Randy

Randy (1971-    ) is a famous singer of traditional Vietnamese pop music.

Born as Tran Quoc Tuan on January 25, 1971 to an African-American father and a Vietnamese mother, Randy was abandoned at birth by both parents and left under the care of his maternal grandmother until the age of 4.  For unspecified reasons, in 1975 he was sent to the Thanh Tam orphanage in Da Nang, Central Vietnam where he lived for a year until being adopted by a family from Hoi An.  Randy's upbringing was filled with sadness and pain.  For the next 14 years with his adoptive family, he experienced countless beatings and mental humiliation.  In 1983, with the onset of the Amerasian Homecoming Act which allowed Amerasians and their families entrance to the United States, Randy's heartless adoptive parents took this as a money making opportunity and sold him to a Chinese-Vietnamese family in exchange for less than three ounces of gold.  In 1990, Randy along with members of his fraudulent new family were granted permanent residence in the United States.

Randy began his professional singing career in the early 1990s after winning first prize in a karaoke talent contest held at Café Van in Dallas, Texas.  With the guidance of musician Thu Ho, Randy was introduced to Hai Au Productions.  Shortly thereafter, Randy would make his first appearance on Vietnam Performing Arts Television with a performance of Nó written by Anh Bang.  Within several weeks, Randy followed up his debut television appearance with another astounding performance of the classic ballad, Loi Dang Cho Mot Cuoc Tinh.  His poignant delivery of both songs touched the hearts of numerous television viewers and turned him into an overnight star in the Vietnamese music industry.  

My Huyen and Randy 

During his tenure at Hai Au Productions, Randy had been one of the label's bestselling new recording artists.  In addition to six solo studio albums, he had also recorded three extremely well received duet albums with singer My Huyen.  Together, the two would become one of the most successful duos of traditional Vietnamese pop music in the early 1990s.  Among their most popular hit songs included Ong Lai Do, Chuyen Tinh Nguoi Dan Ao written by Nhat Truong and Ai Cho Toi Tinh Yeu written by Truc Phuong.  After Hai Au Productions, Randy ventured out and began recording for several other major overseas Vietnamese music production labels such as Giang Ngoc, Mai Ngoc Khanh and New Castle Entertainment.  Most recently, he has collaborated with Rang Dong, one of the most prominent music production labels in Vietnam today.  He is also an accomplished songwriter and has written several songs featured on his solo studio albums such as Khan Gia Xa Gan, Vet Thuong Vo Hinh, Xuan Nay Ben Me and Sau Cuoc Chien, a heart wrenching depiction of an Amerasian child wishing to find his father.  Randy has also made recordings with artists like Phi Nhung, Tuan Vu, Ngoc Son, Phuong Mai and the late Luu Quoc Viet.  

His popularity has led him to live performances for Vietnamese audiences all over the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and Vietnam.  In recent years he has been heavily involved with Gia Dinh My Viet, a non-profit organization set up to assist Amerasians still living in Vietnam, performing at fundraiser events around the United States along with other Amerasian singers such as Phi Nhung, Dai Trang, Lilian, Ngoc Anh, Van Anh, Phuong Thao, Jenny Trang and Thien Phu.  

In 2007, Randy made his first return trip to Vietnam.  While performing at Tieng Xua Cabaret in Ho Chi Minh City, he was approached by a journalist from one of Vietnam's most circulated newspapers, Viet Bao.  Randy agreed to do the interview and candidly disclosed his quest to locate his biological mother.  The publication of the article sparked nationwide attention as the Vietnamese public responded with hundreds of letters sent in support of Randy.  After years of searching with inconclusive answers, finally on October of 2012, a woman by the name of Tram came forward with information about the whereabouts of Randy's biological mother after she had recognized him in a photograph as her long lost nephew.  According to Mrs. Tram, Randy's biological mother was her husband's sister-in-law who had passed away two years prior.  

Randy divides his time between the United States and Vietnam in recent years.  He is currently married and is a father of three children.  

Link(s):

10 Viet Celebs Who Don't Look Vietnamese