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.
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| Giao Linh during a live performance in Ho Chi Minh City (July, 2015) |
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| Giao Linh (right) and singer Thái Châu (left) in Vietnam (2016) |
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When Giao Linh moved back to Vietnam in 2000, she decided to reopen Pho Giao Linh Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.
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