Trang Mỹ Dung (1951- ) is a famous Vietnamese singer.
Trương Thị Mỹ Dung was born in 1951 in Phan Thiết, South Vietnam. At the age of 6, she and her family relocated to Saigon. In 1967, she entered a national talent competition sponsored by South Vietnam's national television network,
Đài Truyền Hình Sài Gòn, under the stage name, Mỹ Dung. Although she didn't win, she did manage to spark the attention of prominent musician,
Anh Bằng, who was serving on the panel of judges at the competition. Instantaneously, Anh Bằng saw that she had star potential and persuaded her to enroll at
Lê Minh Bằng Music Academy, which he had founded along with his two other musician friends,
Lê Dinh and
Minh Kỳ. While studying at Lê Minh Bằng, she became a member of the singing quartet,
Tạp Lục, which was founded by musician
Tùng Lâm and also included other singers
Trang Thanh Lan,
Trang Kim Yến and
Trang Kim Phụng. This was when she added "Trang" to her stage name and became known as Trang Mỹ Dung. The quartet performed weekly on a national radio broadcasting network in South Vietnam. Shortly thereafter, Trang Mỹ Dung was introduced by Anh Bằng to the executives at
Asia - Sóng Nhạc record label where she would begin her career as a recording artist. The first song she recorded for the label was
Hai Mùa Mưa, written and composed by Anh Bằng. Released as a single, the song became an instant bestseller in South Vietnam and turned Trang Mỹ Dung into a star.
During the early 1970s, Trang Mỹ Dung was one of the busiest recording artists in South Vietnam. She collaborated with numerous record labels including
Việt Nam,
Nhạc Ngày Xanh,
Capitol,
Hồng Hoa,
Thiên Thai,
Kim Đằng and
Premier. Trang Mỹ Dung also teamed up with male vocalist,
Giang Tử, and recorded a string of duet hit singles such as
Chuyện Loài Hoa Dang Dở (written by
Y Vũ),
Không Phải Tại Chúng Mình (written by
Ngọc Văn) and
Đôi Mắt Người Xưa (written by
Ngân Giang). Her popularity led to live performances all over Central and Southern Vietnam and Laos. In the winter of 1973, Trang Mỹ Dung's singing career came to a screeching halt after an automobile accident while on tour in Central Vietnam shattering her jaw bone which require surgery and nearly a year to recover.
Like most singers from South Vietnam of her era, Trang Mỹ Dung's career experienced a standstill during the first several years after the Fall of Saigon. Unlike many of her peers who emigrated overseas, Trang Mỹ Dung chose to remain in Vietnam despite the harsh conditions under the new communist regime. When Vietnam's communist government finally eased up on regulations allowing nightclubs and cabarets to reopen during the 1980s, Trang Mỹ Dung then resumed her career full force. After the passing of her mother in 1997, she decided to give her singing career a break for several years. In 2004, Trang Mỹ Dung released a solo studio album,
Trả Lại Thời Gian. Four years later, she recorded another solo studio album,
Giọt Buồn Trong Mưa, for the
Rạng Đông music label. And in 2014, Trang Mỹ Dung recorded a duet album,
Đèn Đêm Phố, with singer
Linh Vũ for the
Apple Films label.
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| Phương Dung (left) and Trang Mỹ Dung (right) in 2014 |
In recent years, Trang Mỹ Dung has made her return to the stage performing in live concert shows with fellow veteran singers such as
Vân Khánh,
Elvis Phương,
Ánh Tuyết,
Phương Dung and
Giao Linh. A devout Buddhist, she performs often for charity events held at various temples all over Vietnam. Trang Mỹ Dung lives in her mansion located in the Gò Vấp district of Ho Chi Minh City with her younger sister and father. Divorced from a short-lived marriage during the 1980s, Trang Mỹ Dung has no children.
