Viet Hung

Việt Hùng (1923-2001) was a famous Southern Vietnamese folk opera actor.

Originally from Nha Trang, he had been given the name, Nguyễn Hữu Hùng, at birth.  After the untimely passing of his father, he along with his mother and older sister moved to Đà Lạt and then finally to Saigon.  At the age of 19, he began his career in entertainment as a pop singer working with the likes of musician Mạnh Phát along with singers Minh Diệu, Minh Trang and Kim Tước.  In 1948, Việt Hùng traveled to Paris, France to record an album for the French record label, Pathé Marconi.

Ngọc Nuôi & Việt Hùng

Việt Hùng eventually made the transition to Southern Vietnamese folk opera.  He found great success starring in such Southern Vietnamese folk opera plays like Tình Tráng Sĩ and Đồ Bàn Di Hận, opposite Út Bạch Lan, and Nửa Đời Hương Phấn with Thanh Nga.  In 1950, he met and married fellow Southern Vietnamese folk opera performer, Ngọc Nuôi.  His first marriage had been to a nurse back during the 1940s in which he had fathered a son.  Together with Ngọc Nuôi, the pair starred in numerous successful Southern Vietnamese folk opera plays such as Khi Đào Hát Trả Ơn, Đàn Chim Sắt, Đường Lên Xứ Thái, Đoạn Tuyệt and Mỹ Nhân & Loạn Tướng.  The couple would have a total of 6 children together who would later on form a popular rock band in Saigon known as The Crazy Dogs.

On April 30, 1975, just hours prior to the Fall of Saigon, Việt Hùng's family would be separated as he along with four of his children, Việt Tài, Việt Năng, Ngọc Châu and Ngọc Quý, were rescued by an American helicopter while his wife, Ngọc Nuôi, daughter, Ngọc Bích, and son, Việt Sinh, were left behind.  He missed with his wife and three children back in Vietnam dearly.  As months turned into years, with no diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam during the 1970s and 1980s, it seemed like a reunion for his family was light years away.  During the early 1980s, he met and married his third wife, Gia Mỹ.

Once resettled in the United States, Việt Hùng continued on with his career performing for overseas Vietnamese audiences.  He traveled to Canada, Australia and various countries in Europe performing recitals of classic Southern Vietnamese folk opera plays.  Việt Hùng reprised his roles in numerous video adaptations produced in the United States for overseas Vietnamese audiences such as Tiếng Hạc Trong Trăng, Nửa Đời Hương Phấn and Lan và Điệp.  In 1988, he costarred with Hữu Phước, Hương Lan, Thành Được, Dũng Thanh Lâm, Phượng Mai and Băng Châu in the play, Tấm Lòng Của Biển, at the Anaheim Convention Center in front of an audience of 7,000 people.

In 1989, his wife from Vietnam, Ngọc Nuôi, and two children arrived in the United States.  The family reunion would prove to be bittersweet as he had to break the news of his marriage to Gia Mỹ.

On July 27, 2001, Việt Hùng celebrated his 60th anniversary at a sold out event held in his honor in Orange County, California.  Five months later, on December 31, 2001, Việt Hùng passed away from respiratory failure.  His wife, Ngọc Nuôi, followed him on September 23, 2002.