Bich Thuan

Bích Thuận (1922-    ) is a legendary actress of Southern Vietnamese folk opera known as "cải lương".

Originally from Bắc Ninh province of Northern Vietnam, Bích Thuận began her career in Vietnamese folk opera theater in Hanoi at the age of 10.  She along with her younger sister, Tường Vi, had formed their own folk opera theater troupe called Nhật Tân Ban.  Bích Thuận would eventually collaborate with Tố Như Folk Opera Theater Troupe which turned her into a star in Northern Vietnam.  One of her most popular roles was her portrayal as Thúc Sinh, the male lead character in the play, Kim Vân Kiều, opposite legendary actress Kim Chung.  In 1948, Bích Thuận toured Southern Vietnam with the Tố Như Folk Opera Theater Troupe.  After the successful tour, Bích Thuận decided not to return to Hanoi with her fellow cast members of Tố Như Folk Opera Theater Troupe but instead remained in Saigon with her two nieces, up and coming folk opera actresses Bích Sơn and Bích Thủy, where she would form her own Bích Thuận Folk Opera Theater Troupe.  She quickly learned to sing as well as speak with an authentic Southern Vietnamese accent and became the first Vietnamese folk opera actress of Northern Vietnamese origin to have a large following of fans in Southern Vietnam.  In 1951, Bích Thuận joined the Phụng Hảo Folk Opera Theater Troupe, headed by legendary actress Phùng Há.  Among the most popular "cải lương" plays Bích Thuận had starred in while living in Saigon prior to 1975 include Gánh Hàng Hoa, Truồng Hận, Phùng Mậu Hạ San, Hoa Rơi Cửa Phật, Hai Bóng Hoa Rừng, Phấn Hậu Cung and Vụ Án Giết Chồng.  In 1969, Bích Thuận starred alongside Mộng Tuyền and Huỳnh Thái in the highly rated televised "cải lương" play, Kim Vân Kiều, which aired on South Vietnam's national channel 9.  In addition to the Southern Vietnamese folk opera stage, Bích Thuận had also achieved success in films and pop music.  As a film actress, she often portrayed the role of the sexy older woman in a handful of well received feature films including Mãnh Lực Đồng Tiền (1971), Sám Hối (1971) starring Túy Phượng and Sau Giờ Giới Nghiêm (1972) starring Trần Quang and Thanh Nga.  As a pop singer, Bích Thuận recorded for the record label, Việt Nam, scoring hits with singles such as Ai Về Sông Tương (written by Thông Đạt) and Trách Người Ra Đi (written by Đan Thơ).  Bích Thuận also taught as a theater professor at Quốc Gia Âm Nhạc Và Kịch Nghệ (University of Saigon, School of Fine Arts).

In 1980,  Bích Thuận and her husband, known as Tonton Hiếu, resettled in Paris, France.  She continued on with her career performing for the overseas Vietnamese communities in Europe.  Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Bích Thuận traveled to the United States and Canada on numerous occasions to perform for overseas Vietnamese audiences there.  In 1986, she starred with Dũng Thanh Lâm and Kim Tuyến in the "cải lương" video adaptation of the play, Chiêu Quân Cống Hồ.  In 1999, Bích Thuận was honored with a tribute live show in Paris, France sponsored by UNESCO to celebrate her 50 years as an entertainer.  In 2005, she wrote and published her autobiography.