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

Pauline Ngoc

How I met Pauline Ngoc was rather surprising.  I had stumbled across one of her songs on YouTube, her rendition of Les Fueilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves), and liked it quite a bit.  But I couldn't pinpoint just where I had heard her name before.  It took me a few days and then I remembered that Julie Quang had mentioned her name a few times in conversation.  From what I remember from what Julie had said was that Pauline Ngoc was a singer back in the day in Saigon prior to 1975 and that she was considered the Vietnamese equivalent to Diana Ross.  Well, that sparked my interests.  I've always been a big fan of Miss Ross and furthermore, I'm also very interested in learning about other Vietnamese performers of mixed heritage like myself.  After I remembered where I had first heard her name, I then decided to take a gamble and leave her a private message on her YouTube channel asking if indeed she was the same Pauline Ngoc that I had heard of.  She responded immediately with a yes.  In the days that followed, she and I would write to one another back and forth.  A friendship had developed between the two of us through these emails we had written to each other.  And before you know it, one day she sent me an email telling me she was about to travel over to the United States to visit me.  I couldn't believe it.

When I met Pauline Ngoc in person, she was everything I imagined she would be.  She was gracious, sweet, and full of wisdom.  I loved spending time with her.  We'd have the best conversations where she would reminisce about the good old days and her fond memories working with the likes of Julie Quang, Vy Van, Anh Tu, Khanh Ha, Tuan Ngoc and Carol Kim.  I had always wished that I had been born earlier so that I could have experienced some of the magical times that Julie Quang and Anh Tu and even my own mother would often talk about whenever they would take a stroll down memory lane and share their stories with me.  It seemed like Vietnamese singers in Saigon of that generation all had such fantastic memories to share.

For those of you that aren't familiar with Pauline Ngoc, let me familiarize you a bit with her background.  Pauline Ngoc is of Vietnamese and African-French mixed heritage.  She was among the top performers at cabarets and nightclubs in Saigon back in the day.  And for many years, she had performed alongside many of Saigon's brightest young performers at venues reserved for US military personnel.  She had the abilities of singing in all three languages; Vietnamese, English and French.  To Vietnamese audiences, she is best known for such songs as Une Larme Aux Nuages and La Petite Gamine.  In addition to singing, she also had a brief career as an actress with a supporting role in the Vietnamese movie, Tu Quai Sai Gon, which had starred Tham Thuy Hang, La Thoai Tan and Kim Cuong.  Prior to 1975, Pauline Ngoc had left Vietnam to resettle in Europe.  For the past several decades, she has made her home in Germany.

During her trip here in the United States when I first got to meet her in 2010, there was a night put together in her honor by various Vietnamese singers held at a small, intimate venue in Orange County.  I was present that night.  I was really surprised to see how so many singers had shown up to be reunited with Pauline.  Among the many singers present that night included Manh Ha, Vy Van and Tuan Ngoc.  I was really impressed by her singing.  It seemed as if the songs she sang that night which included Proud Mary, Le Temps de L'amour, Hold On I'm Coming and Autumn Leaves were her own songs since she delivered them with such vigor and full of emotions.  It truly is an honor to have become acquainted with Pauline Ngoc.  Afterall, she is a legendary Vietnamese performer and a pioneer for Eurasians in the Vietnamese music industry.

Link(s):

Pauline Ngoc's Official Website