Phương Thảo (1968- ) is a famous Vietnamese pop singer of Anglo-American and Vietnamese descent.
Her mother, Nguyễn Thị Hoa, a Vietnamese typist employed by a government agency, had met her father, Jim Yoder, an American army operations sergeant during the summer of 1967 while he was stationed in Sa Đéc, South Vietnam. Several weeks after their brief relationship, Nguyễn Thị Hoa discovered she was pregnant. On March 13, 1968, Nguyễn Thị Hoa gave birth to a daughter she named Văn Thị Kim Lang (who would later become known by her stage name, Phương Thảo). Jim Yoder, the baby's biological father, was unaware that his brief romance while stationed in Sa Đéc had produced a daughter. He left Vietnam in 1969 to return home to the United States.
Like many other Amerasians left behind in Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon, Phương Thảo grew up in an impoverished household. Phương Thảo and her younger half-brother were brought up in a small shack in Sa Đéc where her mother worked as a street vendor. At school, she was often teased by her fellow classmates for being Amerasian. During her teen years, she turned to music for solace. At the age of 19, after winning first prize at a talent competition she relocated to Ho Chi Minh City and embarked on a successful career as a professional Vietnamese pop singer.
In the early 1990s, Phương Thảo had risen to become one of the biggest stars in the Vietnamese pop music industry. She was able to take her family out of poverty within a short period of time after turning professional. Phương Thảo headlined at all the major venues in Ho Chi Minh City and toured extensively throughout Vietnam. She recorded for various music labels such as Bến Thành Audio, Vafaco and Saigon Audio. In addition, Phương Thảo had also enjoyed a brief career as an actress starring in a total of 3 films opposite Lê Tuấn Anh, who was her leading man on and off screen: Ngôi Sao Cô Đơn (1992) costarring the late Đơn Dương, Kim Xuân and Việt Anh, Tỷ Phú Không Tiền (1992) costarring Diễm Hương, Duy Phương and the late Út Bạch Lan and Em và Michael (1994) costarring Trương Ngọc Ánh, Huỳnh anh Tuấn and Ngọc Giàu. Her immense popularity ranked comparably with the likes of other superstars such as Cẩm Vân, Bảo Yến, Nhã Phương and Thu Hà. In 2000, America's People Magazine dubbed her as "Vietnam's answer to Mariah Carey".
Like many other Amerasians left behind in Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon, Phương Thảo grew up in an impoverished household. Phương Thảo and her younger half-brother were brought up in a small shack in Sa Đéc where her mother worked as a street vendor. At school, she was often teased by her fellow classmates for being Amerasian. During her teen years, she turned to music for solace. At the age of 19, after winning first prize at a talent competition she relocated to Ho Chi Minh City and embarked on a successful career as a professional Vietnamese pop singer.
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| Phuong Thao in the film, Ngôi Sao Cô Đơn (1992) |
In 1992, Phương Thảo was interviewed by American author Thomas Bass who had traveled to Vietnam to do a documentary on Amerasians. Phương Thảo's story deeply affected Thomas Bass who then took it upon himself to help find her father, Jim Yoder, in the United States. Shortly thereafter, Phương Thảo and her father corresponded for the first time through mail. Four years later, on November of 1996 Jim Yoder flew to Ho Chi Minh City to meet for the very first time his long lost daughter who was now a famous singer in Vietnam. When Jim Yoder stepped off the airplane, he was greeted by his daughter, Phương Thảo, who handed him a bouquet of 28 roses, which represented the number of years the two of them had been apart. The event turned into a media sensation as the Vietnamese paparazzi gathered right outside Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport along with hundreds of Phương Thảo's fans who had been closely following her story.
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| Phương Thảo and Ngọc Lễ |
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| Phương Thảo (far right), Ngọc Lễ (front center) and their daughters, Na Na and Nấm |
