Ngoc Anh, the Amerasian Singer

Back in the 1990s when I first started out singing for the Vietnamese community, whenever anyone heard the name, Ngoc Anh, there was no question as to who she was.  This lovely Amerasian gal was everywhere.  She was seen on television, on the covers of Vietnamese magazines, on stage as an actress in comedy skits, music videos for various Vietnamese production labels, most notably the ones produced by Nhat Ha Productions, and whenever she wasn't out of town touring, on weekends here in Orange County she could be seen singing live at the Can Club.  We all loved her when she appeared on the Hollywood Night music video series as part of an ensemble called Ngu Long Cong Chua together alongside with Lynda Trang Dai, Giang Ngoc, Thuy Vi and Za Za Minh Thao, and even more so when she, Giang Ngoc and Thuy Vi formed Ma Nu Da Tinh, that also featured Yen Mai and Ngoc Anh's older sister, Ngoc Han.  These girls were show stoppers everywhere they had performed.  I particularly liked the one mixed Amerasian girl who often stood in the middle.  That was Ngoc Anh, the one and only.

As of late, there has been another singer by the same name who since moving to the United States from Vietnam has become quite popular with her appearances on Paris By Night.  Now whenever the name, Ngoc Anh, pops up during conversation, it seems as if people have already forgotten our original, beloved Amerasian gal.  But I must admit, this other newer Ngoc Anh does have one killer voice. But she lacks the charm and attractiveness that our Amerasian gal, Ngoc Anh, had.  But that's besides the point.  Afterall, these two singers have completely different voices and styles of performing.  It just saddens me how people have forgotten a singer that had once been so adored.

When I think of Ngoc Anh and my friendship with her which goes way back, I'm filled with the fondest memories.  She was absolutely charming and always had more than a pocket full of the funniest jokes to share.  Whenever we ran into each other, whether it be a nightclub or at some show that we had worked on together, I can't remember a time that I didn't end up laughing.  She was just hilarious.  I had often told her that if she had ever gotten tired of her singing career that maybe she should one day consider pursuing a career as a comedienne.  But then just as she was at the top of her game, she disappeared.  Sometime in the early 2000s, it seemed as if Ngoc Anh had just gotten up and left show business without ever saying goodbye to her audience.  Where did she go? Nobody knew.

It wouldn't be until the year 2008 that I would hear anything about Ngoc Anh again.  I was starting to come back to the singing profession right around that time after nearly a decade long hiatus.  One of the organizations that I had been approached by to do live shows out of town was Gia Dinh My Viet, an organization that had been founded by a group of Amerasians that would produce live shows all around the United States in order to generate proceeds to help the less fortunate Amerasians that, for one reason or another, have not been granted entrance to the United States under the Amerasian Homecoming Act and are now still living in Vietnam in rather harsh conditions, for the most part.  One of the shows that I had been invited to perform at was to take place in Orlando, Florida on April of 2008.  To my pleasant surprise, just weeks prior to the engagement, I discovered that Ngoc Anh would also be performing with me that night along with Randy and Hoang Dung.  I was very happy and couldn't wait to finally see her again after so many years.  When we met up at LAX that morning to board our flights out to Orlando, despite how our physical appearances had changed a bit after so many years, I was really glad to see that Ngoc Anh, as a person, really hadn't changed at all.  Still with the same great humor and countless jokes to tell, she made the total of nine hours up in the air flying from Los Angeles to Philadelphia and then another connector flight from Philadelphia to Orlando seem like the shortest flight ever.

Ma Nu Da Tinh: (from left to right) Yen Mai,
Ngoc Han, Thuy Vi, Ngoc Anh and
Giang Ngoc

The time we spent together on that Orlando booking was, for the most part, a pleasant experience.  We laughed, drank, and caught up talking about the events in each of our lives.  That was when I found out that she had been in Houston all these years.  It turns out she had left California and the stage to start both a business, a karaoke hang out bar, and a new life in Houston almost ten years prior.  After enjoying several years of success, her business in Houston plummeted and she was forced to close it down.  My heart went out to her about her misfortune, but at the same time I was glad that she had made the decision to perform again.  I never did ask her why she had quit singing in the first place.  I didn't want to pry.  But like I said, I was just happy that she was back.  Our joyous reunion on that Orlando booking would end in a sour note somewhat.  On the night of the performance, a misunderstanding had emerged between myself and Hoang Dung and Ngoc Anh had to act as the referee.  Oh, the things we get ourselves into after having one too many drinks!

Since that time in Orlando, I've run into Ngoc Anh several times here in Southern California.  It seems she hasn't really returned to singing full swing.  But neither have I.  Everytime we have seen one another, just like the good old days, she always makes me laugh.  Some things never change.  Whenever Ngoc Anh is around, guaranteed there will be laughter in the air.