Minh Phung

Minh Phung (1944-2008) was a famous Southern Vietnamese folk opera actor.

Born in 1944 to a family with ten children in Tien Giang, South Vietnam, his name given at birth was Ngo Van Thieu.  But on his birth certificate, he was given the name, Nguyen Van Hoai.  While still a teenager, through an introduction by established cai luong theater actor, Huong Huyen, he joined the Tân Đô theater troupe and was given the stage name of Tân Tiến.  At the age of 17, he changed his stage name finally to Minh Phung when he signed with the prestigious Kim Chung Theater Troupe at the same time with two other actors with similar stage names, Minh Canh and Minh Vuong.  Prior to 1975, he had become one of the most popular cai luong performers in all of South Vietnam.  In a career that spanned nearly 50 years, Minh Phung starred in many successful cai luong play productions including Trinh Tiet Mot Loai Hoa with Ut Bach Lan, Bich Van Cung Le Su with My Chau, Xin Mot Lan Yeu Nhau and Kiep Nao Co Yeu Nhau, both with Le Thuy.  

In 1976, Minh Phung formed his own theater troupe called Huong Mua Thu.  He would change the name of the theater troupe to Tieng Chuong Vang in 1994.  Despite the decline in popularity of cai luong plays with audiences in Vietnam, he managed to keep his theater troupe in full operation until the year 2000.  His persistence, however, resulted in financial setbacks in his later years.  

During the 1990s and 2000s, Minh Phung made many live performances for overseas Vietnamese audiences all over Europe and North America.  In 2007, he appeared on volumes 55 and 56 of the popular overseas Vietnamese live show video series produced by Asia Entertainment.  Minh Phung passed away on September 29, 2008 from kidney failure.  He left behind his wife of 20 years, cai luong actress Kieu Tien, and their daughter, overseas Vietnamese actress/singer Y Phung.  He also had three children from a previous relationship with cai luong actress Dieu Hue.  

Khanh Ngoc

Khanh Ngoc (1936-    ) is a legendary Vietnamese film actress and singer.

At the age of 12, Khanh Ngoc became a protegée of Duong Thieu Tuoc and Minh Trang, the husband and wife team of musical mentors and hosts of a popular music program on Radio France-Vietnam National Broadcasting Network ( Đài Phát Thanh Pháp Á) in Saigon.  Like many young Vietnamese singers of the day, she began performing weekly at various cinema theaters in Saigon like Nam Viet, Nam Quang, Van Cam and Dai Nam as part of the live entertainment for the audience right before the movie presentation.  According to Khanh Ngoc's recollections, the very first song she had ever performed on stage in front of a live audience was Tieng Hat Lenh Denh written by Tu Phap.  In 1949, while at the age of 13, Khanh Ngoc was hired on as a professional singer for Radio France-Vietnam National Broadcasting Network.  She then became acquainted with a music singing group called Thang Long which originated in Hanoi and was comprised of 4 siblings, Hoai Trung, Thai Hang, Hoai Bac, also known as Pham Dinh Chuong, and Thai Thanh.  Khanh Ngoc would occasionally perform as a guest singer for Thang Long.  As her popularity grew, she was invited to perform in various cities all over Vietnam.  In 1953, Khanh Ngoc married Pham Dinh Chuong.

During a casting call in 1955 for a film called, Anh Sang Mien Nam, a joint Vietnamese-Filipino production, Khanh Ngoc was selected by Filipino film actor/director Gerardo de Leon for the lead role.  The following year, she would win the Philippines Film Festival Award for best actress.  Khanh Ngoc followed up the success of Anh Sang Mien Nam with another film, Dat Lanh, starring actor Le Quynh in 1956.  Her final Vietnamese film was Rang Buoc, released in 1959 by Alpha Film Studios.

Riding high as one of South Vietnam's most popular and beautiful film actresses with three blockbuster feature films under her belt along with an equally successful singing career, Khanh Ngoc's world came to a shattering halt plagued with scandal and negative press from the collapse of her marriage to Pham Dinh Chuong after an alleged extra-marital affair she had had with composer Pham Duy.  Following her divorce, in 1961 she decided to leave it all behind to start a new life in the United States.  She enrolled at Pasadena Theater College and found herself an agent shortly thereafter.  In 1963, Khanh Ngoc was cast in the Hollywood feature film, Operation Bikini, which starred Tab Hunter, Frankie Avalon and Scott Brady.  Unfortunately, her acting career in Hollywood films did not sustain the longevity as it did back in her native Vietnam.  During the 1970s and 1980s, Khanh Ngoc resumed her singing career and traveled across the United States performing for overseas Vietnamese audiences in various cities.

Now retired, Khanh Ngoc resides in Los Angeles, California.  She is remarried and a mother to three grown sons.  It is believed that the popular ballad, Nua Hon Thuong Dau, written by her former late husband, Pham Dinh Chuong, and covered by many Vietnamese singers such as Thai Thanh, Julie Quang and Khanh Ha, was loosely based on their failed marriage.

Link(s):

Another 50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time

Minh Vuong

Minh Vuong (1950-    ) is a famous actor of Southern Vietnamese folk opera known as cai luong.

Born as Nguyen Van Vung in Long An, South Vietnam in 1950, he grew up in a family of 7 children.  At the age of 14, he signed with the prestigious Kim Chung Folk Opera Theater Troupe as a contract player.  After a year working as an understudy and taking on supporting roles for various cai luong stage productions associated with Kim Chung, Minh Vuong mysteriously fell ill losing all of his hair and took a year off to recover.  He returned to Kim Chung in 1965.  And by the age of 18, Minh Vuong turned into a leading actor.  Among his most popular cai luong plays prior to 1975 include Bao Cong Xu An Quach Que starring Minh Canh, My Chau, Thanh Tuan and Thanh Kim Hue, Dem Lanh Chua Hoang starring Minh Canh, Le Thuy, Thanh Sang, Thanh Thanh Hoa, Nam Hung and Van Chung, Chung Vo Diem starring Le Thuy, Thanh Kim Hue and Tu Trinh, Ao Vu Co Hang starring Minh Phung, My Chau, Dung Thanh Lam and Huu Phuoc, Tieu Anh Phung starring My Chau, Le Thuy and Kim Ngoc and Xin Mot Lan Co Yeu Nhau starring Minh Canh, Le Thuy and Phuong Lien.  In 1972, he developed his own successful theater troupe which remained in operation up until the Fall of Saigon.  Minh Vuong had also signed with the Viet Nam record label during the early 1970s and became one of the most popular cai luong audio recording artists of the day.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Minh Vuong reached the height of popularity in his career as a cai luong performer.  He starred in many cai luong productions on stage as well as video adaptations of such classic plays like Doi Co Luu alongside Bach Tuyet, Thanh Duoc, Diep Lang, Ngoc Giau and Le Thuy, Rang Ngoc Con Son with Tan Tai and Cam Tien, Tam Long Cua Bien with Chau Thanh, Le Thuy and Bao Trang, So Phan with Tai Linh and Suoi Oan with Ngoc Huyen and Kim Tu Long.  In 2011, he along with cast members from the 1980s stage production of Doi Co Luu starred in a highly successful comedy version of the classic play with comedian Hoai Linh.  Among his many accolades, Minh Vuong has been named by Tuoi Tre Magazine as Cai Luong Male Performer of the Decade in 1985, awarded with a Huy Chuong Vang, Vietnam's equivalent to a Tony, in 1990, officially recognized by the Vietnamese government as Nghe Si Uu Tu, Meritorious Artist, in 2007, named by Guinness Vietnam along with Le Thuy as the Most Successful Cai Luong Pair Performers of All Time in 2008 and awarded with a Mai Vang, Golden Orchid, also in 2008.


In 2008, Minh Vuong performed a duet with Huong Lan of Tan Co Tieng Ho Mien Nam written by Pham Duy and Vien Chau on Volume 91 of the popular overseas video series, Paris By Night, produced by Thuy Nga which was filmed at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in Long Beach, California.  Minh Vuong has performed for overseas Vietnamese audiences all over Europe and North America.  He currently resides in Ho Chi Minh City where he and his wife, Do Thi Hong, also own and operate a boutique.  

Tu Trinh

Tu Trinh (1952-    ) is a famous Vietnamese actress.  With one of the most recognizable speaking voices in Vietnam, she reached national prominence beginning in the early 1970s as a voice actress providing voice overs in the Vietnamese language for foreign films distributed from primarily Taiwan, Hong Kong and India.  Tu Trinh is also an established actress of dramatic plays, television and feature films.

Born as Ha Thi Thu Ba in Saigon, South Vietnam in 1952, she is the second eldest in a family of 9 children.  Her mother was the third wife of cai luong musician Chin Trich.  Her father's first wife was the younger sister of stage actress Bay Nam, mother of legendary actress of stage and film, Kim Cuong.  At the age of 13, she was accepted into Quoc Gia Am Nhac, National Conservatory of Music in Saigon, to study cai luong.  Due to her family's financial difficulties, she was unable to complete her studies at the conservatory in order to obtain her degree.  With only a year left to go, Tu Trinh had to continue with her studies at the conservatory after her third year there.  With only a year left to go for her degree, Tu Trinh had to accept the harsh fact that she wasn't able to   It was while she studying at the conservatory that she delved into a short-lived career stint on the cai luong stage.  Tu Trinh had just turned 14 when one fateful night she was given the opportunity to fill in for a small part as a blind girl in a cai luong play by veteran actress Bich Thuan.  After several weeks of performing nightly with Bich Thuan's folk opera theater company, she along with the rest of the cast were featured on national Vietnamese television.  Her impeccable performance portraying a blind girl on television would catch the attention of several major dramatic theater troupes such as Kim Cuong and Tham Thuy Hang who would soon after contact Tu Trinh to offer her parts in plays.

In the years to come, Tu Trinh would become more established as a stage actress.  However, it was her pleasant speaking voice that would finally enable her to finding her niche in the Vietnamese entertainment industry as a voice actress.  Right around the beginning of the 1970s decade, Tu Trinh embarked on a lucrative new career which took her out of poverty.  She worked alongside a group of established actors and actresses such as La Thoai Tan, Hong Phuc, Lam Hung and Nguyen Hanh doing voice overs in the Vietnamese language for Indian, Chinese and French films shown in theaters across South Vietnam.  In the 1973 film, Chiec Bong Ben Duong, Kieu Chinh's character was dubbed with Tu Trinh's speaking voice.

Like many other performers who had become established prior to the Fall of Saigon, Tu Trinh was banned from working in Ho Chi Minh City by the communist regime for the first couple of years after 1975.  During this difficult period, she found work in plays at theaters in smaller towns and provinces outside of Ho Chi Minh City.  In 1978, the communist regime eased up on Tu Trinh allowing her to work with the Bong Hong Theater Troupe based out of Ho Chi Minh City but with the usage of the stage name, Thu Ba.  Shortly after that, she was able to join the Kim Cuong Theater Troupe performing in playhouses located in Ho Chi Minh City with the full usage of her original stage name, Tu Trinh.

Beginning in the mid-1990s, Tu Trinh has delved into both television and feature films in her acting career.  In 1995, she costarred with Viet Trinh, Huynh Anh Tuan and Hoang Phuc in the television movie, Song Dai.  The following year, Tu Trinh was cast in the wildly popular television mini-series, Nguoi Dep Tay Do (1996), which also starred Viet Trinh along with Chi Bao and the late Don Duong.  Among her feature films include Xin Loi Em Chi La (2010) starring Lan Phuong, Ngan Khanh and Viet Anh and Ngoc Vien Dong (Pears of the Far East) (2011) starring Truong Ngoc Anh, Kieu Chinh, Ngo Thanh Van, Diem My, Huy Khanh and Nhu Quynh.

Huu Nghia and Tu Trinh in the play, Giong To (2010)

In 2000, Tu Trinh appeared on the 55th volume of Paris By Night produced by Thuy Nga in a drama sketch called Muc Lien Cuu Me.  During the summer of 2004, Tu Trinh toured North America for the first time performing for overseas Vietnamese audiences in several major cities in Canada and the United States.  In 2010, she returned to the United States and performed at the Saigon Performing Arts Center in Fountain Valley, California in the play, Giong To, along with veteran actress Tuy Hong, Huu Nghia, Truong Minh Quoc Thai and Kieu Oanh.  Tu Trinh has since announced her retirement from acting.

Cao Phi Long and Tu Trinh

Tu Trinh was formerly married to acclaimed musician, Cao Phi Long, from 1979 until 1985.  She is a mother of a grown daughter named Khanh Ha, born in 1983.  

Another 10 Equals 250 Total

+ 10 = 250

The next list of featured Vietnamese celebrities are from the Pre-'75 Saigon era.  As we honor the following with the completion of bios/tributes that will be published and accessible to all of our viewers, VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com will have a new grand total of 250 profiled celebrities.  The selected next 10 are as follows.

Tu Trinh:  Stage Actress and Voice Actress

Minh Vuong:  Southern Vietnamese Folk Opera Actor 

Khanh Ngoc:  Film Actress and Singer

Minh Phung:  Southern Vietnamese Folk Opera Actor

My Chau:  Southern Vietnamese Folk Opera Actress Most Famous for Her Portrayal of  "Lolita"

Minh Canh:  Southern Vietnamese Folk Opera Actor

Hong Van:  Singer  Mostly Famous for Her Exceptional Vocal Talents in Ngam Tho (Reciting Vietnamese Poems in Song)

Hoang Thi Tho:  Composer, Show Promoter and Filmmaker 

Son Ca:  Singer

Duy Trac:  Singer

Thanh Hang (Miss Vietnam Photogenic)

For the Vietnamese-American Model, see Thanh Hang (Vietnamese-American Model).




Thanh Hang (1983-    ) is a beautiful Vietnamese fashion model and film actress.

Born on July 22, 1983 as Pham Thi Thanh Hang, she began her modeling career at the age of 19. Immediately after winning the beauty pageant title of Miss Vietnam Photogenic sponsored by Phu Nu Viet Nam Magazine in 2002, Thanh Hang's modeling career was launched.  She was named Vietnam's Model of the Year in 2004.  The following year, Thanh Hang represented Vietnam at the Miss Earth Beauty Pageant held in Manila, Philippines.  She has worked the runway at fashion shows in Singapore, India and France.

In 2003, Thanh Hang made her film debut in Nhung Co Gai Chan Dai starring Xuan Lan and Duong Yen Ngoc.  On the small screen, she has starred in a string of highly rated television movies and mini-series including Tuyet Nhiet Doi (2006) with Luong Manh Hai, playing identical twins in Toi La Ngoi Sao (2007), Gia Tai Bac Si (2008) with Viet Anh and Nguoi Mau (2011) with Binh Minh.  In 2008, Thanh Hang starred in the feature comedy film, Nu Hon Than Chet (Kiss of the Death), with Johnny Tri Nguyen, Hoai Linh, Thanh Loc and Phuong Thanh.  The following year, she starred in her third feature film, Nhung Nu Hon Ruc Ro (2009), with Minh Hang.  In 2013, Thanh Hang enjoyed her biggest box office success in the blockbuster action feature film, My Nhan Ke, costarring Tang Thanh Ha.  Her last feature film to date was Sieu Nhan X (2015) starring Ngo Kien Huy.


Thanh Hang has been a longtime official celebrity spokesmodel for Aquafina in Vietnam.  She has served on the panel of judges for the popular television show, Nguoi Mau Viet Nam:  Vietnam's Next Top Model, seasons 4 and 6.  In 2010, Thanh Hang also served as a judge for the Mister Vietnam Pageant.

Link(s):

30 Most Beautiful Viet Celebs of 2015

Ngan Khanh

Ngan Khanh (1985-   ) is a famous Vietnamese singer and actress.

She was born as Le Ngan Khanh on October 7, 1985 in Quy Nhon, Vietnam.  At the age of 12, she and her family relocated to Ho Chi Minh City.  In high school, she was very popular due to her good looks and active participation in theater.

In 2005, Ngan Khanh began her professional acting career when she landed her first role in the feature film, Mam Song.  The following year, she entered and won first prize in Ngoi Sao Ngay Mai, a talent search for cinema of Vietnam's future stars.  The year 2007 proved to be a major breakthrough year for Ngan Khanh after winning the lead role in the highly successful television drama, Goi Giac Mo Ve, costarring Huynh Dong and Minh Hang.  Since then, Ngan Khanh has been the leading actress starring in a string of wildly popular television dramas including Ghen (2007) with Ly Nha Ky, May Trang Ngang Troi (2008), Tuong Vy Canh Mong (2008). Song Tinh (2009) with Minh Luan, Hanh Phuc Co That (Vu Dieu Bella) (2009), Cho Yeu Thuong Quay Ve (2012), Quyen Ru (2014) and My Nhan Sai Thanh (2015).  In 2011, she starred in the Victor Vu-directed comedy blockbuster, Co Dau Dai Chien (Battle of the Brides), alongside Ngoc Diep, Van Trang, Le Khanh and Phi Thanh Van.  Two years later, Ngan Khanh would star in another blockbuster feature comedy film, Nha Co 5 Nang Tien (Five Fairies in the House) (2013), alongside Hoai Linh, Viet Huong, Miu Le and Chi Tai.  Among her other starring roles in feature films include Xin Loi Em Chi La (2010) with Lan Phuong, Viet Anh and Tu Trinh, Buoc Khe Den Hanh Phuc (2014) with Quan Ngoc Ngoan and Ma Dai (2015) with Hoai Linh, Hari Won and Thai Hoa.  She has also worked in modeling as the celebrity spokesperson in commercials and magazine ads for various international brand names.

Ngan Khanh in Co Dau Dai Chien (2011)

In addition to her accomplishments as a famous actress of Vietnamese television and film, Ngan Khanh has also found success as a Vietnamese pop singer.  In 2009, she signed with Music Box Entertainment, one of Vietnam's most prominent talent management firms in the music industry headed by singer Thanh Thao.  On December of that same year, Ngan Khanh released her debut solo studio album, Chi Yeu Minh Anh.  She has since recorded two more subsequent solo studio albums, Em Phai Lam Sao (2013) and Nguoi Tao Giac Mo (2015).  Among her most popular songs include Nu Hon Lua Doi, Tai Vi Sao, Nobody, a Vietnamese cover of the international monster hit single originally recorded by Korean all-girl pop group, The Wonder Girls, and duets with Ngo Kien Huy, Ta Mai Ben Nhau and Kiss Kiss.  

On February 9, 2015, Ngan Khanh got married to Do Thieu Quan.  To the surprise of millions of her fans, in 2015 while enjoying peaks in both careers as an actress and as a singer Ngan Khanh decided to go into early temporary retirement in order to pursue a degree in filmmaking.  At present she is studying film production overseas in Singapore.

Link(s):

30 Most Beautiful Viet Celebs of 2015
Ngan Khanh Facebook Fan Page