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Thursday, December 28, 2017

Don Duong

Đơn Dương (1957-2011) was a famous Vietnamese actor.

Bùi Đơn Dương was born on August 27, 1957 in Đà Lạt, South Vietnam.  After high school, he attended the University of Đà Lạt in hopes of becoming a pharmacist.  While in college, Đơn Dương worked for a pharmaceutical company to support himself.  In 1982, through an introduction by actor Nguyễn Chánh Tín, he landed his first film role in Pho Tượng.  Đơn Dương became one of the top leading men in Vietnamese cinema throughout the 1990s.  Among his film credits include Vùng Trời Cho Chim Câu (1983), Bản Tình Ca (1984), Canh Bạc (1991) starring Thu Hà, for which he was honored with a Vietnamese National Film Festival Award for Best ActorPhía Sau Cuộc Chiến (1992) starring Diễm MyDấu Ấn Của Quỷ (1992) starring Ngọc Hiệp and Lê Cung Bắc, who was married to Đơn Dương's older sister, English teacher Bùi Thị Giang, Chuyện Tình Trong Ngõ Hẹp (1993) starring Thanh Quý and Mỹ DuyênCỏ Lau (1993) starring Minh ChâuGiữa Dòng (1995) starring Ngọc Hiệp, Bông Sen Vàng (1996) and Chung Cư (1999).  In 1993, Đơn Dương starred in his first overseas production, a Korean film, 머나먼 쏭바강 (Farewell to the River, Vietnamese title:  Tạm Biệt Sông Ba).  In 1996, Đơn Dương starred in the epic television movie, Người Đẹp Tây Đô, alongside an all-star cast including Việt Trinh, Hồng Ánh, Tú Trinh, Kim Xuân, Chi Bảo, Lê Công Tuấn Anh, Kinh Quốc, Lê Tuấn Anh and Thanh Thủy.

It was his role in the first Vietnamese-American produced film, the Sundance Film Festival Award-winning Three Seasons, in 1999, directed by his nephew, Timothy Linh Bùi, and starring Harvey Keitel, that had formally introduced Đơn Dương to movie audiences in the United States.  In 2001, he went to the United States to shoot two Hollywood pictures, Green Dragon (2001) starring Patrick Swayze, Forest Whitaker, Hiệp Thị Lê, Kathleen Lương and Kiều Chinh and We Were Soldiers (2002) starring Mel Gibson and Madeline Stowe.  Upon his return to Vietnam in 2002, Đơn Dương was subjected to severe criticism by government officials for his participation in the two previous Hollywood films that had portrayed the Vietnamese communist military in a negative light.  Đơn Dương was expelled from the Vietnamese Actor's Union, had his passport confiscated and was banned from working as an actor in Vietnam for the next several years.  In 2006, he and his wife along with their two sons emigrated to the United States.  Two years later, Đơn Dương divorced his first wife and married Mỹ Hạnh, a Vietnamese-American businesswoman, owner of Hạnh Phước Cosmetic Surgery Center in Houston, Texas and former Mrs. America Beauty Pageant Titleholder, who was 14 years his senior.  Đơn Dương passed away on July 12, 2011 in San Francisco from a brain hemorrhage.  

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Ngoc Lan (Actress)

For the late overseas Vietnamese singer, see Ngọc Lan.

Ngọc Lan (1985-    ) is a beautiful Vietnamese television actress.

Nguyễn Ngọc Lan was born on August 17, 1985 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.  As a teenager, she began a modeling career appearing in photo spreads for Mực Tím Magazine and karaoke music videos.  In 2004, Ngọc Lan made her acting debut with a supporting role in the television drama, Công Ty Thời Trang, starring Trương Ngọc Ánh and Bình Minh.  Although she hadn't received any prior formal training as an actress, Ngọc Lan managed to win praise from both critics and viewer audiences with her portrayal of the character, "Bé Ba", proving that she was a natural in her first television drama. 

Ngọc Lan in the Television Drama, Thuyền Giấy (2013)
The exposure gained from Công Ty Thời Trang would land Ngọc Lan steady work with significant roles on numerous other dramas in Vietnamese television.  In 2008, she was cast in the lead role in the television drama series, Tình Yêu Pha Lê , starring Hứa Vĩ Văn and Kim Hiền.  Among her other television acting credits include Ngõ Vắng (2009), Kiều Nữ và Đại Gia (2010), starring Thùy Lâm and Lý Nhã KỳÂm Tính (2010), Cuộc Gọi Lúc 0 Giờ (2010) starring Diễm My, Lê Bê La and Công NinhCổng Mặt Trời (2010) starring Lương Thế ThànhThẩm Mỹ Viện (2010) starring Phi Thanh VânLòng Dạ Đàn Bà (2011) starring Vân Trang, Dương Cẩm Lynh and Nam CườngTết Ơi Xuân À (2011) starring Hữu Châu and Thanh ThủyGánh Hát Chầu (2014) starring Hoài LinhSát Thủ Hoa Hồng Trắng (2015) starring Nguyễn Phi Hùng and Nó Là Con Tôi (2016) starring Lan Phương.  Her portrayal of "Hương Thảo", the lead role in the television drama series, Thuyền Giấy (2013), earned her an HTV Award for Best Actress and a Golden Kite Award for Best Actress in a Television Series in 2014. 

After a whirlwind courtship, Ngọc Lan married fellow actor Thanh Bình in a lavish wedding ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on July 22, 2016.  In the spring of 2017, the couple welcomed the birth of their first child, a baby boy, Louis Nguyễn, affectionately nicknamed as Phôi.

Link(s):

30 Sexiest Vietnamese Celebs of 2016

Friday, December 22, 2017

Chi Tam

Chí Tâm (1950-    ) is a popular Southern Vietnamese folk opera actor who had first risen to prominence in South Vietnam prior to the Fall of Saigon.  He was formerly married to overseas Vietnamese singing sensation, Hương Lan, from 1975 until 1982.

Dương Chí Tâm was born in 1950 in the provincial town of Vĩnh Long near the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam to Chinese-Vietnamese parents.  His father was a successful local businessman who  owned and operated one of the largest grocery stores in the region named Vĩnh Hưng Supermarket.  Chí Tâm was brought up in an upper middle class household located near the historical Long Tấn Playhouse Theater in Vĩnh Long which showcased live performances of popular Southern Vietnamese folk opera plays to packed audiences nightly.  From an early age, Chí Tâm's father had taken notice of his son's tremendous admiration along with natural talents for this particular style of singing and performing in Southern Vietnamese folk opera known as "cải lương".  With the encouragement and financial backing from his loving father, Chí Tâm was able to take private lessons from the age of six taught by some of the most respected veteran "cải lương" musicians and performers such as Bùi Kiên, Mười Ngoạn and Năm Thê.  At 13, his father sent him to Saigon where he would study with legendary "cải lương" musician/playwright Yên Sơn.  After 2 years as Yên Sơn's pupil, Chí Tâm was recruited to join Tinh Hoa Folk Opera Theater Troupe on a revue tour throughout Central Vietnam.  During his association with Tinh Hoa Folk Opera Theater Troupe, Chí Tâm began to achieve notoriety with live audiences through his portrayals of significant roles in such productions as Na Tra Lóc ThịtCông Chúa Thuỷ Tề and Người Ăn Cắp Bánh Mì, an adaptation of Les Misérables written by his teacher, Yên Sơn.  During this time, Chí Tâm had also gained national prominence with his audio recordings for the Continental record label of Southern Vietnamese folk opera compositions also written by Yên Sơn which include Em Bé Đánh Giầy, Về Bên Gối Mẹ, Con Quạ Con Chồn and Em Bé Bán Báo.  A year into joining Tinh Hoa Folk Opera Theater Troupe, Chí Tâm requested time off to return to his hometown to be near his mother upon receiving news that she had fallen ill.  As fate would have it, what was intended to be a brief hiatus from the "cải lương" stage until his mother's recovery unexpectedly turned into a lengthy absence which lasted for 5 years due to the the 16-year-old performer's voice changing during his return to Vĩnh Long drastically lowering his register beyond the minimal F key range required to sing Southern Vietnamese folk opera.  This abrupt ending to Chí Tâm's fledgling career as a Southern Vietnamese folk opera performer left him devastated.

For the next 5 years, Chí Tâm struggled as he had to give up his dreams of the "cải lương" stage and searched other avenues to find an alternative profession.  Initially, he remained in Vĩnh Long to help out with the family business and enrolled in classes to learn Cantonese.  After a while, it became apparent to his family and even to himself that the business world was not his true calling.  Chí Tâm then took his father's advice and relocated to Cần Thơ where he would undertake an apprenticeship  at Á Châu Photography Studio in hopes of learning the craft of portraiture.  Still fascinated with the "cải lương" stage, he took lessons with musician Tứ Quốc while in Cần Thơ to learn how to play the stringed monochord zither instrument known as "đàn bầu", which is primarily used to accompany musical scores of Southern Vietnamese folk opera plays.  After just several months, Chí Tâm was able to master the "đàn bầu" and joined the regional folk opera orchestra, Tây Đô Cần Thơ, while maintaining his day job at the photography studio.  He also participated as the narrator and accompanying musician on the radio folk opera program, Thi Văn Tao Đàn, which aired weekly on the national military radio network for the ARVN.

Miraculously, in 1971 Chí Tâm's vocal range was fully restored to his original key prior to the voice change.  He then resumed his career as a Southern Vietnamese folk opera performer and collaborated with the Dạ Quang Châu Theater Troupe.  This would be followed by a recruitment from the Kim Chung 5 Theater Troupe at the legendary Olympic Playhouse Theater in Saigon where he replaced actor Minh Vương.  Chí Tâm later joined the Kim Chung 2 Theater Troupe and achieved great success in the "cải lương" plays alongside legendary actor Minh PhụngNhất Kiếm Bá Vương and Nhạn Về Xóm Liễu, which also costarred Lệ Thủy and Kiều Tiên.  Toward the end of 1971, Chí Tâm became the lead actor of the Kim Chung 2 Theater Troupe usually playing opposite lead actress Mỹ Châu after actor Phương Bình had left to start his own theater troupe.  Right around this time, Chí Tâm was introduced to the record label, Việt Nam, by playwright Loan Thảo and was signed as a recording artist of "cải lương" audio productions.  His biggest success in audio recordings was of the classic play, Lan và Điệp, with actress Thanh Kim Huệ.  In 1974, Chí Tâm starred alongside Hữu Phước and his daughter, Hương Lan, in the play, Hán Đế Biệt Chiêu Quân.  The positive reaction from audience members who had taken notice of the chemistry between them prompted Kim Chung 2 Theater Troupe to pair up Chí Tâm and Hương Lan again on March of 1975 for the play, Nắng Thu Về Ngõ Trúc.  By then, the two had become romantically involved off the stage.  After a courtship lasting for less than a year, the couple were married on December of 1975.  In 1977, Chí Tâm and Hương Lan welcomed the birth of their first son, Henri Bảo Nhi, in Ho Chi Minh City.  On February of 1978, the couple along with their young son relocated to Paris, France and several months later welcomed the birth of their second child, another baby boy named Patrick Bảo Trang.  They divorced in 1982.  Three years later, Hương Lan resettled in Southern California taking along with her their two sons.

While living in Paris, Chí Tâm began working for the international telecommunications company, Alcatel Thompson, in 1979.  In 1982, he along with late fellow Vietnamese folk opera performer, Michel Mỹ, founded the Năm Châu Theater Troupe, which performed for overseas Vietnamese audiences in various European countries such as France, Belgium, Switzerland, West Germany, Norway and Denmark.  During the fall of 1989, Chí Tâm left his home and secured job of 10 years at Alcatel Thompson in Paris, France to resettle in Houston, Texas where he would remain for the next 7 years working as a columnist for Vietnam Post and Thương Mại Việt Nam Magazines.  In 1996, Chí Tâm relocated to Orange County, California upon the invitation by Làng Văn to work at the music production label's recording studio as their recording engineer.  After a year working for Làng Văn, he opened his own recording studio.  Chí Tâm has since done music arrangements for the overseas Vietnamese music label, Hải Âu, and various other artists. 


Since 1999, Chí Tâm has been the co-host of a radio program on Little Saigon Radio together with radio personality, Chu Ly.  The radio program, which features a daily news segment, a talk show, interviews and various genres of Vietnamese music including pop, traditional, folk and folk opera,  airs Monday through Friday from 1pm until 6pm (PST).

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Chí Tâm recorded a series of "tân cổ giao duyên", a combination of Vietnamese pop and folk opera music genres, studio albums together with Hương Lan for the labels, Làng Văn and Người Đẹp Bình Dương.  In the 1990s, Chí Tâm appeared on several video productions for Làng Văn, most memorable being a music comedy sketch he had written and composed, entitled as Đưa Nàng Về Dinh, performed with popular Anglo-American singer Dalena.  He has also graced the Paris By Night stage, produced by Thúy Nga. with a trilogy of  "tân cổ giao duyên" duet performances together with Hương Lan and most recently, on volume 113 in a comedy sketch, Đại Hội Táo Quân, alongside Thúy Nga, Duy Trường, Hoài Tâm and the late Kiều Linh.  In 2011, Chí Tâm had appeared on volume 67 of the popular live show music video series produced by Asia Entertainment in a duet performance of the song, Ngày Xuân Vui Cưới, with singer Sơn Ca

Chí Tâm currently resides in Orange County, California with his long-time life partner, Minh Tuyền.  The two had first met back in 1999 shortly after Chí Tâm had relocated from Houston, Texas.