Pages

Friday, September 2, 2022

A Proper Farewell to Viet Celebs Lost During Pandemic

It has been more than 3 years since the last posting was published on VietCeleb.Blospot.com.   During this time, the world has been devastated with the Corona Virus Pandemic.  Not only has it taken the lives of some of our Vietnamese celebrities, but it also had an effect on the loved ones and fans of those who had passed away from other causes of death during this pandemic as they were prohibited from holding any such funeral services due to the restrictions imposed from the mandatory lockdown.  It was as if these the loved ones and fans of the deceased had been deprived of having the chance to pay their final respects and giving a proper farewell.  Imagine just how difficult it is in dealing with the loss of a loved one, but to also not be able to hold a proper funeral service to commemorate the deceased.  This pandemic has definitely served as a horrific time in modern history.  The following are a list of the Vietnamese celebrities that had passed on during the pandemic.  Some of which had indeed succumbed to the dreaded Covid-19 disease, while others were due to other causes during the Corona Virus Pandemic.  


Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Vietnamese Celebrity Homes Part 8a

The next 5 beautiful homes that are featured on this publication of our series known as "Vietnamese Celebrity Homes", are owned by a quite diverse group of 5 major Vietnamese celebrities.  These 5 Vietnamese celebrity homeowners consist of a  beautiful film actress, a legendary Vietnamese folk opera performer, an award-winning film actor, a pop singer and an overseas veteran diva of Vietnamese pop music.  

1.  The first Vietnamese celebrity home featured here is owned by the legendary Vietnamese folk opera actress Bạch TuyếtA veteran star of  the Vietnamese folk opera stage, she first rose to prominence at the tender age of 16 when she was cast as the lead role in the "cải lương" play, "Lá Thắm Chỉ Hồng".  Her lengthy career has endured an astounding 60 years in the spotlight.  During the early 1970s, Bạch Tuyết had successfully branched out into a career in films starring in a string of well-received vehicles including Như Hạt Mưa Sa (1971), Như Giọt Sương Khuya (1972), Lan và Điệp (1972) and Con Ma Nhà Họ Hứa (1973) proving her bankability as a leading lady of the silver screen.  After the Fall of Saigon, she was among only a handful of performers who remained in Vietnam and continued with their careers enjoying uninterrupted success.  Bạch Tuyết has received numerous accolades throughout her illustrious career which include two wins for the Thanh Tâm Award, Vietnam's equivalence to a Tony Award, for best actress in 1963 and again in 1965.  She has also been honored twice by the Vietnamese government with official title recognitions:  the first time as Meritorious Artist in 1988 and the second time with an  even greater honor as the People's Artist in 2012.  

:
Mansion Owned by Bạch Tuyết
Located in the 9th District of Ho Chi Minh City

After returning to college in the 1980s, Bạch Tuyết earned a baccalaureate degree from the University of Ho Chi Minh City in 1985 at the age of 40.  Three years later, she completed graduate school in directorial studies for theatrical arts while studying abroad at the University of Sofia, Bulgaria.  After having amassed for herself considerable wealth that is even enviable to that of celebrities from other more developed countries in the Western world, Bạch Tuyết can easily retire without having to ever worry about financial matters.  However, she has chosen to continue living her life with a full schedule.  In addition to maintaining her active career as a performer of Vietnamese folk opera with frequent guest appearances on television and the stage, Bạch Tuyết now also dedicates much of her time to charity work.  Twice divorced and a mother of a grown son now residing in the United Staes married with three children, Bạch Tuyết now at age 76 lives by herself in this spacious mansion located in the 9th district of Ho Chi Minh City which she had recently purchased in 2019.  


Bạch Tuyết Posing in Her
Backyard and Swimming Pool




Bạch Tuyết Rehearsing Lines
with Friends in Her Family Room
 




Legendary Vietrnamese Pop Music Diva Thanh Tuyền's 
Mansion in Bellaire, Texas

2. The second Vietnamese celebrity home featured here belongs to a famous overseas Vietnamese singer who is a truly seasoned diva of Vietnamese pop music.  Just like Bạch Tuyết who is also as deserving of being called a diva of Vietnamese folk opera, this legendary diva of Vietnamese pop music has also enjoyed longevity in her amazing career which has spanned for more than five decades.  While still a teenager in high school during the 1960s back in South Vietnam, she had already achieved national stardom after securing a recording contract signed with Continental, South Vietnam's most prominent record label.  Her very first professional recording of the song, Dấu Chân Kỷ Niệm (written by Thúc Đăng) was heavily promoted by her record label as the song was in heavy rotation with national radio stations and given massive airplay.  Her quickly rising popularity with  radio audiences led to an appearance on Phạm Mạnh Cương's  music variety television show which gave the young singer a much wider formal introduction to a national viewer audience  But it was the next pair of songs released by her record label in the next following months within that same year that would catapult her to superstardom and would become known as her signature songs.  These two major hit songs that have been linked with her name throughout her entire career are Đà Lạt Hoàng Hôn (written by Minh Kỳ and Dạ Cầm) and Nỗi Buồn Hoa Phượng.(written by Thanh Sơn).  Of course, I'm talking about the one and only legendary, iconic Vietnamese songstress Thanh Tuyền.


A Statue of the Quan Am Buddha
Stands in Sjnger Thanh Tuyen's Backyard
 Which Symbolizes Her Faith

Unlike most overseas Vietnamese singers who are mostly based in Southern California, primarily Orange County, Thanh Tuyền has been a long time permanent resident of Houston, Texas where she had settled shortly after her arrival to the United States from Vietnam in 1the early 1980s. During the Christmas season toward the end of 1981, Thanh Tuyền's following of devoted fans that had originated from Saigon prior to 1975 and have since resettled overseas were delighted upon the release of her first studio album recorded in the United States under the label, Thúy Nga, the most prominent overseas Vietnamese music production company, in which she had decided to title as Gửi Người Ngàn Dặm.  The overwhelming reception of that album in the United States,Canada, Europe and Australia prompted a full-fledged resurgence in Thanh Tuyền's music career.  For the next several decades, Thanh Tuyền would enjoy a highly successful career as an overseas Vietnamese singer with a busy schedule which consisted of numerous collaborations in audio recordings and music video appearances for various  labels such as Thúy Nga, Asia Entertainment and Mây Productions along with non-stop, year round touring dates performing at sold out live concerts concerts for Vietnamese audiences all over the world.  During the 1980s and well into the 2010s, Thanh Tuyền was one of the most popular and highest paid overseas Vietnamese entertainers.  Her career achievements since resettling in the United States over 40 years ago symbolizes the ultimate American success story.  Like many other former South Vietnamese nationals who had lost everything to the communist regime after the Vietnam War,  Thanh Tuyền had fled her homeland to seek a better life here in the United States.   After many years of hard work and determination, she has done just that.  Just look at the beautiful mansion in Bellaire, Texas where she now calls home.  So, hats off to you, Ms. Thanh Tuyền!


3. Vietnamese film actress Đinh Ngọc Diệp has been happily married to overseas Vietnamese film director Victor Vũ since 2016.  The couple have since become proud parents to two young sons.  Due to their professional associations with the Vietnamese film industry, the couple maintains a primary home located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City.  Last year, the couple decided to purchase a second home located in the resort community known as Novaworld Hồ Tràm, which is approximately just 90 minutes away from Ho Chi Minh City.  According to the couple, it was because of their two young sons that prompted their decision to purchase this second home .  The couple had wanted their sons to be exposed more to nature.  And this property was just what they were looking for with a backyard that is literally a combination of the forest and the beach.  Their newly purchased second home has since served their family as the perfect anecdote and escape from the bustling city life.  During breaks in between films are the times when the four of them relocate to this enchanting second home.  

















4. Singer and occasional actress Bảo Thy had seemed to be headed for superstardom back in 2009.  Her acting debut starring in the film, Công Chúa Teen và Ngũ Hổ Tướng, released that year had become a blockbuster success.   Bảo Thy immediately followed up with a bestselling studio album, Kí ức Của Mưa, in the  following year.  In addition to being honored with several accolades including a Golden Kite Film Award (Cánh Diều Vàng) for Most Promising Newcomer and a sweep at the annual Zing Music Awards picking up 3 awards, in 2010 Bảo Thy had also secured a lucrative deal as the celebrity spokesperson for advertisements promoting new products manufactured by Samsung, the global cellular wireless conglomerate.   Through all the media hype buzzing about, it was then obvious that Bảo Thy had become Vietnam's new "it" girl overnight.  Having conquered both the film and pop music industries in such a short period of time, the future for this young performer had seemed to be full of promises.    However, to the dismay of her many fans the reality which would lie ahead for Bảo Thy in the years after her quick rise to stardom came with several pitfalls which halted her career as an actress and slowed down her career as a Vietnamese pop singer.  After the success of her film debut in 2009, Bảo Thy would not land another film role until three years later when she was cast in the lackluster comedy, Gia Sư Nữ Quái.  Her sophomore effort on the silver screen proved to be both a critical failure, as well as a financial disappointment.  As a pop singer, Bảo Thy's star power had also seemed to dim during the years following the success of her smash studio album. Kí ức Của Mưa, released back in 2010.  For the next 4 years, Bảo Thy's presence in the Vietnamese pop scene consisted of a string of forgettable minor hit singles released by her music label.  Just when it had seemed that this former Vietnam's "it" girl was about to fade to obscurity, in 2015 Bảo Thy experienced a firm comeback with the recording of the theme song of the popular television mini-series, Sứ đồ hành giả, of the same name and has since managed to forge ahead in her music career which has since seen both longevityand endurance.  In recent years, Bảo Thy's personal life has also taken a turn for the better when in 2019 she met and married prominent businessman Nguyễn Phan Lĩnh.  After welcoming the birth of their first child shortly after, the couple have now become the proud owners of this luxurious mansion located in the posh district of Phú Mỹ Hưng in Ho Chi Minh City.  Featured below are photographs of the couple's mansion decorated in lights during Lunar New Year and of Bảo Thy with her two dogs lounging in her living room.











5.  Award-winning film actor Quách Ngọc Ngoan and his second wife, multi-millionairess Phượng Chanel own this luxurious mansion in Ho Chi Minh City.  With the birth of their daughter in 2015, the couple moved into this property along with Phượng Chanel's two sons from her previous marriage. However, In April of 2021, after 6 years of wedded bliss, Phượng Chanel announced that the couple have legally separated.  Since then, no official divorce proceedings have taken place.  Despite their legal separation,, the couple have since been seen together in public on numerous occasions.  According to the Vietnamese tabloids, this union between Quách Ngọc Ngoan and Phượng Chanel seems to be far from being over and that reconciliation for the couple seems to be quite likely.  The photographs below are of the couple's mansion in Ho Chi Minh City.
































Link(s):