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Thursday, June 16, 2016

Minh Vuong

Minh Vuong (1950-    ) is a famous actor of Southern Vietnamese folk opera known as cai luong.

Born as Nguyen Van Vung in Long An, South Vietnam in 1950, he grew up in a family of 7 children.  At the age of 14, he signed with the prestigious Kim Chung Folk Opera Theater Troupe as a contract player.  After a year working as an understudy and taking on supporting roles for various cai luong stage productions associated with Kim Chung, Minh Vuong mysteriously fell ill losing all of his hair and took a year off to recover.  He returned to Kim Chung in 1965.  And by the age of 18, Minh Vuong turned into a leading actor.  Among his most popular cai luong plays prior to 1975 include Bao Cong Xu An Quach Que starring Minh Canh, My Chau, Thanh Tuan and Thanh Kim Hue, Dem Lanh Chua Hoang starring Minh Canh, Le Thuy, Thanh SangThanh Thanh Hoa, Nam Hung and Van Chung, Chung Vo Diem starring Le Thuy, Thanh Kim Hue and Tu Trinh, Ao Vu Co Hang starring Minh Phung, My Chau, Dung Thanh Lam and Huu Phuoc, Tieu Anh Phung starring My Chau, Le Thuy and Kim Ngoc and Xin Mot Lan Co Yeu Nhau starring Minh Canh, Le Thuy and Phuong Lien.  In 1972, he developed his own successful theater troupe which remained in operation up until the Fall of Saigon.  Minh Vuong had also signed with the Viet Nam record label during the early 1970s and became one of the most popular cai luong audio recording artists of the day.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Minh Vuong reached the height of popularity in his career as a cai luong performer.  He starred in many cai luong productions on stage as well as video adaptations of such classic plays like Doi Co Luu alongside Bach Tuyet, Thanh Duoc, Diep Lang, Ngoc Giau and Le Thuy, Rang Ngoc Con Son with Tấn Tài and Cam Tien, Tam Long Cua Bien with Chau Thanh, Le Thuy and Bao Trang, So Phan with Tai Linh and Suoi Oan with Ngoc Huyen and Kim Tu Long.  In 2011, he along with cast members from the 1980s stage production of Doi Co Luu starred in a highly successful comedy version of the classic play with comedian Hoai Linh.  Among his many accolades, Minh Vuong has been named by Tuoi Tre Magazine as Cai Luong Male Performer of the Decade in 1985, awarded with a Huy Chuong Vang, Vietnam's equivalent to a Tony, in 1990, officially recognized by the Vietnamese government as Nghe Si Uu Tu, Meritorious Artist, in 2007, named by Guinness Vietnam along with Le Thuy as the Most Successful Cai Luong Pair Performers of All Time in 2008 and awarded with a Mai Vang, Golden Orchid, also in 2008.


In 2008, Minh Vuong performed a duet with Huong Lan of Tan Co Tieng Ho Mien Nam written by Pham Duy and Vien Chau on Volume 91 of the popular overseas video series, Paris By Night, produced by Thuy Nga which was filmed at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in Long Beach, California.  Minh Vuong has performed for overseas Vietnamese audiences all over Europe and North America.  He currently resides in Ho Chi Minh City where he and his wife, Do Thi Hong, also own and operate a boutique.  

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