Christy Chung

Christy Chung (1970-     ) is a former major actress of Hong Kong movies and television. Born in Montreal, Canada to Chinese-Vietnamese parents, Christy Chung grew up only speaking French and Vietnamese as her native languages.  She would later on learn English while attending school in Canada.  During her senior year at Université du Québec à Montreal, Chung won the Miss Chinese Montreal beauty pageant which would take her to Hong Kong in January of 1993 to compete in the 1992 Miss International Chinese beauty pageant held annually there.  Despite her inability to speak in either Cantonese or Mandarin at the time, Chung was crowned Miss International Chinese.  Soon after winning the coveted beauty pageant title, Chung began receiving offers for work as an actress in Hong Kong-produced movies.  She would turn down an offer to become a national weather broadcaster for Société Radio-Canada from back home to pursue a career in Hong Kong cinema.

Christy Chung:  Star of Hong Kong Films and Television
and Former Beauty Queen

After landing a major role in the Hong Kong film, The Bride with White Hair 2 (1993), Christy Chung quickly rose to prominence with Chinese movie-goer audiences.  Throughout the 1990s, she would star in over 30 films and worked with some of Hong Kong cinema's top leading men including Stephen Chow, Jet Li and Jackie Chan.  Among her most popular Chinese-language films were The Defendor (1994), The Bodyguard from Beijing (1994), Samsara (2001) and The Medallion (2003).

At the height of her popularity, Christy Chung was considered one of the most beautiful actresses of Hong Kong cinema.  Her status as a sex symbol was not only recognized in Hong Kong, but in other parts of Asia, as well.  In 2000, Singapore's prestigious FHM magazine voted Christy Chung as Asia's sexiest woman.  After several years away from the spotlight, Christy Chung came out of retirement in 2007 when she starred in her first Vietnamese feature film, Song Long Anh Hung (Double Dragons), a joint Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese production which costarred Vietnamese actors Diep Lang, Chi Bao, Ngoc Quyen, Minh Thuan and Helen Thanh Dao.  The film was released during the summer of the following year.  In recent years, she has retired from the film industry, replacing her acting career with restaurateur.  Twice divorced, she is a mother to three daughters.  Christy Chung currently resides in Beijing where she owns and manages a restaurant.  She is a multi-lingual polyglot fluent in French, English, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Link(s):

50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time

Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen

Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen:  Overseas Vietnamese Celebrity Personality

Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen
(1965-     ) is the daughter of the former vice-president and prime minister of South Vietnam, Nguyen Cao Ky, and a Vietnamese celebrity most famous for being the co-host of the highly popular Paris By Night live show music video series for the past two decades.  Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen was born in Saigon and lived there up until when her family relocated to the United States upon the Fall of Saigon in 1975.  After leaving Vietnam, she and her parents first spent a number of years living in Fairfax, Virginia before moving to Southern California.  After graduating from Westminster High School in Orange County, California, Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen went onto further her education at California Polytechnic University where she would earn her 4 year degree followed by her completion of law school at Western State University.  Although she had graduated from law school with honors and impressively was successful on her first attempt at passing the California Bar exam, from early on Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen had taken a keen interest in the performing arts and show business which had overshadowed her interests in pursuing a career in law.

After making her debut appearance on the Thuy Nga Paris stage as co-host of the widely popular Paris By Night live show music video series in the early 1990s, the tremendous reception from the audience would serve as confirmation to Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen that she had indeed had finally found her niche.  Immediately after her debut stint as co-host on Paris By Night, invitations from various other Vietnamese music production companies such as Asia Entertainment, May Productions and Truong Thanh, as well as from promoters of major concert events for overseas Vietnamese audiences worldwide poured in all requesting her to grace the stage as master of ceremonies.  Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen instantaneously had won over the hearts of Vietnamese viewer audiences whom were mesmerized by her beauty, taken by her charm and in awe of her style and sophistication.  Thuy Nga Paris had selected Nguyen Ngoc Ngan to co-host alongside Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen on the Paris By Night series.  From their first professional appearance as co-hosts together, the natural chemistry between them was apparent and greatly appealed to viewer audiences.  Together, Nguyen Ngoc Ngan and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen have been professionally associated with Thuy Nga Paris, as co-hosts of Paris By Night, for more than 20 years now.  Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen has also been able to demonstrate through the years on Paris by Night her diverse talents which also include acting, singing and dancing.  Among her most memorable Paris by Night appearances was volume 29, filmed at the Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1994, which had showcased her talents both as a singer and dancer as she was paired up to duet with singer Nguyen Hung in a number called Lien Khuc Buoc Tinh Hong.  

Currently single again, Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen is the mother of two daughters from her first marriage to cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Li Nguyen.  Her second marriage to Vietnamese-American attorney at law and popular Vietnamese personality, Trinh Hoi, ended in divorce in 2007.  She now resides in Orange County, California and owns an E-commerce website, KyDuyenHouse.com, which sells and distributes to online retail customers and wholesalers.

On July 23, 2011, her father, Nguyen Cao Ky, passed away from respiratory complications at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  And on December 21, 2016 her mother, Dang Tuyet Mai, passed away at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, California.









Link(s):

Vietnamese Celebrity Homes Part 1 
30 Most Beautiful Viet Celebs of 2015
50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time KyDuyenHouse.com
Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen's Facebook Page
Thuy Nga Paris Website






















                                                        

Special Announcement from VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com

VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com is pleased to announce that as of yesterday, September 30, 2014 our Facebook page for Viet Celeb has finally reached its first milestone of surpassing a total of 100 Likes.  Since Facebook.com/VietCeleb had first began a month ago, the response in terms of numbers in Likes were rather slow in comparison to the first two Facebook.com pages that had been created for our first two blog sites, NgocLanRemembered.BlogSpot.com and  ThienPhu-VietSinger.BlogSpot.com, which are respectively Facebook.com/NgocLanRemembered and Facebook.com/ThienPhuVietSinger.

Unlike how these first two pages had so effortlessly reached this similar milestone of having 100 Likes within the first 48 hours from when the pages were first up and ready for public viewership, Viet Celeb did not experience the same luck.  Needless to say, this outcome for Viet Celeb's Facebook page had led me to frustration, as well as disappointment.  At some point, my apprehension had grown to such intensity that I even started to have doubts whether or not I might ever see the day when it would reach a total of 100 Likes at all. What had seemed to be not so far fetched of a fleet previously, all of a sudden was now regarded to be full of challenges.  Yet slowly but surely, Facebook.com/VietCeleb would indeed prove itself to be a late bloomer and was celebrated with this achievement of finally reaching this same milestone yesterday.  As a matter of fact, Facebook.com/VietCeleb at this very moment is at a total of 102 Likes.  This has been a very encouraging event for VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com.

Thank you all for making this possible for us. VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com has many more tremendous things in store for all of our viewers.  With each and everyday that our site grows to maturity, I really feel that we are getting closer and closer to what I had envisioned for this blog site.  My dream for VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com is that we will one day serve as the database for all Vietnamese entertainers/ celebrities worldwide.  I sincerely hope that everyone will continue to show your undying support and love seeing to it that this dream will become a reality.  Let's make it happen together, my friends!

Sincerely yours,



Thien Phu

VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com has posted tributes and bios
 for the following featured Viet Celebs;

Tham Thuy Hang, Khanh Ha, Maggie Q, Dam Vinh Hung,

Hung Cuong, Tuan Ngoc, France Nuyen, Ngoc Son,

 Thanh Nga, Don Ho, Dat Nguyen, Hong Van,

Thai Thanh

VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com





















Additional Notes:  Featured Viet Celebs
Tributes and Bios can be found on
Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, and Page 4.

Look Forward for Upcoming Featured Viet Celebs Tributes and Bios on Page 1:

Khanh Ly, Le Thu, Duy Khanh, Nhat Truong, Thanh Lan, Thanh Thuy, Thanh Duoc,
Ut Bach Lan, Nguyen Chanh Tin, Che Linh

on Page 2:

Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, Tuan Vu, Huong Lan, Lynda Trang Dai, Luu Bich, Hoai Linh, Ngoc Lan,
Y Lan, Nhu Quynh

on Page 3:

Christy Chung, Betty Nguyen, Olivia Munn, Leslie, Bach Yen, Marcel Nguyen,
Lance Krall, Yohan Cabaye, Dustin Nguyen, Kieu Chinh

on Page 4:

Ho Ngoc Ha, Le Quyen, Quang Dung, Phuong Thanh, Lam Truong, Siu Black,
Bao Yen, Cam Van, Cam Tien, My Linh, Dan Truong

Thai Thanh

Thai Thanh:  Timeless Voice

Thai Thanh (1934-2020) was a legendary Vietnamese songstress.  Known as Tieng Hat Vuot Thoi Gian (Timeless Voice), her singing voice has been one of the most recognizable in the history of Vietnamese music.  The youngest out of five children, Thai Thanh began her career as a young child when she joined the music group, Ban Hop Ca Thang Long.  In the 1950s, she migrated to South Vietnam with older brother, Pham Dinh Chuong, and older sister, Thai Hang, who was married to legendary Vietnamese composer Pham Duy.  In South Vietnam, Thai Thanh became famous with a string of hits including Tinh Hoai Huong, Sang Ngang, Tinh Ca Tieng Nuoc Toi, Mua Thu Paris, Ky Vat Cho Em, Buon Tan Thu, Dong Song Xanh, Co Hong and Nua Hon Thuong Dau.  

In 1956, Thai Thanh married legendary film actor Le Quynh.  Their marriage lasted until 1965 and produced five children. Her daughters, Y Lan and Quynh Huong, would both later follow in her footsteps to become established Vietnamese singers after resettling in the United States..

After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, Thai Thanh remained in Vietnam for another decade.  Upon resettling in the United States in 1985, Thai Thanh continued with her music career and collaborated with Diem Xua Productions, the label that would release all of her studio recorded albums since resettling overseas.  Her first studio solo album produced overseas, Ngay Xua Hoang Thi, was released within the same year of her arrival in the United States.  Subsequent releases under the Diem Xua Productions label of recorded studio albums by Thai Thanh included Que Huong va Ky Niem (1987), Chieu Ve Tren Song (1988), Dem Nho Trang Sai Gon (1990), and Hoi Trung Duong (1993).  Thai Thanh's career continued to prosper while living in the United States as she would maintain a busy touring schedule performing at live shows for overseas Vietnamese audiences throughout North America, Australia and Europe, as well as appearing on several music videos on the popular music variety series, Paris By Night, produced by Thuy Nga Paris.  In the 1990s, she along with fellow legendary Vietnamese singer Duy Khanh and renowed classical pianist Nghiem Phu Phi collaborated to open a music instructional class in Orange County, California.  Thai Thanh announced her retirement in 2002.  On March 17, 2020, Thai Thanh passed away at the age of 85.  A premiere chanteuse with a Timeless Voice which had truly helped define the sound of Vietnamese modern music, Thai Thanh's legacy and career contributions will undoubtedly continue to live on in the hearts of her countless fans and admirers for many generations to come.  

Hong Van (Comedienne)

For the singer famous for musical recitals of Vietnamese poetry known as Ngâm Thơ, see Hong Van (Singer).

Hong Van:  Vietnam's Queen of Comedy

Hong Van (1966-     ) is one of the most successful comedic actresses in Vietnam since the late 1980s.  Prior to achieving national fame on the stage as a comedic actress, Hong Van had made a name for herself as a pop music singer in Ho Chi Minh City.  From her first appearance on the stage in a comedy sketch, it became apparent that her acting skills would overshadow her career as a pop music singer.  In 1993, her portrayal on a sketch entitled as Ba Mat Ga, Ong Mat Net (She Lost Her Chicken, He Lost His Manners) of a whacky, acid-tongued, feisty Northern Vietnamese pheasant girl won the hearts of Vietnamese audiences worldwide.  From then on, Hong Van has appeared on numerous comedy films and has become a household name to Vietnamese audiences from all around the world.

Hong Van and her three children

In 2000, Hong Van opened up her own theater playhouse called San Khau Phu Nhuan in Ho Chi Minh City.  In 2002, she starred in the play, So Do (Good Fortune), alongside singer/actor Tuan Hung which had an extremely successful run with many nightly sold out performances lasting for several months.  Hong Van has also starred in a series of comedy films including Vua Hoa Co (2000) and Hoang Tu Chan Lon (2001), both of which costarring Minh Nhi and Dan Truong.  In 2005, she had a small part in the blockbuster comedy film, Khi Dan Ong Co Bau (When a Man Gets Pregnant), which featured an all-star cast including Nguyen Phi Hung, Hong Nga, Tan Beo, Truong Ngoc Anh, Ngoc Giau, Bao Quoc and Phuong Thanh.  Hong Van is married to actor Le Tuan Anh, former husband of Amerasian singer Phuong Thao, and is a mother of three children.

Link(s):

• KichHongVan.VN
• Vietnamese Celebrity Homes Part 4 

Dat Nguyen

Dat Nguyen:  Former NFL Star,
 First Vietnamese-American Professional Football Player

Dat Nguyen (1975-     ) is the first Vietnamese-American to be recognized by the NFL as a professional football player.  Born to Vietnamese parents at a refugee center at Port Chafee, Alabama on September 25, 1975, Dat Nguyen had actually been conceived in Vietnam.  Both of his parents were former nationals of South Vietnam who had fled their homeland immediately after the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.  Dat's mother was already four months pregnant with him at the time she fled Vietnam to resettle in the United States.  Eventually Dat's parents would resettle in Rockport, Texas which is where he grew up.  During his high school years at Rockport-Fulton High School, Dat excelled in competitive sports and played for his high school football team as middle linebacker.  After graduating from high school, Dat elected to enroll at Texas A&M University on a scholarship.  As a college football player, Dat played linebacker from 1995-1998 for the Texas A&M Aggies football team.  After being named Aggies MVP of the year in 1997, in the following year which would also be his last year of college football, Dat Nguyen would become a career record holder in Texas A&M University with a total of 517 career tackles.


Upon being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1999, Dat Nguyen turned professional.  He remained a team member of the Dallas Cowboys as linebacker for a total of seven seasons.  In the year 2005, Dat Nguyen suffered a serious neck injury which then placed him on the injured reserved list for the NFL team and ultimately led to his retirement from the NFL on March of the following year.  However, his association with the Dallas Cowboys was far from over as in the year 2007 Dat Nguyen would begin a new career as an NFL coach and was hired by the Dallas Cowboys' head coach, Wade Philips, as the NFL team's assistant linebackers coach and defensive quality control coach.  Finally, in the year 2010, Dat Nguyen's lengthy professional association with the Dallas Cowboys came to an end when he became the inside linebackers coach for Texas A&M University Aggies College Football Team, a position he held until the end of the 2011 season.


Married to his high school sweetheart, Dat Nguyen and his wife, Becky, have three daughters.  Most recently, Dat Nguyen embarked on yet another new career, as a radio sports show host.  In 2012, he started co-hosting with Jasson Minnix on an afternoon sports talk radio program in San Antonio, Texas on KZDC.



  

Don Ho

Don Ho:  Overseas Vietnamese Singer of Pop Music 

Don Ho (1962-     ) is a famous Vietnamese singer who started his career in the United States.  Born in Saigon, South Vietnam, he moved to the United States in 1980 with his family and attended Valley High School in Santa Ana, California.  Upon graduating from high school, Don Ho immediately set his sights on a professional singing career.  His journey to stardom would be a long one, as he began singing for local bands and then onto performing at Vietnamese nightclubs in Orange County, California.  After a few professional recordings for several Vietnamese music production labels toward the end of the 1980s decade, Don Ho began to make a name for himself in the overseas Vietnamese music industry as audiences, as well as music executives of other major Vietnamese music production labels, began to take notice of his unique style of singing.  One particular label was Thuy Nga Paris, the most prolific overseas Vietnamese music production company which produces the immensely popular Paris By Night music video series.  After Don Ho made his first video appearance for Thuy Nga Paris teamed up in an ensemble with other singers for a couple of medleys, he was invited to return in 1992 where he would appear on a Paris By Night live show, this time performing as a solo act with a cover to Paul Anka's classic, Diana, sung in both English and Vietnamese translated lyrics.  That night the audience rewarded Don Ho with a thunderous applause which singled him out from the rest of the performers.  Almost overnight, Don Ho had become the new singing sensation among overseas Vietnamese communities worldwide.

For the rest of the 1990s decade, Don Ho consistently reigned as the top Vietnamese male vocalist with skyrocketing album sales, sold out live shows across the globe and had a huge following that would only get bigger with each of his unforgettable appearances on the Paris By Night music video series.  With a lengthy professional association with Thuy Nga Paris of 15 years, Don Ho is undoubtedly one of the most sought after musical performers to have ever graced the Paris By Night stage.  No other overseas Vietnamese male vocalist has ever had such an impact in the Vietnamese music industry, especially with the overseas Vietnamese younger generation.  Among his most popular signature songs include Dancing All Night, Trai Tim Mua Dong (Winter's Heart), Tinh Nhat Phai (Caravan of Life) and a cover of an old Tom Jones classic, I Who Have Nothing.  He has recorded duets with Ngoc Lan, Thanh Ha and Lam Thuy Van. 

Currently a resident of Santa Monica, California, Don Ho continues to tour relentlessly performing at live shows for Vietnamese audiences around the globe.  In recent years, Don Ho had formed his own music label, Don Ho Production, which has released several of his solo studio albums.


Link(s):

Don Ho Production
Don Ho's Official Facebook Page

Thanh Nga

Thanh Nga:  South Vietnamese Actress
of Films and Opera Stage
Murdered at Age 36

Thanh Nga (1942-1978) was the most popular actress of South Vietnam's cai luong opera stage prior to 1975.  She was best known portraying roles in cai luong plays such as Điêu Thuyền in Phụng Nghi Đình, Kim Anh in Đời Cô Lựu, Vân in Ánh Sáng và Bóng Tối, Quỳnh Nga in Bên Cầu Dệt Lụa and Trưng Trắc in Tiếng Trống Mê Linh.  In addition, Thanh Nga had also enjoyed a careeer as a film actress starring in a series of films produced in South Vietnam including Doi Mat Nguoi Xua (The Eyes of a Past Lover) (1963), Mua Thu Cuoi Cung (Final Autumn) (1971), the film adaption of Lan va Diep (1972), Xa Lo Khong Den (Dark Highway) (1972) and Nang Chieu (Evening Sunshine) (1973), in which she had costarred with Hung Cuong.  Aside from her acting and cai luong opera singing talents, Thanh Nga was also famous for her striking physical beauty being hailed as one of the most beautiful Vietnamese actresses of all time.  Her beauty has only been rivaled to that of another screen legend of South Vietnam, actress Tham Thuy Hang.  Twice married with one child and once romantically linked to fellow performer Thanh Duoc, Thanh Nga met her untimely death at age 36 when she along with her husband were shot and killed in 1978.

Her younger half-brother, Bao Quoc, is also an accomplished cai luong and film actor in Vietnam.

Thanh Nga and Huu Phuoc
 in the classic cải lương play, Mưa Rừng,
during the 1960s in Saigon.  

Link(s):

50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time

Thanh Nga's beauty was easily captured on film.  

Thanh Nga in the film, Xa Lo Khong Den (Dark Highway) (1972)