Anh Minh

Ánh Minh (1985-    ) is a popular overseas Vietnamese singer.

Born as Lê Đoàn Ánh Minh on May 16, 1985 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, she is the third eldest in a family of six children.  At the age of two, Ánh Minh and her family fled Vietnam by boat.  The family endured several harsh months living in refugee camps before their arrival in Southern California.  They first resettled in San Bernardino where her father found work as a cashier at a local donut shop.  Several years later, the family relocated to Redlands where her parents would own and operate their own business, a manicure salon.

In 2003, Ánh Minh signed with Asia Entertainment as a duo act, known as Puriti, paired together with singer/songwriter Thùy Hương.  That same year, Puriti was featured on two consecutive volumes of Asia Entertainment's popular live show music video series.  On volume 40, which was filmed in Toronto, Canada, the duo made their debut appearance on video performing the song, Tình Đầu (written by Sỹ Đan).  On volume 41, Ánh Minh and Thùy Hương chose to perform an original song that they had written together called Baby I Would.  They would appear together as a duo on a total of 9 volumes of Asia Entertainment's video series and record two studio albums for the label, Baby I Would (2004) and Men Say Tình Ái (2006).  Among the duo's most well received songs recorded for the Asia Entertainment label include Without You, No Part of You and Set Me Free, all of which the two of them had written and composed.  In 2005, Ánh Minh made her first solo appearance on volume 47 of Asia Entertainment's video series performing a song she had written called Take Control.  Five years later, that same song would be featured as the title track for her debut solo studio album released by Asia Entertainment.  Long before the two performers' last appearance together as a duo on volume 60 of Asia Entertainment's video series released in 2008, it was apparent that Ánh Minh had been poised to embark on a solo career.  During her lengthy tenure with Asia Entertainment, Ánh Minh had also recorded and appeared on music videos together with various other artists including Mai Lệ Huyền, Don Hồ, Quốc Khanh and Đoàn Phi.  Other studio albums of Ánh Minh released by Asia Entertainment include Liên Khúc Chinese Remix (2007), recorded with Lâm Nhật Tiến, Lâm Thúy Vân and Lê Nguyên, Liên Khúc Mưa (2010), recorded with Lâm Thúy Vân, Nguyễn Hồng Nhung and Quốc Khanh and her second solo, Mùa Đông Yêu Thương (2010).

After 8 years as an exclusive recording artist of Asia Entertainment, in 2011 Ánh Minh decided to leave the label and sign with Thúy Nga, the largest overseas Vietnamese music production label.  Ánh Minh's first appearance on Thúy Nga's Paris By Night video series was as a solo performance of the song, Bắt Đầu Một Kết Thúc (written by Phúc Trường), featured on volume 104, which was filmed at the Zappos Theater Auditorium of Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort and Casino during the fall of that same year.  During her 5 years signed with the Thúy Nga label, Ánh Minh was featured in over a dozen volumes of its extremely popular Paris By Night video series.  In 2014, Thúy Nga released a solo DVD of Ánh Minh entitled as Mơ (Dreams).  She recorded two more solo studio albums released by Thúy Nga, Sunrise (2013) and Love (2016).  Ánh Minh has also performed in many well-received duets with various top overseas Vietnamese male vocalists on the Paris By Night stage which include Justin Nguyễn, Mai Tiến Dũng and Lương Tùng Quang.  Her greatest success, both commercially and critically, while signed with Thúy Nga was a song she had written together with Vietnamese-Filipino musician Dương Khắc Linh in 2015 called Tôi Là Người Việt Nam.  The popularity of Tôi Là Người Việt Nam prompted Thúy Nga to feature two different performances of the song on two consecutive volumes of the Paris By Night seres, the first was featured on volume 114 of Ánh Minh in a quartet together with three other singers, Trịnh Lam, Thiên Tôn and Hương Giang, and the second was featured on volume 115 of Ánh Minh in a solo.

Ánh Minh is currently one of the highest paid overseas Vietnamese entertainers.  With a command in salary of $4,000 USD per live performance, Ánh Minh does about 50 live performances annually.  She has performed for overseas Vietnamese audiences all over the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and Japan.  In addition, Ánh Minh has also been a spokesmodel for various brand names such as Senhoa Jewelry, Belage Gourmet and Twinkle Lens.  She is at present not under contract with any music production label and is a freelance contractor.  Most recently, Ánh Minh
appeared on volume 79 of the popular live show video series produced by Asia Entertainment where she performed a solo of the song, Tình Yêu Đã Hết Rồi (written by Mystic Nguyễn), which was filmed at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada during the fall of 2016 and released during the spring of 2017.

Link(s):

20 Hottest Viet Celebs of 2017
Ánh Minh Fan Club on Facebook

Trường Hải

Trường Hải (1938-2021) was a famous Vietnamese singer and songwriter.

Tạ Trường Hải was born in 1938 in the town of Sóc Trăng, South Vietnam.  At the age of 18, he along with fellow aspiring musician, Thanh Sơn, traveled to Saigon to enter a national singing contest.  Trường Hải's performance of the song, Gặp Nhau (written by Hoàng Thi Thơ), placed him in second behind his friend, Thanh Sơn, who had become the winner of the contest.  For the next several years, Trường Hải found work as a guitarist and saxophone player for various bands at some of the top cabarets in Saigon such as Kim Sơn, Hòa Bình and Đại Nam.  While working at these nightclubs, Trường Hải began his career as a songwriter.  His first published song was Còn Nhớ Tôi Không.  Other popular songs written by Trường Hải include Những Chiều Không Có Em, which was originally recorded and made famous by singer Hùng Cường, Nhịp Đàn Vui and Tình Ca Người Đi Biển.  In the early 1970s, Trường Hải formed his own band which headlined nightly at the Au Ma Cabane Nightclub in Saigon.  He also formed his own record label, simply called Trường Hải, and produced for various artists such as Nhật Thiên Lan, Giao Linh, Thanh Lan, Anh Khoa, Carol Kim, Mai Lệ Huyền, Thanh Thúy, Thái Thanh, Khánh Ly, Lệ Thu, Thanh Tuyền, Phương Dung, Nhật Trường and Trúc Mai.

In 1979, Trường Hải fled communist Vietnam along with his wife and two children by boat.  After a year spent at a refugee camp in Indonesia, he and his family resettled in Southern California.  In 1981, he reopened his music production label.  Among his most successful albums produced in the United States was a duet album recorded with singer Giao Linh, Khổ Qua (1986).  Following his divorce in the early 1990s, Trường Hải spent most of the decade living in Vietnam.  Trường Hải passed away in Orange County, California on June 11, 2021 after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease.  

Trizzie Phương Trinh

Trizzie Phương Trinh (1966-    ) is a beautiful overseas Vietnamese singer.  

Born as Nguyễn Thị Phương Trinh on September 2, 1966 in Saigon, South Vietnam, at the age of 13 she resettled with her family in the United States.  Trizzie Phương Trinh began her professional singing career while in her early twenties when she was discovered by musician/singer Quốc Sĩ, original founding member of The Magic Band.  Instantaneously, Trizzie Phương Trinh was able to garner a large following of loyal fans with her energetic style of live performing, striking beauty and alluring stage presence.  She recorded for such labels like Do Ré Mi, Làng Văn and Thúy Anh.  Trizzie Phương Trinh became famous for such recordings of songs like Don't Leave Me This Way, Final Countdown, I Don't Like to Sleep Alone and Carrie.  She recorded duets with other singers such as Trung Hành, Thái Tài and Đon Hồ.  In Orange County, California Trizzie Phương Trinh headlined at various major Vietnamese cabarets like Club Rex, Diamond, Au Baccara and Majestic.  Trizzie Phương Trinh has performed live for Vietnamese audiences all over the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe.  She has been accredited for discovering singers Thanh Hà and Phi Nhung.  In 1991, Trizzie Phương Trinh made her debut appearance on Thúy Nga's Paris By Night video series with a cover of the popular song by Black Box, Everybody.  In 1994, Trizzie Phương Trinh made her debut appearance on video for Asia Entertainment on the label's first video production volume, Đêm Sài Gòn 1: In Las Vegas, (Caesars Palace) with a performance of the song, Hoang Vắng (written by Quốc Dũng).  In 2002, Trizzie Phương Trinh made her acting debut in the Vietnamese television mini-series, Sương Gió Biên Thùy, costarring actress Việt Trinh.

Trizzie Phương Trinh in the Vietnamese Television Mini-Series,
Sương Gió Biên Thùy (2002)

Trizzie Phương Trinh and Bằng Kiều on Their Wedding Day (9-25-2002)

On September 25, 2002, Trizzie Phương Trinh married Vietnamese singer Bằng Kiều in a private ceremony held in Orange County, California.  After 12 years of marriage and three sons, the couple parted ways on May of 2013 due to Bằng Kiều's alleged extra-marital affair with Vietnamese beauty queen, Dương Mỹ Linh.  


Trizzie Phương Trinh is currently the owner of two successful businesses, iTango Sports Bar and Lounge in Garden Grove, California and Z Café House in Westminster, California.  She is also the co-host of Z-Talk, a Vietnamese language television talk show which airs on VietFace TV 57.2.     

Link(s):

50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time

Z Café House Facebook Page

Gaile Lok

Gaile Lok (1980-    ) is a beautiful Hong Kong fashion model and actress.

She was born as Lai Ga Yi, or 黎嘉仪 in simplified Chinese, in Macau on August 22, 1980 to a Chinese father and a Vietnamese mother.  Gail Lok grew up primarily in Hong Kong and studied in the United States.  She began her modeling career while still a teenager and appeared on the cover of numerous fashion magazines throughout Asia.  In 2000, Gaile Lok made her acting debut in the Hong Kong romantic film, I Do.  Four years later, she starred in another Hong Kong feature film, My Sweetie. 

In 2006, Gaile Lok began dating Hong Kong actor/singer Leon Lai.  In 2009, the couple secretly married at a small ceremony held at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.  On October 3, 2012, the couple announced that they were divorced.

In 2017, Gaile Lok remarried to wealthy Chinese businessman, Ian Chu.

Link(s):

20 Hottest Viet Celebs of 2017

Duy Truong

Duy Trường (1978-    ) is a popular overseas Vietnamese singer.

He was born on June 9, 1978 in the small district-level town known as Hồng Ngự of Đồng Tháp Province located in the Mekong Delta near the Vietnamese-Cambodian frontier.  He was given the full name, Trần Quốc Dũng, at birth.  In 1993, he along with his family left their native Vietnam for the United States.  During the first several years in the United States, they resettled in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  But his dreams of one day pursuing a career as a professional Vietnamese singer eventually lured him to Southern California, home of the largest Vietnamese-American community and considered as the unofficial entertainment capital for overseas Vietnamese communities worldwide.  Toward the end of the year 2000, he began collaborating with Vân Sơn Entertainment as a recording artist billed under the name, Quốc Dũng (not to be confused with Quốc Dũng, legendary musician/songwriter and husband of singer Bảo Yến.)  After recording a solo studio album, Nàng Yêu Hoa Tím (2001), and a duet studio album with singer Tâm Đoan, Tình Trong Mưa (2001), along with three forgettable appearances on Vân Sơn Entertainment's live show music video series (volumes 18, 19 & 20), he decided to leave the label within only a year.  He then signed with Tình Productions and changed his professional stage name from Quốc Dũng to Duy Trường, which is a combination of the names of his two music idols, Duy Khánh and Nhật Trường.  While signed with Tình Productions, he appeared on volumes 9 and 10 of the label's popular music video series and recorded a studio medley album as part of a trio along with singers Tâm Đoan and Tường Nguyên, Liên Khúc Buồn Như Phượng (2002).  However, just like his previous experience with Vân Sơn Entertainment, Duy Trường's collaboration with Tình Productions left him somewhat disenchanted with his fledgling singing career.  For the next several years, he put the music business aside and went back to school to pursue a degree in architecture.

In the summer of 2006, Duy Trường was approached by his former singing partner, Tường Nguyên, to record and appear on video as a trio for Asia Entertainment together with Tường Khuê a remake of an old, classic tune orginally made famous by legendary singer Thanh Phong, Ly Cà Phê Cuối Cùng (written by Minh Kỳ and Thế Vinh).  This appearance on Asia Entertainment led to another music video appearance as a trio with the same two singing partners of the song, Cánh Hoa Yêu, for Rainbow Productions.  In 2007, Duy Trường made his debut appearance on volume 86 of Thúy Nga's Paris By Night video series in a duet performance with singer Quỳnh Dung of the song, Ai Khổ Vì Ai (written by Thương Linh).  For the next 8 years, Duy Trường recorded exclusively for the  Thúy Nga label.  Two years after his debut appearance on the Paris By Night stage, Duy Trường teamed up again with Quỳnh Dung and singer Khánh Hoàng to perform a medley of songs as a trio on volume 96 of the video series, in which his performance of Người Lính Già Xa Quê Hương (written by Nhật Ngân) won over the hearts of Vietnamese music lovers worldwide.  This performance has since been considered as Duy Trường's career breakthrough and what had turned him into a bonafide star in Vietnamese entertainment.  Other noteworthy solo performances by Duy Trường include such songs like Nội Tôi (written by Đình Văn), Tội Tình (written by Hàn Châu), Kẻ Trắng Tay (written by Ngọc Sơn), Giận Em (written by Lâm Thái Hiền), Hương Xưa (written by Vũ Hoàng) and Thà Giết Người Yêu (written by Vinh Sử).  Duy Trường has recorded duets with artists such as Hương Thủy, Hạ Vy, Mai Thiên Vân, Phi Nhung and Lương Tùng Quang for the Thúy Nga label.  In addition to his contributions as a singer on the Paris By Night stage, Duy Trường has also acted in comedy sketches featured on the live show video series alongside Bảo Quốc, Việt Hương, Thúy Nga, Chí Tâm and Hoài Tâm.

Việt Hương and Duy Trường
at his concert event in Ho Chi Minh City (6-30-18)

On June of 2015, Duy Trường celebrated the formation of his own music production label with the release of a solo studio album, Thất Tình, at a sold-out concert event in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.  His latest solo studio album, Còn Gì Em Ơi, was released in 2017.