and Diep Lang.  She followed up the success of Phu Tử Tòng Tử with yet another portrayal of a cavalier role, as Cam Le, in which she shared with legendary screen siren Tham Thuy Hang, for the play, Bóng Chim Tăm Ca, costarring Thanh Duoc, Thanh Tu and Ngoc Nuoi.  Around 1968, she made the decision to change her professional stage name to Mộng Tuyền, after the character she had previously portrayed on stage, in order to prevent being possibly confused with the rising young pop singer also named Kim Loan. 

In a television adaptation of the "cải lương" play, Mua Rung (1966), Mong Tuyen's portrayal of the lead character, K' Lai, would turn her into a star.  This role had been originally portrayed on the "cải lương" stage by Thanh Nga and later in film by actress Kim Cuong in 1962.  Mong Tuyen's popularity with television viewer audiences surpassed that of the portrayals from the two legendary actresses that had preceded her years prior on stage and in film.  To many of Mong Tuyen's fans, her portrayal of K'Lai in the television adaptation of Mua Rung has since been considered as her signature role.  Other cast members in the television adaptation of Mua Rung included Ut Tra On, Huu Phuoc, Thanh Sang, Hung Cuong and Bach Tuyet.   Mong Tuyen also participated in the audio recording of the soundtrack to Mua Rung which was released shortly after the television broadcast that year by Continental Records, South Vietnam's then most prolific record label.  In 1990, Mong Tuyen would reprise her role of K' Lai in a video production filmed in Paris released by Thuy Nga Paris alongside other cast members Thanh Duoc, Phuong Thanh and Dung Thanh Lam.

Mong Tuyen and Phuong Thanh in Thuy Nga Paris' reprisal
video production of Mưa Rừng (1991) 

Mong Tuyen's beauty and stage presence would lead her to a highly successful career as a major actress of film in Vietnam.  In 1967, she made her silver screen debut in 11 Giờ 30. a film starring Lê Quỳnh and Kiều Chinh.  Among her other films prior to 1975 include Mang Xuong Tuyen Dai (1967), Con Gi Cho Nhau with Hung Cuong and Mai Le Huyen (1970) Em Ve Giua Hoang Hon with Tham Thuy Hang,  Phan Ma Hong (1970) with Thanh Tu, Chan Troi Tim (1970) with Kim Vui, Ngoc Duc and Hung Cuong and Ganh Hang Hoa (1971) with La Thoai Tan and Thanh Lan.  After the Fall of Saigon, Mong Tuyen remained in Vietnam and continued with her successful dual careers as an actress in film and on the Southern Vietnamese folk opera stage.  She starred in such post-'75 Vietnamese films such as Co Nhip (1976), Trang Giay Moi (1979) and Tinh Yeu Cua Em (1981), for which she was honored with a best actress award at the 6th Annual Vietnam Film Festival held in 1983.  And, of course, on the Southern Vietnamese folk opera stage after 1975, Mong Tuyen continued to win lead roles in many well-known "cải lương" plays.  Due to Thanh Nga's untimely death in 1978, many of the roles that the late actress had originally portrayed and made famous were then passed on to Mong Tuyen in reprisal stage productions.  When she accepted these roles, Mong Tuyen was fully aware that she could risk being the target of criticism from the public audience with an unfair comparison of her to Thanh Nga since many of which would not be impartial as eternally devoted fans still in mourning over the late actress.  Mong Tuyen decided on a hunch to personalize her portrayals of these characters with her own style of performing, rather than impersonate Thanh Nga.  Her decision proved to be a wise one as audiences warmly embraced Mong Tuyen's distinct style of portrayal of various roles originally portrayed by Thanh Nga.  Two such roles which had generated Mong Tuyen with enormous success during this era were as Vân in the play, Bóng Tối và Ánh Sáng, and as Kiều Nguyệt Nga playing opposite Ngọc Giàu, who had portrayed the lead male character in the play, Lục Vân Tiên.

In 1988, Mong Tuyen left Vietnam to relocate in Paris, France along with her then husband of eight years.  She appeared as a pop singer on the popular live show series, Paris By Night, on volume 7 produced by Thuy Nga in 1989 with her performance of the song, Sau Le Bong.  Mong Tuyen remained in Paris for over twenty years where she owned and operated a gift shop.  Since 2007, she has made many trips back to Vietnam and has since returned to the "cải lương" stage.   In 2009, Mong Tuyen landed a supporting role playing the mother of the lead character portrayed by model/actress Thanh Hằng in the television mini-series, Tôi Là Ngôi Sao.  In recent years, Mong Tuyen has repatriated to Vietnam and has reinstated her Vietnamese citizenship.

Divorced from her husband of twenty years since the year 2000, Mong Tuyen currently resides in Ho Chi Minh City.  She had been briefly married once before during her early twenties.  Her first marriage ended in divorce after just two years.  Mong Tuyen has no children.

Link(s):

50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time

Le Quynh

Le Quynh (1934-2008) was a famous Vietnamese film actor and director.  Born on September 6, 1934 in Hanoi, he first rose to prominence in the Vietnamese classic film, Chung Toi Muon Song (We Want to Live) in 1956.  Among his other popular films included Dat Lanh (1956), which was a Vietnamese film version of The Good Earth, Hoi Chuong Thien Mu (The Bells of Thien Mu Pagoda) (1957), Vu An Tinh (1960), Mua Rung (Jungle Rain) (1962), Doi Mat Nguoi Xua (The Eyes of a Past Lover) (1963), Hoa Binh (1970), Mua Thu Cuoi Cung (The Last Autumn) (1971) and Bay Ngam (1972), for which he was honored with South Vietnam's equivalent to an Oscar, a best actor award from Van Hoc Nghe Thuat.  Le Quynh had starred alongside some of South Vietnam's top leading ladies such as Khanh Ngoc, Kim Cuong, Tham Thuy Hang, Thanh Nga and Kieu Chinh.

Kieu Chinh and Le Quynh in
Hoi Chuong Thien Mu (1957)

From 1956 until 1965, Le Quynh was married to legendary Vietnamese songstress Thai Thanh.  Together they had five children, two of which would grow up to become famous Vietnamese singers in the United States, Y Lan and Quynh Huong.

In 1975, Le Quynh and his second wife and four children left Vietnam and relocated to the United States.  He found work as a social worker for USCC, a Catholic Charities funded organization assisting newly arrived refugees from Vietnam.  Upon his retirement from USCC, Le Quynh became a restaurateur.  During the 1990s, he had briefly owned and operated his own restaurant, Nu Cuoi Sai Gon, in Westminster, California.

Le Quynh passed away on January 5, 2008.  He was 73.

Link(s):

20 Most Handsome Vietnamese Men of All Time

Kim Vui

Kim Vui (1939-    ) is a legendary former film actress of South Vietnam, cabaret singer and successful businesswoman.  Throughout the 1960s, Kim Vui was considered the sexiest screen goddess in the cinema of Saigon.  Movie audiences of South Vietnam had dubbed her as the Sophia Loren of Saigon due to her striking resemblance of the Italian film actress.

While still a teenager, Kim Vui had first entered the entertainment industry of South Vietnam performing nightly for major cabarets and music venues in Saigon as a professional dancer.  Trained as a ballet dancer during her childhood years, Kim Vui found the dancing profession to be rather easy and without any challenges.  Although her statuesque physique, posture and alluring beauty added to her talents as a dancer would give Kim Vui her first taste of being in the spotlight in her career as an entertainer, she quickly became bored as a professional dancer.  Her interest in music would then prompt her to pursue a successful singing career.  During the second half of the 1950s decade, Kim Vui would become one of the most popular headliners in the cabaret circuit of Saigon.  Able to sing effortlessly in three different languages, she had acquired a sizable following through her nightclub act and had become known for her live performances covering popular songs like Bambino, Le Gitan and Histoire d'un Amour in the French language, I Left My Heart in San Francisco in the English language and Goi Gio Cho May Ngan Bay and Ta Ao Xanh in her native Vietnamese language.

In 1957, Kim Vui acted in her first major motion picture, Nguoi Dep Binh Duong (The Beautiful Lady from Binh Duong), playing one of the evil sisters of the main character portrayed by newcomer Tham Thuy Hang.  The film's blockbuster success resulted in turning Tham Thuy Hang into a major star of South Vietnam's motion picture industry instantaneously.  Unfortunate for Kim Vui, her credible performance in Nguoi Dep Binh Duong went unnoticed being overshadowed by the enormous publicity centered on Tham Thuy Hang's overnight rise to stardom.  During this period Kim Vui joined the Kim Cuong theater troupe and landed roles in plays like Lo Mot Buoc Duong (A Taken Step) and Toi La Me (I Am a Mother).  Dissatisfied with being typecast in villainous roles by Kim Cuong, Kim Vui left the troupe shortly thereafter.

Kim Vui in an advertisement for Sarsi soft drink beverage

Throughout the 1960s, Kim Vui would continue her successful career as a nightclub singer in Saigon.  She headlined at the most prestigious venues in Saigon such as Hoa Binh, Anh Vu, Maxim's, Arc en Ciel and Majestic.  As her popularity grew, she would perform at five to six different locations on a nightly basis limiting each stop with a setlist of just three songs.  Kim Vui's physical attributes led her to become the celebrity spokesmodel to appear on advertisements for such brands as Perlon toothpaste and Vietnam's most popular soft drink beverage, Sarsi.  In 1968, Kim Vui left Vietnam upon the invitation to headline at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Upon her return to Saigon, Kim Vui would enjoy a resurgence in her acting career with a pair of successful films, Cui Mat (Bowed Head) and Thuong Han (Bitter Love), both released in 1969.

Tham Thuy Hang and Kim Vui

.At the beginning of the 1970s, Kim Vui would star in her most popular motion picture, Chan Troi Tim (Purple Horizon).  The cast included Hung Cuong, Mong Tuyen and Ngoc Duc.  Upon its release in 1971, the film would become one of the biggest commercial successes in the history of the cinema of Saigon.  Kim Vui had made history with this motion picture for being the first actress to ever appear on the big screen dressed in a bikini and also the first to appear in the nude.  That year she was honored with South Vietnam's equivalent to an Oscar, a Van Hoc Nghe Thuat Award for best actress.  Kim Vui had also recorded the theme song of Chan Troi Tim, written and composed by Nhat Truong.  The song would later become one of her signature songs she would often perform live in her nightclub act.

While still living in Saigon, Kim Vui had successfully juggled careers both as an entertainer and as an entrepreneur simultaneously.  With the money she had saved up from her earnings as a film actress and headliner for major cabarets and nightclubs in Saigon, Kim Vui decided to go into business for herself during the mid 1960s when she opened a music retail store located in the heart of downtown Saigon.  Profits generated from the music retail store allowed her to buy out a successful printing company, as well.  This would be followed with another lucrative business venture, an import/export company started by both Kim Vui and her second husband, an American civilian living in Vietnam.  In 1972, she and her American husband along with their two children together and her two older children from a previous marriage to musician Hoai Nam left Vietnam to resettle in Guam.  She would then open a jewelry store near the Guam International Airport that catered to patrons primarily comprised of foreign tourists to the island.  After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, Kim Vui continued to live in Guam for another couple of years during which she had devoted much of her time in assisting newly arrived Vietnamese refugees and co-hosting a Vietnamese-language radio program broadcasted on Guam's KUAM radio network.  It should be noted that this was the very first Vietnamese-language radio program to be broadcasted in the United States.

South Vietnam's President Nguyen Van Thieu and Kim Vui in 1971

By the 1980s, Kim Vui and her family resettled in Virginia.  It was there that she and her husband decided to restart their import/export business.  Together they would build a multi-million dollar international trading empire importing and exporting timber and packaged seafood products with office branches in the United Kingdom, France and Africa.  In addition, they have expanded their wealth opening successful businesses in construction and real estate investment.  Now in her seventies with all of her children grown, including the youngest daughter who is now a doctor, Kim Vui shows no signs of slowing down and continues to head her multi-million dollar empire.







Link(s):

50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time