Inside the expensive 300m2 villa of Meritorious Artist Kim Tu Long

Kim Tu Long House is located in a secluded residential area in Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. The house has 3 floors, a private swimming pool and a large garden, with surveillance cameras and 24/7 security.

Kim Tu Long built the house 8 years ago with the assets he had saved up over many years of singing. The Meritorious Artist built a large house because in addition to his wife and children, he also has a son-in-law and grandchildren; sometimes the extended family gathers at his house to eat and have fun.

The entire interior and design of the house are made according to Kim Tu Long's preferences, from the gray-white wall color to the main door style which has been changed many times.

In the house, the Meritorious Artist likes the most the convenient kitchen, with many modern appliances so he can show off his cooking skills in his free time. Kim Tu Long believes that he inherited his cooking talent from his mother. He always remembers the taste of the food his mother cooked as well as the times she showed him how to choose ingredients and prepare dishes.

Talking to MC Hoang Rapper, Kim Tu Long reminisced about his long artistic journey. In 10th grade, he was a friend of People's Artist Minh Vuong's younger brother. He often visited his house and listened to vọng cổ singing, so he started to love it even though he didn't know what vọng cổ was at that time.

Later, when he saw People's Artist Minh Vuong perform at Lao Dong Theater, he officially became addicted to the art. The first lines Kim Tu Long sang were taught by Minh Vuong's younger brother. Gradually, he often skipped school to sing at parties even though the salary was only enough to buy a bowl of pho.

Kim Tu Long swimming pool.

Because Kim Tu Long skipped school too often, his homeroom teacher informed his parents and he was severely beaten. At that time, his father was from the North and did not like reformed opera, so he reacted strongly when his son, who loved singing, skipped school.

Following his father's advice, Kim Tu Long went to school for a while and then secretly studied Cai Luong at the house of artist Ut Trong. In the same class was Ngoc Huyen - the actress who would later become his soulmate. Because he studied secretly, he planned to sell banh in to earn money to pay for his tuition.

Unexpectedly, the Meritorious Artist was once again discovered by his father. Kim Tu Long's father calmly talked to his son, asking him to choose between studying and singing. Seeing his son's determination to sing, he agreed to let him take the entrance exam to the Tran Huu Trang Theater Actor Training School, Class II, in the same class as Thoai My, Ngoc Huyen, Quang Chau, To Chau...

Because he did not want to waste time studying, Kim Tu Long took the exam carelessly but achieved the highest score among nearly 100 students. At school, he was taught wholeheartedly by People's Artist Phung Ha, who gave him the stage name Kim Tu Long, meaning "a small golden dragon flying in the sky of art".

Inside Kim Tu Long's 300m2 villa in "Knock on the door of a star".

In addition to the late People's Artist Phung Ha, Kim Tu Long was also very grateful to the late director Doan Ba. At that time, there was an event where the Tran Huu Trang 1 troupe needed to find a leading actor to replace artist Minh Phung. Director Doan Ba ​​- then the Director of the Tran Huu Trang Theater - surprisingly chose a second actor like Kim Tu Long instead of many other actors.

The sudden announcement made Kim Tu Long "so happy that he was dizzy and wanted to faint". He seized the opportunity and shined, from then on taking on the main roles of the theater.

After Tran Huu Trang I troupe, Kim Tu Long collaborated with many other troupes such as Minh To, Huynh Long, etc., but still only performed traditional plays. Later, when he joined Saigon 1 troupe at the invitation of Thanh Kim Hue - Thanh Dien, he was able to try his hand at social plays and continued to reap success.

Kim Tu Long and Rapper Hoang.

Kim Tu Long's journey was not entirely filled with roses. In 1991, he experienced disappointment when he missed out on the Tran Huu Trang award in the first season. It was not until the following season, 1992, that he was officially named for this prestigious award.

The 1990s were the golden age of Kim Tu Long. When the reformed opera video genre was flourishing, Kim Tu Long spent his days just recording and sleeping. He always mentioned the kindness of musician Minh Vy - singer Cam Ly's husband - who invited him to record a series of successful reformed opera tapes, and at the same time promoted him as a duet with artist Tai Linh.

Kim Tu Long commented that the previous generation of audiences are older but still follow and support their favorite artists. That is the reason why veteran cai luong artists always have many shows. He believes that young people still love cai luong but need to build programs in the right direction and appropriately.

Kim Tu Long cherished the dream of a reformed opera house.

Meritorious Artist dreams of building a Cai Luong house. That is a complex with a stage specializing in Cai Luong performances with about 400 - 500 seats; a room for practicing plays and dances; an area for displaying Cai Luong equipment, props, and costumes; an area for selling souvenirs of the art for those who want to collect them,...

Kim Tu Long plans to develop his personal business to a certain extent and dedicate all profits to the reformed opera house he has always dreamed of. In addition, Meritorious Artist hopes to have the cooperation of all parties.