Tommy Pham

Tommy Pham (1988-    ) is an American professional baseball player of Vietnamese and African-American descent.

Born on March 8, 1988 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Tommy Pham and his sister were brought up by his mother in a single parent household.  While attending Durango High School in Spring Valley, Nevada he excelled in sports and played in varsity baseball as an infielder and pitcher with a throwing rate of 93 miles per hour and a batting average of 0.633.  During his senior year, he was given recognition by the Reno Gazette-Journal as the Class 4A All-State Player of the Year.  The following year, Tommy Pham relocated to Southern California where he would attend Cal State Fullerton and embark on his brief career in college baseball.  Later that same year, he was picked by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft and was offered a contract signing bonus which totaled $325,000 USD.  On September 9, 2014, Tommy Pham made his Major League Baseball debut with the St. Louis Cardinals as pitcher and outfielder.

Since turning professional, Tommy Pham has had to face a series of challenges resulting from physical injuries which have included a broken wrist, a torn ligament, a couple of torn labrums and a serious quadriceps injury that had placed him on the disabled list of players for a total of two months during his second season playing for the St. Louis Cardinals in major league baseball.  In addition to such physical injuries, he also suffers from karatoconus, a rare, degenerative eye disorder which requires him to rely on the usage of contact lenses in order to correct his vision while playing professional baseball.

From 2006 until 2014, Tommy Pham played professional baseball in the minor leagues for such teams affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals like the Johnson City Cardinals, the Batavia Muckdogs, the Quad Cities River Bandits out of Davenport, Iowa, the Memphis Cardinals, the Palm Beach Cardinals and the Memphis Redbirds.  In 2015, Tommy Pham was named best defensive outfielder by the Baseball America Pacific Coast League.  He currently earns an impressive annual salary of $500,000 USD.

Tommy Pham is the third American athlete of Vietnamese descent to play in major league baseball following Danny Graves and Jim Parque.  

Next 10 International Celebs of Viet Descent Featured

Our next 10 to be featured are international celebrities of Vietnamese descent.

International Celebrities of Vietnamese Descent:

1. Angela Melini:  American Model/Actress,
Former Playboy Playmate of the Month,
 of Vietnamese and Italian-American Parentage

2. Niels Lan Doky:  Danish Jazz Pianist/Composer
of Danish and Vietnamese Parentage

3. Julie de Bona:  French Television Actress
of Vietnamese and Italian Descent

4. Khanh Mai:  Guitarist/Vocalist and Co-Founder
of French Progressive Rock Band, Tai Phong

5. Mylène Dinh-Robic:  French-Canadian Television Actress
of Québécois and Vietnamese Parentage

6. Châu Belle Dinh:  French Action Film Actor/Stunt Performer
of Vietnamese Origin 

7. Céline Galipeau:  French-Canadian Journalist
of Québécois and Vietnamese Parentage,
First Anchorwoman of Télévision de Radio-Canada

8. Tommy Pham:  American Professional Baseball Outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals,
of Vietnamese and African-American Parentage

9. Hoang-Kim Cung:  Winner of 2015 Miss Nebraska Beauty Pageant,
Local Station TV News Reporter in Norfolk, Virginia and Blogger

10. Chris Minh Doky:  Vietnamese-Danish Jazz Bassist and Composer

Ngoc Anh (Paris by Night)

Ngoc Anh (1975-    ) is a famous overseas Vietnamese singer currently signed with Thuy Nga Paris.

She was born as Hoang Ngoc Anh on April 21, 1975 in Hanoi, North Vietnam.  Her father was an accomplished stage actor in Hanoi, while her mother was a playhouse theater director.  As a young child, Ngoc Anh had already expressed strong interests in music, particularly with singing.  At the age of 15, she began taking formal music lessons.  Ngoc Anh first reached national prominence in Vietnam during the 1990s as part of a pop singing trio named 3A, along with members Minh Anh and Minh Ánh.  After releasing their last album, Lãng Du Ca (1998), the trio split up and Ngoc Anh began her solo career.  In 1999, she recorded a duet album, Và Cũng Như Yêu, together with popular male vocalist Ngoc Son.  The following year, Ngoc Anh would team up with the late singer/actor Minh Thuan to record Trái Tim Hoang Đường.  She would achieve great success with her interpretations of songs written by composer/musician Phu Quang.  Ngoc Anh released three solo albums consisting of Phu Quang-penned songs, Gửi Một Tình Yêu (2003), 69'59 (2007) and Romance Cho Anh (2008).  

In 2008, Ngoc Anh left her native homeland to resettle in the United States.  The following year, she made her debut on the Paris by Night stage performing Giết Người Trong Mộng written by Pham Duy.  From then on, Ngoc Anh has become a regular performer on the popular live show music video series produced by Thuy Nga.  She has performed several duets of medleys on the Paris by Night stage along with other singers such as Tran Thai Hoa, Thu Phuong, Nguyen Hung and Quang Dung.  Among her most popular recorded songs include Bài Không Tên Cuối Cùng written by Vu Thanh An, Ngàn Năm Vẫn Đợi written by Khuc Lan and Julie Quang, Rong Chơi Cuối Trời Quên Lãng written by Hoang Thi Tho and Một Mình written by Lam Phương.  In addition to her achievements as a vocalist, Ngoc Anh is also an accomplished songwriter.  Among the most popular songs she had written include Hãy Yêu Khi Ta Còn Bên Nhau, Samba Cho Em and Yêu Đến Ngàn Thu.  Ngoc Anh has performed for Vietnamese audiences all over the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia.  

Ngoc Anh is married to bassist Tran Hung.  The couple are proud parents of a son.  Her younger brother is singer Hoang Anh Khang.  

Viet Thao

 Viet Thao (1954-    ) is a famous Vietnamese-American emcee, voice over actor and comedian.

He was born on February 3, 1954 in South Vietnam.  Viet Thao began his career in the early 1980s as a comedian and emcee for various local parties and weddings around Orange County, Calfornia.  His fast growing popularity would land him a steady gig as a stand up comedian and host at the Caravelle Nightclub in Anaheim, California in 1986.  His likable speaking voice also enabled him to enjoy another career doing voice overs in Vietnamese for Taiwanese and Hong Kong films and soap operas during the 1980s.  Viet Thao eventually formed his own lucrative voice over company, Vietnam International, during the late 1980s.  In 1989, Viet Thao dabbled successfully in Southern Vietnamese folk opera theater, known as Cai Luong, when he played in a supporting role in a live production of Chuyện Tình Lan và Điệp starring Huong Lan, Chi Tam and Huu Phuoc at the Anaheim Convention Center.  As master of ceremonies for numerous live concert shows for Vietnamese audiences, he has traveled all over the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia.  

Since the 1990s, Viet Thao has been the host of many live show music video series produced by various overseas Vietnamese production studios.  In 1990, he along with singer Huong Lan cohosted volume 10 of the popular Paris by Night live show music video series produced by Thuy Nga.  In the mid-1990s, Viet Thao began cohosting the popular live show music video series produced by Van Son Entertainment alongside Van Son and Hoai Linh.  His long tenure lasted for nearly 20 years at Van Son Entertainment.  His last appearance on Van Son Entertainment's live show music video series was volume 47, Hè Trên Xứ Lạnh, filmed in Edmonton, Alberta of Canada in the year 2011.  

Viet Thao is also the host of Tonight with Viet Thao, his own talk show which airs on VFTV.

Link(s):

MC Viet Thao Facebook Page

Y Phung

Y Phung (1979-    ) is a famous overseas Vietnamese actress and pop singer.  She is the daughter of veteran Cai Luong performers, Minh Phung and Kieu Tien.

Born as Nguyễn Mỹ Thể on February 18, 1979 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, she made her stage debut in the Cai Luong play, Khói Rừng Quê Mẹ, at the age of 6.  In 1994, she began singing for various various venues and major cabarets in Ho Chi Minh City and became famous for her covers of New Wave/Italo Disco songs recorded originally by Modern Talking, in particular You're My Heart, You're My Soul.  Prior to leaving Vietnam, Y Phung had become an established cinema actress starring in such Vietnamese films like Những Cánh Hoa Dại, Riêng Chỉ Có Anh and Đời Vũ Nữ.   In 2007, Y Phung married an American citizen of Vietnamese descent and moved to the United States.  The following year, she signed with Asia Entertainment and has become one of the most popular performers of the label.  She has recorded duets with various other performers including her father, Minh Phung, Thao My, Thanh Thuy, Thai Doanh Doanh, Lam Thuy Van and Dan Nguyen.  Among her most popular recorded songs have included Một Ngày Mùa Đông written by Bảo Chấn, Anh Về Với Em written by Nhat Truong and Yêu Một Mình written by Trinh Lam Ngan.

Link(s):

30 Most Beautiful Viet Celebs of 2015 

Dan Nguyen

Dan Nguyen (1984-    ) is a famous overseas Vietnamese singer.

Born as Nguyễn Đặng Đan on July 9, 1984 in Hue, Vietnam, he grew up as the eldest in a family of four children.  At the age of 14, he along with his mother and three younger siblings, two sisters and a brother, left their native homeland for the United States resettling in Orange County, Southern California.  When he turned 16, he started entering singing competitions held at Vietnamese communities in both Southern and Northern California regions, as well as in Washington state.  Out of the six competitions he had entered in total, he took home the first prize trophy four times.  

In 2006, while attending a concert event featuring a gala of singers with the Asia Entertainment label, a chance meeting with singer Trish Thuy Trang would then change his life.  The famous female singer agreed to hand deliver one of his demo tapes to Truc Ho and Thy Van, the artistic music director and the CEO of Asia Entertainment, respectively.  Immediately, both Truc Ho and Thy Van were taken by Dan Nguyen's unique style of singing and dashing good looks.  Shortly, thereafter he was signed as an exclusive recording artist with Asia Entertainment.  Dan Nguyen made his debut appearance the following year on Asia Entertainment's volume 55 live show music video series, Hát Với Thần Tượng (Singing With Idols), in a duet performance together with his idol, veteran Vietnamese singer Che Linh, of a classic tune, Thói Đời written by Truc Phuong.  The overwhelming positive feedback from viewer audiences on his very first music video appearance for Asia Entertainment gave confirmation to the label's executives of their decision to sign him and that indeed a new star had been born.    

During the next ten years signed with Asia Entertainment, Dan Nguyen's career flourished rapidly.  He recorded a string of highly successful solo studio albums while under contract with Asia Entertainment and would become one of the bestselling Vietnamese recording artists worldwide.  Among his most popular solo studio albums released by Asia Entertainment include Những Lời Này Cho Em (2008), Thành Phố Mưa Bay (2010), Xin Làm Người Tình Cô Đơn (2010), Có Thế Thôi (2012), Ngày Xuân Thăm Nhau (2014), Nàng Áo Tím (2015), Thương Về Miền Trung (2015) and 100 Phần Trăm (2016).  In addition, Dan Nguyen was often paired up with Y Phung, as the two recorded a series of well received duet albums together for the Asia Entertainment label during this period.  He has also toured extensively playing to sold out Vietnamese audiences all around the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.  Dan Nguyen is also an accomplished songwriter and has written several popular Vietnamese ballads such as Chuyện Tình Không Dĩ Vãng, Tôi Vẫn Cô Đơn, Một Lòng Yêu Em and Dòng Máu Việt Nam.

As of the beginning of 2016, Dan Nguyen has switched labels and is now signed with Thuy Nga Paris.  

Link(s):

30 Most Beautiful Viet Celebs of 2015

External Link(s):

Dan Nguyen Fan Club on Facebook

Diep Thanh Thanh

Diep Thanh Thanh (1971-    ) is a popular overseas Vietnamese singer.

Born as Thao Diep in 1971 in Saigon, South Vietnam, she is the second eldest in a family of four children.  Both her parents, Xuân Diệp and Ngọc Điệp, were established performers in Southern Vietnamese folk opera.  Her paternal grandfather was legendary musician/songwriter Thu Hồ.  Her biggest support had come from her aunt, famous overseas Vietnamese singer, My Huyen.

Having been raised in a Roman Catholic family, her first experiences performing in front of a live audience was with her church choir.  After her family had relocated to the United States resettling in San Diego, California during the early 1990s, she joined the Chúa Thánh Linh choir and became one its lead singers.  In 1998, she signed with Asia Entertainment and was given the professional stage name of Diep Thanh Thanh by the label's artistic musical director, Truc Ho.  From her debut appearance on volume 19 of the popular live show music video series produced by Asia Entertainment that year with a performance of a Nhat Truong-penned tune, Từ Đó Em Buồn, Diep Thanh Thanh managed to leave a lasting impression with viewer audiences with her angelic vocals and beauty.  She has since become one of the most popular performers on the Asia Entertainment label and has a large following of fans in all four corners of the world.  Among her most popular recorded songs for Asia Entertainment include Hoa Ti Gôn, Trăng Tàn Trên Hè Phố, Lần Đầu Nói Dối, Bây Giờ Còn Nhớ Hay Không and Chán Em Ghê.  She has also performed several extremely well-received duets with singer Manh Dinh on Asia Entertainment's live show music video series.  For almost two decades, Diep Thanh Thanh has enjoyed one of the longest tenures with Asia Entertainment.  When not recording or making video appearances for Asia Entertainment, Diep Thanh Thanh's busy schedule consists of fulfilling live concert tour dates performing for Vietnamese audiences worldwide.  

Link(s):

30 Most Beautiful Viet Celebs of 2015