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

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

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. 

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.

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.

She's Simply Known as Julie

Julie Quang was perhaps the most recognizable "Eurasian" in Vietnam prior to 1975. Before Julie's arrival onto the spotlight as a Vietnamese entertainer, no other mixed performer had made quite an impact.  When we think of Julie Quang, one particular song comes to mind.  And that is a Pham Duy composed song based on L'Adieu, a French poem written by  Guillaume Apollinaire, entitled Mua Thu Chet.  Her heartfelt interpretation of this song is undoubtedly a significant contributing factor for it becoming one of the most prolific Vietnamese love songs in the history of modern Vietnamese pop music.  To an entire generation of Vietnamese music lovers in Saigon prior to 1975, she is known as Julie Quang.  Since resettling overseas and upon her divorce from Duy Quang, to Vietnamese audiences worldwide, she is simply known as Julie.

This past Saturday was Julie's birthday.  I've had the pleasure of having befriended her many years ago.  Our unique friendship has lasted to this day.  Julie has become more like a family member to me, than just a friend.  At times, she's like an adoptive mother.  At other times, she's like an adoptive older sister I never had.  No matter what, Julie has always been like a best friend to me since I've known her.  I say this without any hesitation what so ever, and that is, I really wouldn't know where I would be if Julie wasn't in my life.  I really mean that.



Some might argue that Julie is not Eurasian, since her father is Indian and her mother is Vietnamese.  The truth is Julie's father was a French national of East Indian origin.  The fact that she looked Eurasian did a lot for the movement of Eurasians within Vietnamese society towards acceptance and awareness.  Like my mother has said, when she first saw Julie Quang on national television back in Saigon over 40 years ago, this beautiful metiste girl singing Ngay Xua Hoang Thi, it changed her life.  I'm sure many others of my mother's generation share her viewpoint.

I've documented my special friendship with Julie on a post I had uploaded on my blogsite, ThienPhu-VietSinger.BlogSpot.com, entitled as Julie and Me.  I'm forever grateful for knowing her.  She has been one of the most significant people in my life who has reminded me to always keep my chin up and never forget to be proud of being racially mixed.  Julie represents all that for being racially mixed.  She's beautiful, talented and unapologetic about who she is.  That is why she is Julie.

Link(s):

Julie and Me on ThienPhu-VietSinger.BlogSpot.com

Review of Thanh Ha's One Night Engagement Live Show Performance in OC

It is quite rare among Vietnamese singers to ever do either a live show or concert where he or she would be the sole performer of the event.  It has happened before, but only by a select few.  I've had the pleasure of watching Bach Yen, Khanh Ly, Khanh Ha, and Julie Quang perform in such shows in the past.  This time it was none other than Thanh Ha.  And I couldn't have been more delighted.

Thanh Ha has been an icon and one of the top performers among overseas Vietnamese singers for the past 20 years.  Almost overnight, she had become a singing sensation in 1994 with the release of her first solo studio album, Mot Doi Xin Nho Mai (Remembering for a Lifetime), released by Diem Xua Productions.  Since then, she has recorded many more albums, appeared on numerous videos for Thuy Nga Paris and Asia Productions, and has performed all over the world.  It is of no surprise she would have a large following of fans today.

The setting for Thanh Ha's one woman show was at a small, intimate club called Lac Cam in Westminster, California, right in the heart of Little Saigon on this past January 1st.  When she first got on stage, her speaking voice was a bit hoarse.  She had confessed that she had been touring quite extensively during this holiday season and had caught a cold.  But when she began to sing, her voice was as powerful and clear as ever.  One song right after another from Hoi Nguoi Tinh (Oh Lover), The Power of Love, Nao Biet Nao Hay (Qui Sais), Tinh Khuc Thu Nhat (The First Composition), Mua Tren Bien Vang (Je Ne Pourrais Jamais T'oublier) to Nua Hon Thuong Dau (Half a Lifetime of Heartbreak), she mesmerized the audience with her soulful, rich singing voice.  Thanh Ha looked as gorgeous as ever.  It seems as if time has stood still for this veteran performer.

The packed audience at this small venue all stayed, as no one left until Thanh Ha sang her very last note of the night.  That just goes to show how amazing she is as an entertainer.  The next time she performs in town again, I'll be sure to be there to watch her again.  Although she had performed a total of 15 songs that night at least, I still didn't get enough of Thanh Ha.  And neither did the rest of the audience.  They along with myself will all come back to see her perform again, I'm sure.

Thanh Ha, Thien Phu and the rest of our friends on January 1, 2015 at Lac Cam.

Thanh Ha

My Friendship with Thanh Ha

Thanh Ha is perhaps the most successful Amerasian singer out there.  I remember the first time I met this beautiful girl was in 1994.  At the time she was singing at a club called the Can Club in Garden Grove.  I was really surprised to see this blonde girl sing in Vietnamese.  To me, she looked like Michelle Pfeiffer.  The funny thing was neither one of us knew we were Vietnamese upon meeting one another.  I remember the song she sang that night was "Autumn Leaves".  I came up and did a French song called, "Adieu, Sois Hereuse".  We talked for a bit and didn't really become close friends until years later.  I guess you can say that right then and there I knew she was going to make it big. 

It wasn't until 2008, when we ran into each other again at a restaurant in Newport Beach, Kitayama.  I was working as a bartender there at the time.  She walked in with a group of friends and we instantly recognized each other.  I was about fifty pounds overweight then.  She looked at me and said, "Thien Phu?"  I said, "Yes, I know I got fat."  She said, "No, you look great."  We exchanged phone numbers and for a while, we were rather close friends.  Everywhere we went together, people would think we were brother and sister.  Thanh Ha is actually three years older than myself.  She's part-German.  I'm part-Swedish.  For some reason, people would often ask if I was her older brother.  Well, maybe that has to do with the fact that she looked younger than I did when I was experiencing the weight gain.  But things have changed since then.  Although she still looks great, I think since I've lost the weight, I don't look as old anymore. 

During the course of our friendship, I must say something about Thanh Ha.  And that is, she's definitely a professional.  She's pretty much a no-nonsense kind of girl.  She says it like it is.  Whenever she hear me sing on stage, she'd tell me what were my faults and if I did well, she'd say so.  Never is she the type that would sugar coat anything.  I like that about her.  Thanh Ha is also very family-oriented.  One thing she has always told me, whenever I've gone through bad times is, "Think about your mom first, before you decide anything." 

Unfortunately, we don't keep in contact that much these days.  After we had some misunderstanding after a show she had invited me to in San Jose, our friendship sort of drifted.  Since then, we've only seen each other again once.  We've talked on the telephone, of course.  And I still consider her as a close friend.  She will always be like a sister to me, regardless.  One thing I must appreciate about our friendship is that regardless of whatever happened, I have never heard her say one bad thing about me and the same vice-versa.  Afterall, we are adults. That's really all I can say about Thanh Ha.  I love her very much and I'm glad to see that she's still very active in the singing business.  I do know that someday we'll be friends again.

Thanh Ha Link(s):

Thanh Ha on Facebook

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)