6 More Amerasians/Eurasians Make the Most Beautiful List

On Viet Celeb's recent post, Another 50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time, 6 of our beautiful Amerasians/Eurasians made the list.  That comes to 12% of the 50 lovely ladies listed as being either Amerasians or Eurasians.  Just like on Viet Celeb's previous list, 50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time, this is a rather impressive ratio.  Remember, we Amerasians and Eurasians make up less than 1% of the entire Vietnamese population.  The six lovely Amerasian/Eurasian ladies that had made the list are Michelle Banzer, Luu Hong, Nai Bonet, Tinna Tinh, Thuy Hang and Van Anh.  Congratulations to our lovely, beautiful Amerasian/Eurasian ladies!

Michelle Banzer - Amerasian, Fashion Model and Miss Kentucky USA 2007 

Tinna Tinh - Eurasian Vietnamese Singer of Czech and Vietnamese Descent 

Luu Hong - Eurasian Vietnamese Singer
of  German and Vietnamese Descent

Van Anh - Amerasian Singer

Nai Bonet - Eurasian Vietnamese-French Hollywood Actress
and Belly Dancer

Thuy Hang - Amerasian Singer



Link(s):

Another 50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time

Introducing Our Newest Pinterest Board About Eurasians

Vietnamese Eurasians on Pinterest:  France Nuyen (Top),
Dai Trang (Bottom Left), Yohan Cabaye (Bottom Center),
Nai Bonet (Bottom Right)

We proudly invite everyone to check out our newest Pinterest board which celebrates and honors Vietnamese Eurasians of the entertainment industry.  The list of famous Vietnamese Eurasians featured on this board is growing by the minute.  Click on the following link to learn more about Pinterest and our newest board.

Link(s):

Vietnamese Eurasians on Pinterest

Look Who Has Made the Men's List

Previously on Viet Celeb's 50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time there were a total of 14 Amerasian/Eurasian females who had made the list.  That comes out to 28%.  Pretty impressive, wouldn't you say considering that Amerasians and Eurasians make up less than 1% of the entire Vietnamese population.  With Viet Celeb's recent posting of 20 Most Handsome Vietnamese Men of All Time, four had made the list.  That comes out to 20%.  Not as high as the rate of Amerasian/Eurasian females on the previous list, but it's still quite impressive.  Here are the four Amerasian/Eurasian males on that list.

Chris Tianssen:  International Male Model
 of French and Vietnamese Descent

Fabien Corbineau:  Eurasian Actor of Korean Cinema and Television
 of French and Vietnamese Descent 

Marcel Nguyen:  Olympics Medalist Gymnast
 of German and Vietnamese Descent

Yohan Cabaye:  Professional Footballer of French and Vietnamese Descent

Link(s):

20 Most Handsome Vietnamese Men of All Time

50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time

Dai Trang Featured on Viet Celeb

Dai Trang has definitely been one of the most successful overseas Eurasian Vietnamese singers ever since she first came onto the scene back in the early 1990s appearing on a string of Hollywood Night videos produced by May Productions.  She had started to make an impact in the overseas Vietnamese entertainment industry representing the Amerasian/Eurasian Vietnamese community before the likes of Thanh Ha and Phi Nhung had made their way.  It is my honor and privilege to feature Dai Trang on VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com.  For the tribute and bio of Dai Trang featured on Viet Celeb, click on the link below.  Our next Amerasian singers to be featured on VietCeleb will be Lilian and Randy.  Look for their upcoming bios and tributes that will be published at the beginning of next month.

Link:  

Dai Trang Bio on Viet Celeb

Tributes to Two Eurasian Performers of Vietnamese Folk Opera

With the recent passing on July 10, 2015 of Phuong Thanh, a very handsome German-Vietnamese Eurasian actor of traditional Southern Vietnamese folk opera known as "cai luong", made me think of another legendary Eurasian French-Vietnamese actor, Dung Thanh Lam.  But let's not drift away from the topic of Phuong Thanh's recent passing just yet.  Afterall, he was a tremendous talent in his own right.  I've had the chance to meet him on one occasion when I was over in Paris a few years back.  I met him through singer Tuan Hung's mother, "cai luong" actress Kieu Le Mai, who is also Eurasian of French and Vietnamese decent.  I found him to be a very lovely man, as he was quite humble.  And despite how he was of advanced age during the time of our meeting, I can still see very visible remaining traces of him once being a very handsome man.  Now that I think about it, I do remember watching him on those "cai luong" video productions from Thuy Nga Paris back when I was a kid.  Phuong Thanh had starred in a series of those "cai luong" video productions during the 1980s and costarred with the likes of Huu Phuoc, Thanh Duoc, Huong Lan, Mong Tuyen, Phuong Mai, Phuong Hong Ngoc and Kieu Le Mai.  He sure was one very handsome devil.  I guess a lot of folks don't know this about me, but I've been a huge fan of "cai luong" ever since I can remember.  I guess that's an innate trait for Eurasians.  Looking back at the history of performers of Southern Vietnamese folk opera, there have been quite a few of us Eurasians like Phuong Thanh, Kieu Le Mai, Phuong Hong Ngoc, who is a quarter French, Bich Ngoc and of course, Dung Thanh Lam.  Phuong Thanh will definitely be greatly missed.

Phuong Thanh (1948-2015)
Eurasian Actor of Vietnamese Folk Opera Stage Known as "Cai Luong"

As I mentioned earlier, the passing of "cai luong" actor Phuong Thanh made me think of Dung Thanh Lam.  Besides having watched Dung Thanh Lam perform live in an all-star cast which included Huong Lan, Huu Phuoc, Thanh Duoc, Viet Hung, Phuong Mai and Bang Chau in Tam Long Cua Bien at the Anaheim Convention Center back in the 1988 and one other time later that same year in Nua Doi Huong Phan at the Valley High School auditorium in Santa Ana, California, I had also gotten to know him on a personal level when I became an adult sometime in the early 1990s.  Where shall I begin?  Alright, I'll start with when I first started singing for the Vietnamese community back in 1993.  One of my first bookings was an engagement at the Normandie Casino in Gardena, Southern California where I would befriend a Vietnamese celebrity by the name of Kim Qui.  Believe it or not, but Kim Qui was actually one of the first Vietnamese celebrities I had become friends with when I first started out as a Vietnamese singer.  If her name happens to ring a bell with a bit of uncertainty, just disregard any uncertainty because it is who you think it is.  Yes, that Kim Qui!  The one and only Kim Qui, Saigon's legendary, most celebrated performer of burlesque.  Or shall I say, the famous striptease artist?  She was actually one very cool lady. Anyway, she had been booked to perform on that same engagement with me at Normandie Casino.  At that time, I guess she was trying to pursue a career as a singer.  But on the night of the show, somehow her segment where she was supposed to sing a couple of songs got cut out altogether and was only able to perform her burlesque act.  So to make a long story short, she and I had become friends during rehearsals for the show.  One day she invited me over to her place for dinner.  That's when I found out that her "husband", or the man in her life at the moment, was none other than Dung Thanh Lam.  Upon meeting him for the first time, we instantly clicked.  I guess there's something about Eurasian-to-Eurasian interaction.  Like I said, we just clicked and talked to one another as if we had known each other our entire lives.  After that engagement at the Normandie Casino, I would see Kim Qui every now and then.  But we really didn't remain that close simply because we didn't have all that much in common to really sustain a close friendship.  I did run into her one night at the Ritz Nightclub in Anaheim some months after the Normandie Casino show and while she and I were sipping on some cognac, she revealed that she and Dung Thanh Lam had broken up.  I could tell she was really saddened.  That made me feel bad for her.

I hadn't seen Dung Thanh Lam for years until the beginning of the year 2000.  It was during Tet season.  I had been booked on a show in Pomona, California at the Tet Festival for the Vietnamese community there in celebration of the Vietnamese New Year.  Since Pomona has a rather small Vietnamese community in comparison to Little Saigon in Westminster, California, you could imagine how much smaller their Tet festival gathering would be in comparison to what we're used to seeing in Orange County year after year.  I think that was actually the very first year that the Vietnamese community of Pomona held a Tet festival.  Only three performers were scheduled to appear at that show.  Can you guess who these three were?  They were Dung Thanh Lam, Dai Trang and myself, Thien Phu.  Blown up photos of all three of us were so exaggerated on the flyers that had been made to promote the festival, it looked as if it were an advertisement for some really major event.  But in all reality, the total number of people who ended up attending the Tet Festival in Pomona that year only came to just slightly over 300. I didn't realize it until Dung Thanh Lam had pointed this out to Dai Trang and myself when all three of us were hanging out in the dressing room before the show began.  Pointing at the poster he said, "It's rather odd how they would book all three of us Eurasians for this show, don't you think?  The flyer says that these three singers will be performing for the Vietnamese New Year's festival.  What if someone who wasn't Vietnamese saw the flyer?  Seeing photos of the three of us, they would probably think, 'Why are these three Mexicans performing for Vietnamese New Year?'"  We couldn't stop laughing the whole night over what he had said.

Dung Thanh Lam (1942-2014)
French-Vietnamese Eurasian Actor of "Cai Luong" Stage and Films in South Vietnam

Unfortunately, that was the only time I ever got to work with Dung Thanh Lam.  Two years after that one time we had worked together, I would hear through the grapevines from others in the Vietnamese entertainment world that he fallen ill.  No specific illness was ever revealed.  All I would hear was that he was in poor health.  The next thing I know, a couple of years later he was dead.

It turns out that what had taken Dung Thanh Lam's life so prematurely was cirrhosis of the liver.  I wish I had visited him in the hospital while he was still alive.  I know that there was nothing I could have done to help save his life.  I really wanted to see him so that I could tell him thank you for all of his accomplishments in his career as a Vietnamese entertainer and how he being Eurasian, an "ethnic minority" in the Vietnamese culture, had really set a good example and had opened a lot of doors for other Eurasians of future generations to come.  Dung Thanh Lam was truly a pioneer for Eurasians in the Vietnamese entertainment world.  He was the first Eurasian to grace the "cai luong" stage in South Vietnam, the first Eurasian to appear on national television in South Vietnam and the first Eurasian actor to appear in Vietnamese films.  For such unprecedented accomplishments and contributions,  it is my pleasure to salute, celebrate and honor the memory of Dung Thanh Lam.

Mong Tuyen and Phuong Thanh in Mưa Rừng (1991)

One final note, in the early 1990s the overseas Vietnamese production label, Thuy Nga Paris, had released on video a reprisal performance of the classic cải lương play, Mưa Rừng, starring Mong Tuyen as the lead female character and both of our late Eurasian fellas, Dung Thanh Lam and Phuong Thanh.  For some reason, Mong Tuyen has always looked as if she was Eurasian, to me.  I've read biographies on her and from I've read, both of her parents were Vietnamese.  But how did she end up with such apparent European features on her face?  That's just something I've wondered about every once in a great while.  

Danny Tuan - A Sight for Sore Eyes

Danny Tuan

When I first started out singing, there was this one particular singer, another fellow Amerasian by the name of Danny Tuan, that everyone was raving about just how gorgeous he was.  I remember the first time I was introduced to him was through a mutual friend, Perry Zeild, who had been the make-up artist to singers on Paris by Night.  The first thing that came to my mind was how everybody was right.  He is gorgeous.  He just looked like one of those guys on the cover of GQ Magazine.

For those of you who might not remember who Danny Tuan is, perhaps the following details will help remind you about this Chinese-Vietnamese Amerasian performer.  When Danny Tuan was first introduced onto the overseas Vietnamese entertainment scene, he had started out as a model on several of singer Nhat Ha's videos.  He was this dashing young fellow with striking European and Asian mixed features.  Shortly after, he had caught the eye of producer Le Ba Chu and signed with the Giang Ngoc label that would release three of Danny Tuan's solo studio albums.  Due to his popularity as a model in her videos, Nhat Ha had decided to include him on several other music video showcases as a singer.  Danny Tuan's most popular music video for Nhat Ha Productions was his cover of The Cascades' Rhythm of the Rain.  

I had met and spoken with Danny Tuan only a few times.  We weren't friends, but not enemies, either.  There was one thing that sort of bothered me when I first started singing.  And that was how I had been told that I look a lot like him and had even be mistaken for him several times.  As a singer, nobody ever likes to be mistaken for someone else.  Imagine how it feels after you've sung your heart out on stage just to be greeted by an audience member who calls you by another singer's name.  That has happened more than a few times.  It isn't the most gratifying experience.  I've even had that happen since I've set up my Facebook account.  One Facebook friend had sent me a private message once saying how she really loved watching me on video with the song, Rhythm of the Rain, for Nhat Ha Productions back in the day and had also enjoyed the songs I had recorded in Chinese, but was now really surprised that I could also sing in French.  It was obvious she had mistaken me for Danny Tuan, as well.  That really puzzles me, because frankly, I don't think Danny and I sound anything alike.  But now that I think about it, I'm rather flattered that people think I look like him.  He is afterall one very handsome guy.  Even if people said I looked like a less attractive version of Danny Tuan, I still take that as a compliment.  I remember on one occasion meeting Danny that I had told him how I've been mistaken for him.  He just laughed.  

It's been years since I've seen Danny Tuan or even heard of his whereabouts.  Sometime in the mid 1990s, all of the sudden he just disappeared from the Vietnamese music scene.  I guess with a lot of singers, he probably felt after a while in the spotlight that it had just gotten old and therefor decided to move on with his life.  The last I heard about Danny Tuan was from singer Thanh Ha about six years ago.  At the time when we spoke, she had said that a few years back she had run into Danny in Atlanta, Georgia at one of her shows.  Apparently, Danny had relocated to Atlanta and now lives somewhat of a quiet life there.  Even though I didn't know him that well, given how he is also Amerasian, I feel as if there is a certain kinship between us as I do with all other Amerasians, especially Amerasian performers such as myself.  I certainly wish him the best.


                                                                                                                 
Thien Phu

Amerasian Show in Seattle, Washington

If you happen to be near the Seattle, Washington area during the weekend of July 11th, don't forget to attend this event that has been put together to honor and support causes for Amerasians and their families from the Vietnam War.  The event has been named as Tinh Lai Khong Bien Gioi, which is also the name of an organization founded by our fellow Amerasian and singer/songwriter Jimmy Miller AKA Nhat Tung.  Come out and support our fellow Amerasian/Eurasian performers that will be present that night such as Quoc Anh and Lilian and a gala of many others.  This gathering is a great opportunity for many of our Amerasian friends to reunite with one another, some of which we might have not seen in years for those who had resettled here from Vietnam under the Amerasian Homecoming Act.  As for other Amerasians, like myself, who had come to the United States prior to the Amerasian Homecoming Act, events such as these are a way for us to get more in touch with the culture of Amerasians/Eurasians from Vietnam and also helps us learn about the plight of our own people.  All proceeds will be going directly toward a charity cause known as the Amerasian DNA Project.  This show is definitely not to be missed, especially by any Amerasian or Eurasian from Vietnam.

Danny Graves, the First and Only Vietnamese-Born Pro Baseball Player

Danny Graves is the only Vietnamese-born professional American baseball player in the major leagues.  Read his biography on VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com.  We Amerasians should be proud of this athlete.

Link(s):

Danny Graves Bio on Viet Celeb

Look Who Has Made the List

Recently, Viet Celeb came out with a list called 50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time.  This list consists of the most beautiful Vietnamese actresses, singers, models and beauty queens.  Out of the 50 chosen women, 14 of them were either Amerasians or Eurasians.  The Amerasians and Eurasians include model Anh Duong, television news anchor Betty Nguyen, singer Dai Trang, French actress Dany Carrel, Italian cinema actress Diane Fleri, legendary Hollywood film and television actress France Nuyen, actress Jane March, the late Vietnamese singer Jeannie Mai, Vietnamese singer Julie Quang, French pop singer Leslie, Hong Kong and Hollywood film actress Maggie Q, winner of Revlon's Most Unforgettable Woman Award Mary Xinh Nguyen, Hollywood film and television actress Olivia Munn and singer Thanh Ha.  Amerasians and Eurasians are indeed some of the most beautiful people in the world.

Anh Duong

Betty Nguyen

Dany Carrel

Dai Trang

Diane Fleri

France Nuyen

Jane March

Jeannie Mai 

Julie Quang

Leslie

Maggie Q

Mary Xinh Nguyen

Olivia Munn

Thanh Ha

Link(s):

50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time

Inspirational Fan Letter from Amerasian Reader

Have you ever received a letter written with such kindness that just makes your entire day?  I was that lucky to have that happened to me two days ago.  The writer of this letter, whom I consider as one of a few angels that have inhabited this planet of ours with a primary purpose of spreading love, warmth and kindness to others, is named Rose Hong Matthews.  Rose writes to us all the way from Ho Chi Minh City which is where she currently resides as an American exchange teacher in Vietnam.  Rose, if you are reading this, may I just say thanks again and again for having written to me?  Your words of encouragement are greatly appreciated.

With Rose's permission, here is the letter that she had written posted in its entirety.

Thien Phu

Dear Thien Phu,

Thank you for your stories on being Amerasian.  I'm an Amerasian, myself.  While I was growing up, there were times I felt out of place since I didn't look like the rest of my family.  I was born in Vietnam.  My mother is Vietnamese and my father was an American soldier.  When I was just a year old, my mother had gotten married to a Filipino-American serviceman and we left Vietnam to live in Hawaii.  My stepfather was kind enough to give me his last name.  My mother went on to have two more children with my stepfather.  While growing up, my mother had never told me about my true identity.  I also never had any reason to doubt that my stepfather was my father.  He is a good man and never treated me any different from my two younger siblings.  But then when I was in junior high school, I started to hear how my classmates would refer to me as "Hapa" because of my wavy, red hair and light-skinned complexion.  I hated hearing that and couldn't understand why my classmates kept calling me such.  When I was 13, my family moved to Seattle, Washington, and I was relieved that I didn't have to hear the word, "Hapa", anymore.  Then one day, when I was about 15, after my stepfather and his sister had gotten into some sort of argument, she decided to pull me aside and tell me that he wasn't my actual father and that my real father was an American.  I cried and went home to ask my parents if that was true.  That was when they both broke down and told me the truth.  

At first, I was angry at both my aunt and my parents.  Why would she do that?  After all, it's none of her business.  I was also upset at how my parents could have kept this from me all these years.  When I was 18, I finally tracked down my biological father's whereabouts.  Unfortunately, by then he had already passed away a year prior.  Regardless, I was still thankful for finding out that I have two wonderful half-siblings.  I'm also glad that I now have a better relationship with both my mother and stepfather.  

Eight years ago, my husband and I decided to relocate to Vietnam where we both now work as English teachers in Ho Chi Minh City.  These past eight years living in Vietnam have given me an opportunity to learn more about my Vietnamese roots.  I've also gained a sense of pride as an Amerasian thanks to websites such as yours.  I like reading about other Amerasians and their accomplishments.  Thanks, Thien Phu, for your stories posted on your websites.  Keep up the good work.  

Sincerely,



Rose Hong Matthews
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Quoc Anh!

Quoc Anh

Here is an artist whom I deeply admire and have had the privilege of working with on several occasions in the past.  He is what I would consider as a total gentleman.  In a business where quite so often true gentlemen are a scarcity, it truly gives me great comfort to see how there are those who do exist such as Quoc Anh.

When I think about it, this gentleman has truly done it all in the Vietnamese entertainment industry.  He has worked with all of the biggest names among Vietnamese entertainers.  Did you know that he along with Julie Quang were among the first artists to appear on the Paris By Night music video series produced by Thuy Nga Paris?  I remember as a little kid watching this gentleman who looked completely non-Vietnamese sing Tinh Co Nhu Khong, the popular tune written by legendary singer / songwriter Nhat Truong on the Paris By Night stage and was completely mesmerized.  What I didn't know about him until when I had gotten older and had the chance to work beside him was that Quoc Anh is a singer that also has the abilities of singing perfectly in French and English, as well.

I sincerely tip my hat off to this gentleman.  When I think about the wonderful times we've had working together in the past, whether it be at local nightclubs here in Orange County or at shows performing together on the road in faraway places, all I can say about Quoc Anh is that he is a true gem and an ultimate pleasure to work with.  Here's my glass raised way up high to Mr. Quoc Anh, a true gentleman and class act! 

Thuy Hang, Remember Her?

There was a time during the 1990s that a fresh new face was just starting to make a huge splash in traditional Vietnamese popular music.  This singer was quite young.  So young that she wasn't even of legal age requirement to vote yet, much less work as a singer at nightclubs.  She was very pretty with fair-skinned complexion, chestnut hair and hazel eyes.  At first glance, most Vietnamese would not be able to tell that she is Vietnamese.  But when this teenage girl would open her mouth to let out just the first few words and notes of any of the songs she sang in Vietnamese, somehow everybody in her predominantly Vietnamese audience, whether it be at a venue or a viewer audience at some private residence watching the May Productions' Hollywood Night live show music video series on VHS back then, would all shut up as their jaws drop to the ground in amazement.  Now that's a difficult task to getting any group of Vietnamese folks to shut up at any given moment.  But this young 16 year old girl back then was able to do just that with her voice.  The singer I'm referring to here is Amerasian Thuy Hang back in the late 1990s.  Remember her?

During the latter part of the 1990s decade, Thuy Hang was the new singing sensation in the Vietnamese music industry.  If Ngoc Lan was dubbed as the queen of the Hollywood Night live show music video series back in the 1990s, Thuy Hang was undoubtedly the princess.  Her albums were selling like crazy at Vietnamese music stores all over the world.  Everywhere I had traveled to back then while I was on the road, I'd see posters and flyers with her photograph blasted as the headliner for an upcoming live concert show posted all over.  Whether I was in Chicago, Dallas, Canada or even Australia, I'd hear that Thuy Hang was either just about to appear in concert there or had just left there after a successful sold out performance.  She was definitely a hot commodity among Vietnamese entertainers then.

What was it about Thuy Hang that made her so special and had set her aside from the rest of Vietnamese singers at the time?  Was it her beauty?  Certainly, Vietnamese singers already have their fair share of beautiful women.  Was it because she was mixed?  Among Amerasian singers, there were already Thanh Ha and Phi Nhung just to name a few, not to mention Eurasian singers Luu Hong and Jeannie Mai who had come long before them.  It was the fact that Thuy Hang, this 16 year old girl, was born and raised in the United States to an Anglo-American mother and a Vietnamese father, yet was able to sing in not only Vietnamese, but traditional Vietnamese music.  Even I found her to be amazing when I saw her perform live.


I had only met Thuy Hang on a couple of occasions.  I wish I could have gotten to know her better back then mainly for two reasons.  The first being the fact that she spoke English like I do.  That time we had met during a flight from New Orleans to Atlanta I really enjoyed our conversation.  During my years working as a Vietnamese singer, it was rare whenever I ran into a colleague that had also grown up here in the States.  So when I met Thuy Hang, to be able to talk with one another as Americans was like a breath of fresh air.  I bumped into her on one other occasion.  It was in Dallas.  I had flown in to perform at some show for the Vietnamese-American Doctors' Association and she was there to perform for the Lunar New Year's Festival.  On both occasions, I found her to be quite lovely.  The other reason had to do with her being a fellow Amerasian.  I've always felt a kinship toward other Amerasians, especially other Amerasian singers.  Out of all the Amerasian singers I had met until Thuy Hang, I had always been the youngest.  I think Phi Nhung is only a year older than I am.  Most other Amerasians from Vietnam had been born in the 1960s.  I was born in 1972.  Thuy Hang didn't come from Vietnam and is nine years younger than myself.  But the fact that she was also Amerasian and a singer made me think of her as a little sister.

But just when it seemed she was at the brink of becoming a huge star in her singing career, Thuy Hang walked away from it all.  I had wondered what happened to her.  Then recently I came across Mr. Thang, the owner of May Productions.  From what he told me, Thuy Hang has now completed her studies and is a successful dentist.  I'm proud of her.  But I just wish she would consider going back to the singing profession.  She's still at an age where she can certainly make another go at it. If she would come back, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see her one day rise to the level of superstardom in the ranks of Huong Lan, Nhu Quynh and Phi Nhung.  

Club Lai Thanks Tiffany Thuan Le

Ever since I joined Facebook, I've noticed how there have been quite a few pages set up with themes pertaining to Amerasians and Eurasians.  It is on these pages that many of us get to share our stories and interact with one another which helps a lot in making each one of us feel as if we belong.  We're not alone in this world and no longer have to feel like outcasts.  Amerasians and Eurasians, afterall, are beautiful people.  These pages on Facebook are a way to celebrate our differences and give us a sense of pride. 

Tiffany Thuan Le,
Founder of Amerasian Children of Homecoming Act Group
on Facebook

One particular page I really have taking a liking to is called Amerasian Children of Homecoming Act set up by my good friend and fellow Amerasian Tiffany Thuan Le.  This is actually a closed group for Amerasians.  I love reading the stories on this page shared by other Amerasians.  That is why I've decided to share a lot of the articles I have posted on ClubLai.BlogSpot.com with this group.  I sincerely thank Tiffany for allowing me to do so. 

If you would like to join this group on Facebook, click on the link below.  You must be approved first by the group's administration before becoming a member. 

Amerasian Children of Homecoming Act on Facebook

The First Amerasian Singer in the US

Tuan Kiet

Ever since the Vietnamese music industry has been established here in the United States, Amerasian and Eurasian singers have definitely played a viable part.  Among the Eurasian singers worth mentioning, of course, are Luu Hong, Julie Quang, Marie Louise, Quoc Anh, Christiane Le, Dung Thanh Lam, Pauline Ngoc, Jeannie Mai and others.  Among Amerasian singers, we have Thanh Ha, Phi Nhung, Randy, Lilian, Dai Trang, Jenny Trang, Phuong Thao, Danny Tuan and Thien Phu, myself even, and countless others.  But there had to be someone that was the very first, or the true pioneer Amerasian singer that really started it all for us in the Vietnamese music industry here in the United States.  That person happens to be a good friend of mine, an Amerasian singer based out of Minnesota by the name of Tuan Kiet. 

I first met this lad about a couple of years ago when he traveled to Southern California to perform for a show put together by my friend, Thanh Le, to benefit the disabled.  But we had become friends years before that.  It was kind of unusual how we became friends.  Sometime back in 2009, both he and I had been invited to perform for some show in Memphis, Tennessee.  Somehow the show never came to fruition.  That happens in this line of business.  Every once in a while we run into show promoters that can be rather flaky.  They'll call up a bunch of singers, print up the posters and then cancel on us right before the day of the show.  Like I said, it happens.  That's just the way it goes. 

Another singer that was supposed to perform on that particular that never happened in Memphis, Tennessee was my good friend, Jenny Trang.  It was through Jenny that I got to know Tuan Kiet.  We were on the phone one day and she put Tuan Kiet on and the three of us were talking on three-way calling.  Soon after, Tuan Kiet and I became friends as we would contact one another often.  I later found out that his aunt is the legendary Vietnamese singer, My Hang, whom I adore and have met quite a few times through Julie Quang.  Actually, I even worked with My Hang once at some show put together by Linda Go-Go and her husband down in San Diego.  I also would learn through the course of our friendship about Tuan Kiet's impressive long resumé as a Vietnamese singer.  Since he had first arrived to the United States in 1979, one of the first Amerasians to come over under the Amerasian Homecoming Act, he became the first Amerasian singer for the Vietnamese community here in the United States when he started his singing career way back in the early 1980s during his years in college.  That's another accomplishment of his, Tuan Kiet is also a college graduate with a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota.  As a Vietnamese singer, Tuan Kiet has worked with an impressive long list of some of the best among overseas Vietnamese singers including Huong Lan, Khanh Ly, Ngoc Lan and Cong Thanh and Lynn, just to name a few.  I just couldn't wait to meet this guy.

Tuan Kiet and I had developed a strong friendship through our telephone conversations through the years but had yet to meet.  We both had tried on several occasions to meet up.  It was either I would have to meet up with him over in Minnesota or he would have to travel over here to California and meet up with me.  Of course, we could also meet up during a show if we were to be both booked to perform together.  Tuan Kiet was sweet enough to try to get me booked on a few shows in Minnesota, but through no fault of his own those bookings didn't end up happening.  I also did the same for him, vice versa, on shows that I had been booked on for Gia Dinh My Viet to benefit Amerasians in Vietnam.  We also had no such luck through my attempts. 

It got to the point that we both realized just how awkward it was how we both had considered ourselves to be such good friends, yet we hadn't even met in person.  Finally at the beginning of 2013 after all those unsuccessful attempts we had each made to meet up by trying get the both of us booked to perform on the same shows, we both decided that no matter what we would meet up in the summer of that year.  Tuan Kiet agreed that he would come to California during the summer to see me.  I was really excited.  But then as luck would have it, sometime in the spring that year Tuan Kiet called me up one day to let me know he had just been invited to perform out in Southern California at the Saigon Performing Arts Theater on a show put together by Thanh Le to benefit disabled people.  That's when I found out that he, himself, was also disabled.  It had never occurred to me to ask before.  But in fact, my friend, Tuan Kiet, had been stricken with polio at an early age and resorts to the usage of crutches in order to walk.  Just by talking to him, nobody would ever even think that he had any physical handicaps.  He's just so positive.  And when he sings, he just puts everyone into a trance with his magnificent voice, I would later discover. 

The day that Tuan Kiet arrived here at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, I had promised to pick him up.  When I got to the airport, despite how we each had seen photographs of one another, we still had trouble spotting each other out among the crowd of airport travelers.  From what Tuan Kiet said, he saw me pass by him several times but at first glance thought I was some Caucasian guy.  According to Tuan Kiet, I don't even look one bit Vietnamese at all in person.  Finally, I had to use my cell phone to call him up to see just where he was at the airport.  After I dialed the number, I could hear the phone ring somewhere nearby, which means Tuan Kiet was standing within my proximex.  When I heard him say hello, I turned to look over and there he was.  That's when he told me how he had seen me all this time, but didn't approach me because he thought I was some White dude.  Now, even I thought that was funny. 

At Thanh Le's show at the Saigon Performing Arts Theater, out of all the singers there such as Thanh Lan, Quoc Anh, Lilian and Phuong Thao, it was Tuan Kiet's performance that really stood out for me.  He really impressed me.  He performed a medley of French songs together with Thanh Lan and Quoc Anh.  Of course, Thanh Lan and Quoc Anh both did a fine job.  Afterall, they are veteran performers who have reached legendary status.  But when Tuan Kiet started to chime in with the first few lines of Viens M'embrasser in his duet with Thanh Lan, I was completely in awe.  This guy's voice is just beyond breathtaking.  And his pronunciation in French, well, uh, coming from such a critic as myself, it is quite a compliment for me to say that I was truly impressed.  Like Khanh Ly had said once about Tuan Kiet, "When you listen to him sing, his voice just makes you forget that he is disabled.  I'll have to agree with her. 

After his performance at the Saigon Performing Arts Theater, I took Tuan Kiet out and spent the night carousing around various hangouts around the Little Saigon community.  We had a blast.  Every bar we had hit that night, both he and I would get up and sing.  Audiences just loved his voice.  Together, we were a hit.  Yes, even I got a few compliments for my singing that night, as well. 

It has been almost two years since then.  We still keep in contact through our telephone conversations.  He's really an all-around great guy.  At times I feel as if I've known him all my life.  I really look forward to our next meeting together, which I'm hoping will be sometime in the very near future. 

Second Generation Eurasians

Ho Ngoc Ha 

Among today's most popular entertainers in Vietnam, there are two that are also Eurasians, Dam Vinh Hung and Ho Ngoc Ha.  When we think of these two entertainers, we usually don't categorize them as Eurasians.  But they are.  Dam Vinh Hung's grandfather was French.  And so was Ho Ngoc Ha's paternal grandfather, as well.  That makes both of these performers 1/4 French.  Does that make them Eurasian?  Of course, it does.

Dam Vinh Hung

I can clearly see the French genes when looking at Ho Ngoc Ha.  In certain photographs capturing certain angles of the model / actress / singer, she clearly looks mixed.  At times, she can even appear to look totally European.  In Dam Vinh Hung's case, at first I couldn't trace any French genes in him.  But having met him in person, I'd have to say, I've had a change of heart.  You can see his French roots in his presence, although not as apparent as with Ho Ngoc Ha, but it's still there.

One current performer among overseas Vietnamese singers that is also a second generation Eurasian is Tuan Hung.  He is currently married to dancer / choreographer / singer Thuy Van.  Tuan Hung's mother is legendary cai luong stage actress, Kieu Le Mai, who is Eurasian of French and Vietnamese descent, which means Tuan Hung is also 1/4 French.  You can easily see the French genes in Tuan Hung.

Tuan Hung and wife, Thuy Van

What I admire about these second generation Eurasian performers is that all three of them have publicly acknowledged their Eurasian heritage.  That tells me how proud they are of being Eurasian.  In a conservative culture such as our Vietnamese culture where there used to be a stigma with being Eurasian or of mixed heritage, that takes guts for these three second generation Eurasian performers to admit publicly of their Eurasian roots.  And for that, I tip my hat to all three of them.  

Our Newest Amerasian Diva: Van Anh

When watching Van Anh perform on stage, in many ways she might remind some of us of Julie Quang.  Others might even say that Van Anh reminds them of Pauline Ngoc.  Or even Jenny Trang.  Whoever this young lady might be reminiscent of, Van Anh still manages to have a unique sound of her own and a very distinct style of performing that has never been seen with any other Vietnamese singer before.

The first time I heard Van Anh sing was during a show in Oklahoma City that had been produced by Gia Dinh My Viet to benefit the Amerasians and their families  still living in Vietnam today.  I had also been booked as one of the performers that night along with Randy.  The year was 2008.  I had never heard of Van Anh before then.  I guess it must have been quite a long time that I had been out of the singing business, and therefor, I was totally out of it because as soon as the emcee announced her name, there was a thunderous applause.  Obviously, everyone already knew who Van Anh was.  Everyone except me.  

When she walked onto the stage, immediately I was impressed.  Just by her looks alone, as she is rather striking with a pair of expressive, somber eyes, auburn skin tone along with her tall and slender, statuesque runway model physique, were more than plenty for Van Anh to leave anyone with a lasting impression after just one glance.  And when she introduced herself on stage before starting her set of songs, I could tell right away that this girl was a pro.  She definitely had star quality.  But then came the best part, which was when she started to sing.  Her voice was sweet like honey, yet defined and powerful.  I especially liked her gestures and how very poised and confident Van Anh remained while on stage during her segment of songs.  Just when she was finished with her performance, Van Anh would be given another tremendous applause by the audience.  As she prepares to exit the stage, she thanks the audience with her closing remarks spoken in the most proper Northern Vietnamese dialect.  How Van Anh is able to build such a rapport with the audience with such style and sophistication usually only happens among the most seasoned performers.  I was really taken aback.  So much so, I had to turn to Randy and ask him, "Who is this girl?  She's fantastic.  With a voice like that, she ought to be recorded professionally."  Randy's response to me was something to the effect of, "You don't know who Van Anh is?  Wow! You have been gone for quite a while."

Needless to say, I felt like an idiot.  Well, that night in Oklahoma City was my very first live performance in over 7 years.  During those years that I was on hiatus from the singing profession, I had also not kept up much with the Vietnamese music industry and therefor, clueless to anything current.  

After the show that night, I had tried to speak to Van Anh but such attempts on my part only proved to be unsuccessful.  As soon as she was done with her set of songs, she seemed to be in a hurry to leave as she gathered all her belongings so she could head on out.  As she was about to leave the venue with her suitcases in hand, I tried one last time to say hello to her.  But she only responded with a brief smile back at me, quite nonchalantly, and quickly proceeded to exit.  I thought to myself, "Just who does this girl think she is?"  

A few weeks later back in Southern California, one night while hanging out at a place called L-8 Lounge somewhere on Beach and McFadden near Huntington Beach, surprisingly I ran into Van Anh again.  This place is now renamed as Q's Lounge and has since been under new management.  Back in 2008, L-8 Lounge was run by Sy Du, the musician, who is also a good friend of mine, and was a favorite underground hangout for Vietnamese singers and musicians.  On our nights off from singing at clubs or shows, Vietnamese singers and musicians would gather there just to "chill and jam", as the saying went.  On that night, I had gone there with Lilian and Jenny Trang.  When Van Anh got on stage to sing, I started to pay compliments on her voice to my two friends.  That's when Jenny Trang said, "Oh, I love this girl.  She's so sweet."  I looked at her and said, "Sweet?  She seemed rather unfriendly to me."  Jenny went on to explain how Van Anh is rather shy and that perhaps the reason I feel that way is because I haven't gotten to know her.  "Let me introduce you to her.  You'll see" said Jenny.

That night, Van Anh sang one of my favorite Vietnamese songs ever, Noi Long.  The way she sounds when she sings this song is nothing short of amazing.  I loved how she was able to give the song entirely a new sound with her rich and expressive vocals.  When she got down from the stage, Jenny whisked her over and introduced her to me.  Jenny was right.  Van Anh is quite shy and indeed a very sweet girl.  When we started talking, I realized it right away.  Van Anh has a rare quality that not many other Amerasians have.  And that is, she speaks Vietnamese with a proper Northern Vietnamese accent.  She's very cordial, yet humble and down to earth.  I like Van Anh very much.

Since then, I've had the opportunity to work with Van Anh on one other occasion in San Jose at another show produced by Randy and Gia Dinh My Viet.  Everytime we run into one another now, I'm always happy to see her with a great, big smile on her face.  I've even gotten to know her younger brother, Alex, and we've become great friends.  I hope we can work together again someday soon.  If anything, just to hear her sing on stage is a real treat.

Van Anh on Facebook

The First Vietnamese to Win an Oscar Is Also Amerasian

Recently, at this year's Academy Awards ceremonies for the first time ever a Vietnamese took home one of the trophies.  The winner of this year's Oscar in the category of best editing is Thomas Cross for the film, Whiplash.  

Thomas Cross is an Amerasian.  His mother is Vietnamese, originally from Hue, Vietnam and his father is Anglo-American.  Prior to his work as lead editor of the film, Whiplash, which had also won him a BAFTA Award for best editing, Cross had been the lead editor for films such as The Space Between (2010), Any Day Now (2012) and Time Lapse (2014).  His winning of an Academy Award this year is an accomplishment for all Vietnamese and Amerasians to be extremely proud of.