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Monday, July 23, 2018

Huy Khánh

Huy Khánh (1981-    ) is a famous Vietnamese actor of film and television.  

He was born as Trần Phan Huy Khánh on January 7, 1981 in Milan, Italy to a Vietnamese father and a French mother.  Huy Khánh is a graduate from the prestigious Cao Đẳng Sân Khấu Điện Ảnh (Stage and Film Academy) in Ho Chi Minh City.  Due to his renowned playboy image, he has been dubbed as Don Juan Huy Khánh.  Among the actresses he has been romantically linked with include Kim Tuyến and Tăng Thanh Hà.  

Among his film and television acting credits include Dốc Tình (2004), Hoa Dã Quỳ (2008) starring Ngọc Diệp, Áo Cưới Thiên Đường (2009), Chuyện Tình Xa Xứ (2009) starring Bình Minh, Cô Dâu Đại Chiến (2011) starring Ngọc Diệp, Ngân Khánh and Vân TrangLệ Phí Tình Yêu (2012) starring Hiếu HiềnMinh Hằng and Ngọc Quyên and Để Mai tính 2 (2014) starring Thái Hòa.



Married to wife, actress Hoàng Anh, since 2005, Huy Khánh is father to a young son.  In 2010, allegations made by his wife of an extra-marital affair between Huy Khánh and actress/model Mạc Anh Thư made front page headlines in Vietnamese tabloids.  

Link(s):

20 Hottest Viet Celebs of 2017

Kelly Marie Tran


Kelly Marie Tran (1989-    ) is an American actress of Vietnamese descent.

She was born on January 17, 1989 in San Diego, California.  Both of her parents were originally from Vietnam.  After graduating from Westview High School in San Diego, Kelly Marie Tran moved to Los Angeles for college.  In 2011, she earned her BA degree in communications from UCLA.

Early on in her career, Kelly Marie Tran found work doing improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade and The Second City.  She also landed small parts in several short films.  In 2014, Kelly Marie Tran starred in the web series, Ladies Like Us.  In 2015, she was cast in the role of Rose Tico, the younger sister of Paige Tico, played by Veronica Ngo, in Star Wars:  The Last Jedi.  Her portrayal of Rose Tico earned her nominations for an Empire Award as best newcomer and a Saturn Award for best supporting actress.  In 2017, Kelly Marie Tran became the first Asian woman on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine when she appeared on the cover of the summer issue with John Boyega and Oscar Isaac. 

Kelly Marie Tran is currently a cast regular on the web series, Sorry for Your Loss

Sunday, July 22, 2018

Mai Tien Dung

Mai Tiến Dũng (1988-    ) is a famous overseas Vietnamese pop singer.

His complete name given at birth is Mai Đặng Tiến Dũng.  He was born on September 29, 1988 in Ho Chi Minh City.  At the age of 11, Mai Tiến Dũng and his family left their native homeland and resettled in the United States. 

At the age of 19, Mai Tiến Dũng made the semi-finals in Thúy Nga's PBN Talent Show and won over the audience with his live performance of the song, Chuyện Chàng Cô Ðơn (written by Hoàng Bách), featured on volume 86 of the Paris By Night video series.  The following year, Mai Tiến Dũng tore up the floor as a celebrity contestant on volume 93 of the Paris By Night video series, Celebrity Dancing - Khiêu Vũ Của Các Ngôi Sao.  For his performance, Mai Tiến Dũng chose to dance to a ballroom swing number which he had recently recorded, the classic Vietnamese tune, 60 Năm Cuộc Đời (written by Y Vân).  Mai Tiến Dũng ended up receiving the Audience's Choice Winner Award, while the Judge's Choice Winner Gold and Silver Awards went to singers Hương Thủy and Hương Lan, respectively.

Mai Tiến Dũng has since become one of the most popular performers on the Paris By Night stage.  Among the most popular songs he has performed on the series include Yêu Như Ngày Yêu Cuối (written by Tăng Nhật Tuệ), Ngày Mai Chuyện Đã Khác (written by Hoàng Huy Long), Dance With Me (written by Lưu Thiên Hương), Chúc Xuân Tài Lộc (written by Lương Bằng Quang), Giáng Sinh Không Nhà (written by Phan Mạnh Quỳnh) and Đông (written by Vũ Cát Tường).  He has also performed many duets with other singers including Hương GiangTóc Tiên and Lương Tùng Quang.  In 2015, Mai Tiến Dũng acted in a comedy sketch, High Tech Hay Low Tech, on volume 116 of the Paris By Night series alongside Hồng Đào, Quang Minh and Daniel Phú.   












































































  

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Vietnamese Celebrity Homes Part 7a

Here are the next homes owned by Vietnamese celebrities featured in our Vietnamese Celebrity Homes series.  Like our other posts, these homes owned by Vietnamese celebrities are quite diverse as they range from modest to ultra-luxurious.


1. Actor Lý Hùng, who had once been dubbed as "Ông Hoàng Phòng Vé" (Box Office King) for having one blockbuster film after another during the 1990s decade in Vietnam.  Although his film career has slowed down significantly since then, Lý Hùng has invested well.  That is why he was able to purchase this mansion located in the 11th district of Ho Chi Minh City at the beginning of the year 2017.

Lý Hùng standing in front of his Ho Chi Minh City mansion.  
Lý Hùng sits with family in his living room. 

 2.  Actress Chi Pu, also known as Vietnam's Hot Girl, and her family own this 4-story house located in the Xuân La District of Hanoi.


Living Room Inside Chi Pu's Hanoi Home

Dining Room Inside Chi Pu's Hanoi Home



Bằng Kiều's Home in Orange County, California  
















3. Vietnamese singer Bằng Kiều had left his native Hanoi in 2002 to resettle in the United States when he married overseas Vietnamese singer Trizzie Phương Trinh.  Now divorced, Bằng Kiều now divides his time living between his two homes, a house he had built himself located in Orange County, California and a deluxe penthouse located in the 2nd district of Ho Chi Minh City.
Bằng Kiều is a man who enjoys gardening.  When he's not on tour
performing for Vietnamese audiences all over the world,
 Bằng Kiều usually can be found tending to his garden
at his home in Orange County, California. 
Here is a bonsai plant that sits in his backyard.  
Fishing Pond in Backyard of Bằng Kiều's Home
in Orange County, California 

Bằng Kiều sitting in the living room of his penthouse located in the 2nd district of Ho Chi Minh City



4. Vietnamese singer and businesswoman Kiwi Ngô Mai Trang, her husband and their two children divide their time between their two homes, a tranquil cottage located in the rural district of Bình Chánh, which is approximately a 45-minute drive from the city, and a deluxe penthouse located on the 15th floor of a skyriser building in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. 

Kitchen of Kiwi Ngô Mai Trang's Country Home in Bình Chánh

Japanese Style Dining Room Inside Kiwi Ngô Mai Trang's Country Home in Bình Chánh

Living Room of Kiwi Ngô Mai Trang's Deluxe Penthouse in Downtown Saigon 

 5. Singer/Actress Thủy Tiên and husband, soccer player Công Vinh, recently purchased this luxurious million dollar home located in the 7th district of Ho Chi Minh City.


Living Room of Thủy Tiên's Mansion in Ho Chi Minh City


 Link(s):  
















Ngoc Minh

Ngọc Minh (1945-    ) is a famous Vietnamese singer and former cinema of Saigon actress.  Due to her tireless work entertaining for the ARVN troops during the Vietnam War, Ngọc Minh has been dubbed as "Người Yêu Của Lính" (Soldier's Love) after her signature song of the same name written by Nhật Trường.

She was born on November 20, 1945 in Móng Cái, a city of Quảng Ninh Province in North Vietnam, to parents whom were of Thai origin.  In 1954, Ngọc Minh and her family migrated to South Vietnam resettling in the city of Đà Lạt.  In 1964, Ngọc Minh made her debut live performance at the Quốc Gia Âm Nhạc (University of Saigon, School of Fine Arts) auditorium where she won over the audience with her heartfelt interpretations of the songs, Tình Ca (written by Phạm Duy) and Anh Về Một Chiều Mưa (written by Duy Khánh).  Shortly thereafter, through the guidance of musician Đan Phú Ngọc Minh would become a headliner at various cabarets throughout Saigon such as Bồng LaiVăn Cảnh and Olympia.  In audio, Ngọc Minh recorded for the music label, Tâm Anh Nghệ Thuật, during the late 1960s and the early 1970s.  Among her most popular audio recordings in Saigon prior to 1975 included the following songs, Khi Tôi Về (written by Phạm Duy), Ngủ Đi Con (written by Trịnh Công Sơn), Thu Sầu (written by Lam Phương), Huyền Thoại Chiều Mưa (written by Nguyễn Vũ) and Quen Nhau (written by Đỗ Lễ).  In the spring of 1970, Ngọc Minh along with singer Ngọc Anh, the younger sister of legendary singer Khánh Ly, traveled to the United States on a concert tour performing at several different university campuses for audiences comprised of mainly foreign exchange students from South Vietnam.  Aside from her singing career, Ngọc Minh had also pursued a successful career as an actress of television and films in South Vietnam prior to the Fall of Saigon.

While her husband had been sent away to reeducation by the new communist regime in Vietnam, on November of 1978 Ngọc Minh and her young son fled by boat and landed at Terengganu, Malaysia.  After a year spent living in a refugee camp on the island of Pulau Bidong, Ngọc Minh and her son were granted entrance to the United States as political refugees.  Several years later, Ngọc Minh would be reunited with her husband after he had been granted political refugee status in the United States.  Almost immediately after resettling in the United States, Ngọc Minh was able to resume her singing career full force in the overseas Vietnamese music industry.  In 1981, Ngọc Minh formed her own music label, Ngọc Minh Productions, and released her first studio album, Anh Giải Phóng Tôi Hay Tôi Giải Phóng Anh.  The title track was written by legendary musician Nhật Ngân and would become one of Ngọc Minh's first major hits in the overseas Vietnamese music industry.  Throughout the 1980s and well into the early 1990s, Ngọc Minh Productions consistently released a dozen total studio albums which featured audio recordings primarily by Ngọc Minh, herself, as well as by various other artists including Khánh Ly, Xuân Sơn, Hải Lý, Sĩ Phú, Elvis Phương, Như Mai, Hương LanVũ Khanh, Duy Quang, Mai Hương and Ngọc Lan.  In addition to recordings for her own music label, Ngọc Minh had also recorded for several other major overseas music labels during the 1980s and 1990s such as Thanh LanDiễm Xưa Productions and Làng Văn.


Ngọc Minh made her only music video appearance on the popular Paris By Night series, produced by Thúy Nga, to date performing the song, Người Di Tản Buồn (written by Nam Lộc), on volume 49 which was filmed in Toronto, Canada in 1999.  In 2006, Ngọc Minh made her first video appearance for Asia Entertainment in a duet with singer Doanh Doanh reprising her signature song, Người Yêu Của Lính, featured on volume 50.  During the next several years, Ngọc Minh would be invited back on the popular live show video series produced by Asia Entertainment a total of 8 more times.  Among her most memorable music video performances on Asia Entertainment include the following songs, Thư Gửi Người Miền Xa (written by Trúc Phương), Anh Về Với Em (written by Nhật Trường), as a duet with singer Thanh PhongAi Nói Với Em Nếu Anh Là Lính (written by Minh Kỳ), as a duet with singer Tâm Đoan and Lá Thư Trần Thế (written by Hoài Linh), as part of a trio with singers Đan Nguyên and the late Giang Tử.

Since resettling in the United States, Ngọc Minh has not been able to fully resume her career as an actress.  During the late 1980s, Ngọc Minh did act in a few well-received comedy sketches on Vietnam Program, a weekly Vietnamese language television show on channel 18, KSCI-TV, alongside other veteran performers such as Hùng Cường, Băng Châu and Nguyễn Long.  In the 2000s, Ngọc Minh began a new career as a Vietnamese language radio personality.  In recent years, Ngọc Minh returned to television as a talk show host for SBTN (Saigon Broadcasting Television Network).

On December 25, 2009, Ngọc Minh lost her beloved husband, Trần Ðức Thắng, of 44 years to cancer.  He was 72 years old at the time of his passing.  

Friday, July 6, 2018

Khanh Hoang


Khánh Hoàng (1973-    ) is an overseas Vietnamese singer.

Khánh Hoàng got his start in the overseas Vietnamese music industry during the year of 1994 when he entered and won the talent competition, Tuyển Lựa Ca Sĩ Hải Ngọai, held at the Ritz Nightclub in Anaheim, California.  He then joined the ranks of other winners such as Kỳ AnhAnh DũngHoài Nam and Quang Tuấn to pursue a career as a professional singer.  Part of his winnings included a contract as a regular weekly performer at the Ritz Nightclub. 

In 1997, Khánh Hoàng made his debut appearance on Thúy Nga's Paris By Night video series on volume 39, which was filmed in Toronto, Canada, in a trio with singers Lây Minh and Thiên Kim of the songs, Đêm Đô Thị (written by Y Vân),  Ai Đưa Em Về (written by Nguyễn Ánh 9) and Thành Phố Mưa Bay (written by Bằng Giang).  That same year, Khánh Hoàng also made his debut appearance on the popular live show music video series produced by Vân Sơn Entertainment on volume 5 in a music/comedy sketch, Xin Đừng Hái Hoa, together with singers Phi Nhung and Việt Thi.  Khánh Hoàng would go onto become one of the most popular performers on Vân Sơn Entertainment's video series during the 1990s, appearing on a total of 9 volumes.  Among his most popular performances on Vân Sơn Entertainment's video series were of the following songs, Một Thuở Đam Mê (written by Thanh Sơn), Mưa Chiều Phố Nhỏ (written by Huỳnh Nhật Tân), Một Giấc Mơ Buồn (written by Ngọc Sơn), Phố Nhỏ Tình Người (written by Trầm Tử Thiêng) and Bài Ca Xuân (written by Quốc Dũng).  During the spring of 2009, Khánh Hoàng made his return to the Paris By Night stage in a trio performance of a medley of the songs, Người Lính Già Xa Quê Hương (written by Nhật Ngân), Những Đóm Mắt Hỏa Châu (written by Hàn Châu) and Xin Anh Giữ Trọn Tình Quê (written by Duy Khánh), with singers Duy Trường and Quỳnh Dung.


On May 6, 2017, Khánh Hoàng celebrated the release of his latest studio album, Ai Thương Yêu Em,  under the label, Thúy Nga, at a sold out show held at Bleu Nightclub in Westminster, California.  Among the 11 tracks featured on his latest album, Khánh Hoàng had also recorded several duets with other singers including Thùy Vân, Thanh Huyền and Hương Thủy

Khánh Hoàng at Bleu Nightclub (May 6, 2017)
In addition to his singing career, Khánh Hoàng has also enjoyed a successful career doing voice overs in Vietnamese of Chinese and Korean films.  He has also hosted several television and radio talk shows in the Vietnamese language.  Khánh Hoàng has performed for Vietnamese audiences in live shows all across the United States and abroad.  

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Chi Pu


Chi Pu (1993-    ) is a famous Vietnamese actress, model and film producer.

She was born as Nguyễn Thùy Chi on June 14, 1993 in Hanoi.  Her father worked as a miltiary officer.  Her mother was a school teacher.  At the age of 16, Chi Pu entered the Miss Teen Vietnam beauty pageant.  Although she didn't win, the exposure Chi Pu received as a semi-finalist landed her a modeling contract.  For the next year, she modeled for various fashion magazines and clothing companies and earned herself the unofficial title of being Vietnam's Hotgirl.  In 2010, Chi Pu made her acting debut with a guest appearance in the television sitcom, Bộ Tứ 10A8, starring Cường Seven.  In 2013, her acting career took off as she landed roles in two television movies, Giọt Nước Rơi starring Hồng Đăng and Giấc Mơ Hạnh Phúc starring Mạnh Quân, two feature films, Thần Tượng starring Vĩnh Thụy and Hương Ga starring Huỳnh Anh, and a short film, Cô Gái Trên Tầng Thượng, in which she had also produced.  The following year, Chi Pu was honored with a Cánh Diều Vàng Award (Golden Kite Award), Vietnam's equivalent to an Academy Award, for best short film for her work in Cô Gái Trên Tầng Thượng.  From 2013 until 2015, Chi Pu starred in the popular Vietnamese television sitcom, 5S Online.  In 2015, she starred in the highly rated Vietnamese television mini-series, Vẫn Có Em Bên Đời, opposite actor Nhan Phúc Vinh.  Among her other feature film credits include Chung Cư Ma (2014), Yêu (2015) starring Gil LêVệ Sĩ Sài Gòn (2016) starring Thái Hoà and LALA: Hãy Để Em Yêu Anh, a joint Vietnamese-Korean production.

Chi Pu was formerly in a romantic relationship with singer/actor Cường Seven for three years.

Link(s):

 

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Thanh Bui

Thanh Bùi (1983-    ) is an Australian singer and songwriter of Vietnamese descent who had first gained international prominence back in 2004 as one of the original members of the popular Australian boy band named North.

He was born as Bùi Vũ Thanh to Vietnamese immigrant parents in Adelaide, Australia on January 12, 1983.  At the age of 7, Thanh Bùi and his family relocated to the city of Melbourne, where he would remain for many years well into adulthood and where he had been formally educated.  By the age of 10, Thanh Bùi had learned to play the piano and developed a craft to sing a capella in perfect pitch.  In 2000, Thanh Bùi graduated from Melbourne High School and enrolled on a full ride scholarship at Swinburne University of Technology as a business major.  Despite graduating from college with honors in 2004, Thanh Bùi decided to concentrate on obtaining a career in music with the full support of his parents who had always encouraged him to pursue his dreams.

Immediately after college, Thanh Bùi along with three other young Australian male vocalists formed a boy band called North in the year 2004.  The initial lineup of this quartet were Thanh Bùi, Alfred Touhey, Beau McCleish and Scott Folley.  After the release of North's debut eponymous studio album in 2004 by the Universal music label, Scott Folley was replaced by Joel Velasco, who had first appeared on North's hit single, Because I Love You.  The instant success of North was largely due to their debut hit single, a cover of American singer Peter Cetera's Glory of Love, which shot directly to the top of the charts in both Thailand and Indonesia upon its release.  North went on a successful promotional concert tour in 2004 playing at major venues throughout Australia and various countries in Asia such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.  North followed up with their second and final studio album, Straight Up (2004), released on the EMI music label.  The quartet disbanded shortly thereafter.

As a songwriter, Thanh Bùi has achieved even more success than as a performer.  Besides having written most of the songs recorded by North, Thanh Bùi has written a total of more than 600 songs, altogether.  After leaving North, during the following two immediate years Thanh Bùi concentrated solely on writing songs for other artists to record.  His songs have been recorded by international artists in many countries including Germany, South Korea and Japan.  Among the songs he had written that have been recorded by international music artists include Take a Minute (recorded by Room 2012 of Germany in 2008), Picture of You (recorded by TVXQ of South Korea in 2008), I Won't Hold Back (recorded by Arashi of Japan in 2008), Breath You In (recorded by Monrose of Germany in 2010), Culpable (recorded by Edurne of Spain in 2010), Hello (recorded by Kat-tun of Japan in 2010) and Love Evolution (recorded by William Chan of Hong Kong in 2010).

By 2008, it was evident that Thanh Bùi had truly missed being on stage as a performer after the two years he had devoted to songwriting.  He decided to enter himselft as a contestant on the popular Australian Idol television show during that same year.  Although he did not win, Thanh Bùi did manage to make it into the Australian Idol top 8 finals becoming the first Australian contestant of Asian descent to do so.  On April of 2009, Thanh Bùi traveled to Southern California to appear on volume 96 of the popular overseas Vietnamese live show music video series, Paris By Night, produced by Thúy Nga, where he performed Gương Thần, Gương Thần, a Vietnamese version of the song he had written in English, Mirror, Mirror, and a cover of an ABBA classic, The Winner Takes It All.  One year later, Thanh Bùi released his very first single in Vietnam, Lặng Thầm Một Tình Yêu, a duet he had recorded with singer Hồ Ngọc Hà.  The song would also be selected as the theme song for the Vietnamese feature film, Để Mai Tính (Fool for Love), starring Dustin Nguyễn, Kathy Uyên and Thái Hòa.   That same year, Thanh Bùi performed live in concert for the first time in Vietnam with a pair of highly successful concert shows, Thanh Bùi & Villa FB and Love Heart 2010, held on May and July, respectively.  In 2012, Thanh Bùi released another single in Vietnam, Đừng Quay Bước Đi, which he had recorded as a duet with singer Hồng Nhung.  On May of 2013, Thanh Bùi founded the Soul Music & Performing Arts Academy in Ho Chi Minh City which offers students classes on vocals, dance, piano, guitar, violin and drums. 

Trương Huệ Vân and Thanh Bùi
Thanh Bùi has been happily married to wealthy restaurant and hotel heiress, Trương Huệ Vân, since 2013.  On September of 2016, the couple became proud parents of a set of twin daughters, Khải An and Kiến An.

Link(s):

Thanh Bùi's Facebook Page
Soul Music & Performing Arts Academy