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. 

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

Mary Xinh Nguyen, Amerasian and Winner of Revlon's Most Unforgettable Woman Award

As a teenager who had grown up primarily in the United States, I hadn't heard of the word, Amerasian.  The first time I had ever heard of this word was in an article on Seventeen Magazine written about this beautiful half-Vietnamese, half-American young woman who had just won the coveted Revlon's Most Unforgettable Woman of the Year Award in 1989.  I was mesmerized after reading this article and couldn't get over one quote from this young lady in particular on how she said she had wanted to become a role model for Amerasians.  Well, she had me sold from that point on.

In the years that followed, I would see Mary Xinh Nguyen on television interviews as well as on ads for Revlon that had been featured on Vogue and Cosmopolitan.  Each time I would see her, she gave me a sense of pride for being an Amerasian.  I had read that she was studying at Boston University and had plans on becoming an attorney at law one day.  I really wanted to one day meet her.  But that seemed rather far fetched.

And then one day, we finally met.  I was volunteering for an organization called East Meets West Foundation that had been founded by the author, Le Ly Hayslip, who had written the novels, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places and Child of War, Woman of Peace, that Oliver Stone had bought the rights to and had made a film based upon called, Heaven and Earth.  Sometime in the year of 1992, while at the screening of the film held at the Ramada Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, I had volunteered as one of the ushers.  One of the actors that had starred in the film was Dustin Nguyen, who had also been in attendance that night.  His date at the event was Mary Xinh Nguyen, herself.

When we met, I was rather surprised at how humble she was.  I was afraid she might be rather conceited, considering my past experiences with models.  But she was anything but that.  After I had told her of just how much I had admired her for representing Amerasians in such a classy way, she smiled and asked me about myself.  We had a lovely brief conversation.  I had never expected to meet her again.

But then sometime toward the end of 1993, we would meet up again.  This time we would work together in a benefit for Amerasians held at the auditorium of Cal State Long Beach.  Mary was the co-host of the event.  And I was one of the Amerasian singers featured in the program.  This would mark the first time I performed in front of a live Vietnamese audience.  During the rehearsals for the show, Mary and I got to become closer and a friendship between us had developed.  I especially was happy to have also gotten to know her mother, whom I called Co Thuong.  She is a lovely lady with one of the most positive attitudes of anyone I had ever met.

From Left to Right:  My Mother, Thien Phu, Luu Quoc Viet,
Jenny Trang, Mary Xinh Nguyen, Mary's Mother

Mary and I would work together again a few years later at another benefit show for Amerasians.  This time I was among the one of the
people who had put the show together.  I got to work with another Amerasian, Angela Peters, a college student and part-time fashion model who was then Dustin Nguyen's girlfriend.  All I can say about Mary and her mother is that they are among the loveliest people.  The last I heard about Mary was that she did reunite with her father.  But unfortunately, within just a year from their reunion, her father was killed in auto accident.  My heart went out to Mary for her misfortune.  Since then, from what I know, Mary now is married and has become a mother.  She is also now a successful attorney at law and practices somewhere in the Los Angeles area.  Mary Xinh Nguyen, in my opinion, will always be a role model for us Amerasians.

Jenny Trang: The Amerasian Girl With a Huge Voice

Jenny Trang has been one of my best friends for the last 20 years. How we met was on a show featuring Amerasian singers hosted by Mary Xinh Nguyen held at the Cal State Long Beach auditorium in 1993.  Back then she had just arrived from Vietnam to the United States and was married to Thanh Le.  Out of all the performers that night, what I saw in this girl was star potential reminiscent of Julie Quang and Carol Kim.  She had a naturally powerful voice, none like any other.

A few years after that show, I would meet Jenny Trang again when she called me out of the blue.  I was very happy to hear her voice.  She told me she had just divorced from Thanh Le and was beginning a new life.  Jenny and I started to hang out quite often.  By then, I was already a professional Vietnamese singer.  In 1996, Jenny Trang was a regular performer at the Can Nightclub in Garden Grove, California.  She was about to release her first studio album, Kiep Con Lai, to be released by Bien Productions.  Jenny Trang and I had worked together on several occasions.  Most notably was a show we had worked together with Hoang Liem and Thuy Vi.

What is there to say about Jenny Trang except she is an all around great girl.  She loves to sing and is passionate about her craft.  Our friendship has grown through the years to be more like that of a brother and sister.  If I had had an actual sister, I would want her to be just like Jenny Trang.

After the release of her album, Jenny put her career on hold to start a family.  Today she is happily married with three beautiful daughters.  She still can belt out a song today just as she had done so years ago, but her primary focus lies within raising her family rather than the stage.  Most recently, Jenny Trang and I met up when she told me she was moving to Arizona to start a manicuring business.  I am happy for her.  But part of me still wishes she had pursued her singing career further since she was blessed with such a fantastic voice.

For all Amerasians, Jenny Trang, as a singer, did do us a service by singing what is considered the anthem for our people.  The name of the song that Jenny Trang is most associated with is called Kiep Con Lai, in which she had appeared on a music video for Hollywood Night.  It's hard to watch this video without shedding a tear.  It happens to me everytime.  

Hoang Dung: One of the Most Recognizable Vietnamese Voices

Growing up without any brothers or sisters, I was fortunate to have found an adoptive family when I became a Vietnamese singer.  This family consisted of brothers and sisters who were also singers and, of course, Amerasian as well.  Jenny Trang was the first to welcome me into this family and to this day I still consider her as my sister.  Others included Dai Trang, Luu Quoc Viet, Ngoc Anh, Randy, Thanh Ha, Lam Minh, Lilian, Cathy Dung, Y Linh and Hoang Dung, who actually could pass as a biological brother to me.

The setting where we first met would be at a wedding of my stepfather's cousin in 1996.  The band that was playing that night was named Lucky Star.  I'd have to say this was one of the better bands at weddings.  The lineup of singers for the band included Marilyn Nhung, Chieu Phuong, Long Ho (Don Ho's younger brother) and Hoang Dung.  The singer that caught my attention the most was Hoang Dung.  He looked just like James Dean.

When we were introduced, I was a bit nervous.  I had recognized him on the covers of compact discs produced by Nguoi Dep Binh Duong.  When Jenny Trang introduced me to him, his reply to me was, "I'm your brother, Thien Phu."  Now how can anyone not like a cool guy like that?

In the months to come, my relationship with Hoang Dung would be like that of actual brothers. During the Thanksgiving weekend of that year, Hoang Dung and Jenny Trang performed in Atlanta. They both tried to get me to go on that trip with them, but I had a prior engagement in San Jose.  A few months later when it was my turn to perform in Atlanta, I remember from that trip was how everyone I had come across while in Atlanta kept raving about this handsome Amerasian singer named Hoang Dung that had brought the house down each time he came to Atlanta to perform.   The same folks would aslo ask me if I knew him personally and how they could go about to contact him so that he could return to Atlanta for another performance soon.  That made me feel really proud of this brother of mine.  During this time I would also learn that Hoang Dung's primary job was doing voice overs for Chinese dramas translated in Vietnamese.  In a sense, that would make his voice one of the most recognizable among Vietnamese voices.

Years later, when I was invited by Randy to perform with fellow Amerasian singer Ngoc Anh in Orlando, Florida for a show put together by Gia Dinh My Viet, I got Hoang Dung to come along.  Unfortunately, a series of events would take place that caused a misunderstanding between us.  Let's just say that alcohol had been involved.  That's a real shame, because Hoang Dung is really a great guy.  It's been a while since I've been in contact with him.  I just hope he's doing alright.

Dai Trang: Dancing All Night and Always Moving Forward

For as long as I've known Dai Trang, I've always been tremendously impressed with her drive and motivation.  She has always been a go-getter.  Nothing ever seems to hold her back from getting what she wants in life and achieving the goals she has set out for herself.  Dai Trang truly is an over-achiever who has set a perfect example for others to see what hard work and determination can bring in life. 

My friendship with Dai Trang started sometime in the year of 1994.  It had been just a few years since her arrival to the United States from Vietnam, yet she had already established herself as a household name with overseas Vietnamese audiences worldwide and was enjoying a highly successful singing career with a full schedule.  When she wasn't touring out of town, she was performing regularly at the Ritz Nightclub in Anaheim, California.  During this time, Dai Trang was also riding high with her professional association with May Productions as a regular performer on the Hollywood Night stage. With each appearance that Dai Trang was making on the Hollywood Night music video series, audiences were being mesmerized by her exotic Eurasian beauty, her charm and unique style of singing.  Among the songs Dai Trang had performed on Hollywood Night included Red Hot, Tokyo by Night, Venus, Jump in My Car, and the most memorable of them all, Dancing All Night.  That was also the song that had turned me into a Dai Trang fan.  On one volume of the Hollywood Night series, it was revealed how she had gained quite a following among admiring viewers who had taken notice of her physical beauty, as Dai Trang was deemed as the Vietnamese singer who had possessed the most attractive set of legs.

Dai Trang on the popular
Hollywood Night music video series

When I first met Dai Trang, I was a bit nervous.  Our first meeting was sometime near the end of the year in 1994.  It was at her apartment somewhere in Garden Grove.  I had driven my good friend, singer Jenny Trang, over to Dai Trang's house, as the two had planned to meet up for lunch.  When I arrived, my intitial intentions were to just drop off Jenny and come back later on to pick her up once she was done with her visit.  But as I pulled up to the entrance of the apartment building, I was met with Dai Trang while she was waiting for us and was overtaken by her charm.  I just could not refuse Dai Trang's insistence that I come up to join them for lunch.  She was just so sweet and sincere that I just could not back out.  From that moment on, Dai Trang and I have grown to be more than just friends and colleagues, but our very special friendship which entails a strong love that has developed between us has become as close as that of actual siblings.


Dai Trang has been one of my true rocks throughout my years working in the singing business.  She has always been there to give me support and encouragement whenever needed in this often frustrating line of work.  One of the ways she has exemplified her duties of a benevolent big sister to me is how she has set an example of herself in order to teach me the ropes of attaining success and building for myself a sense of confidence.  Like I said, nothing ever gets Dai Trang down.  Her determination has been the driving force behind her success.

In the years that I've known Dai Trang, she has managed to have a successful singing career as well as a successful career as a businesswoman.  After many years in the spotlight, she decided to start a family as she is now mother to a son and wife to a wonderful man, Chau, an Oriental herbalist.  Since then she has gone back to school and earned herself an MBA Degree from UC Irvine in business marketing.   Together with her husband, the two have run a successful business, Phuc An Duong, a distribution firm of high quality Oriental herbs , and own a patent for Bach Lien Tra, a natural herbal tea product in which Dai Trang endorses on her self-produced Vietnamese language radio and television programs.  At one time, she also was part-owner of a Vietnamese television station.  Dai Trang still appears on video frequently for Blue Ocean Productions and performs every now and then at live shows all over the world.  Like I've often said about Dai Trang, she always seems to be running while the rest of us walk.

Link(s):

Bach Lien Tra Website
DaiTrangSinger.BlogSpot.com

Randy

Among Vietnamese male vocalists who sing traditional Vietnamese pop music, there are Tuan Vu, Manh Quynh, Che Linh, Truong Vu, Nhat Truong, Duy Khanh, etc.  The list just goes on and on.  My favorite out of all these male vocalists has always been Randy.  Yes, Randy.  He's the only one that can put me to tears with his heartfelt, soulful voice when listening to this type of music.  Amazing doesn't even begin to describe his talent.

I remember the first time I heard about him was when he first appeared on Vietnam Performing Arts Television in 1992 with the song, No.  His interpretation of that song was so moving that I had to record it on my VCR and play it over and over again the next few weeks.  And then he appeared again on Vietnam Performing Arts Television with another song, Loi Dang Cho Mot Cuoc Tinh.  At that point, I was sold.  He definitely had me with his unique voice.

It's rather hard to believe when I think about it.  How is it that I can turn into a fan of a singer such as Randy?  After all, the type of music that I sing is not even close to what Randy sings.  I had to go out and buy a few CDs Randy had recorded for Hai Au Productions.  On one particular CD, Randy sang along with two other artists, also Amerasian, half Black and half Vietnamese, Jenny Trang and Quoc Viet, who would later become known as Luu Quoc Viet.  I immensely enjoyed that one.  I had become friends with both Jenny Trang and Quoc Viet by that time.  But I had yet to meet Randy.

Sometime in 1994, I had been invited to perform in Australia.  The show promoter that had invited me kept raving about Randy on a previous show he had put together with Randy, Thai Chau, Thanh Tuyen, Nhu Mai, Lynda Trang Dai and Don Ho.  Basically what he was saying was the audience just adored Randy and that the response Randy had received, Thai Chau couldn't even hold a candle to.  I thought to myself, I've got to meet this Randy.

Two years after that, I was in Oakland to do a 2-night booking at a club named Phuong Hoang.  Right before I was supposed to go up on stage, someone had informed me Randy was in the audience.  I was so excited.  Here was my chance to finally meet him.  When the emcee announced my name, I went up and did my first set of songs.  I looked all over the audience and Randy was nowhere to be found.  Since I was headlining that night, it would have been odd if I just started to walk all around the club just to look for someone.  So I just went backstage, asked that same person who had told me about seeing Randy a few minutes prior.  That was when I found out Randy had left right before I went on stage.  What is up with this guy?  I guess it wasn't in the cards for us to ever meet.

Finally, it happened. A few weeks after that engagement in Oakland, I was at the Majestic Club one night with Jenny Trang.  During the middle of our conversation, Jenny turned to me and said, "My husband's here."  I thought she was referring to Thanh Le, who in fact was Jenny's ex-husband.  And then I turned around and saw this good-looking tall Black guy with a great, big smile on his face.  He looked at Jenny and said, "Chao ba xa!"  (Hello, wife!)  They both started giggling.  Jenny introduced me to him and he slapped me on the shoulders and said, "I know who he is."  From that moment on, we became the best of friends.

Through the years, I've always referred to Randy as "anh" in Vietnamese, mainly because he started singing long before I did.  In reality, Randy is only a year older than I am.  It was through our mutual friendship with Quoc Viet, later known as Luu Quoc Viet, that would bring us even closer.  I ran into Randy at Luu Quoc Viet's funeral in 2008.  By then, I had left the singing business for about 7 years. Randy invited me to tour with him on a series of shows for Gia Dinh My Viet.  When I think about it, Randy is the one responsible for my return to the stage.  On one particular booking, Randy and I traveled together to Houston to do a show for Gia Dinh My Viet.  On that show, I was reminded of his incredible talent when he got up on stage and sang a song he had written himself, Sau Cuoc Chien.  There wasn't a dry eye in the audience that night.  He put me in tears with his heartfelt performance.  I needed a few minutes to dry my tears before it was my turn to get up on stage and sing.  He is truly an amazing artist.

It's been a while since I've seen Randy.  I've heard he got married and is quite happy.  I only wish the best for Randy.  He'll always be like the brother I have never had.

Looking All-American and Singing for All-Vietnamese

Jenny Trang and Thien Phu

Thien Phu - Vietnamese Singer of French Love Songs: Looking All-American and Singing for All-Vietnames...: Anyone who is either old enough to have lived through the Vietnam War or is from Vietnam would be familiar with the term, Amerasian.  Of course..... (continued)