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.

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50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time