Beauty icon of revolutionary cinema and peaceful life in her eighties

The history of Vietnamese cinema is not lacking in talented and beautiful actresses. But when mentioning the beauty icon of Vietnamese revolutionary cinema, audiences often immediately think of People's Artist Tra Giang.

"The most beautiful eyes in revolutionary cinema"

Born in 1942 in Quang Ngai, People's Artist Tra Giang had a chance to work in cinema very early and quickly affirmed her position thanks to her excellent acting ability. She was part of the first generation of students at the Vietnam Cinema University (later the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema).

The first movie Tra Giang participated in wasAn early autumn day1961. In 1962, the actress played Ms. Tu Hau in the film of the same name, winning the Silver Medal at the Moscow International Film Festival, Russia. A series of films that followed left Tra Giang's mark such as Parallel 17 Days and Nights (award for "Best Actress" at the Moscow International Film Festival), Battle Song, Hanoi Baby, Saint's Day...

She is the first actress to be awarded the title of People's Artist by the State and honored by the Vietnam Cinema Association with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

People's Artist Tra Giang is also honored by the audience and professionals with titles such as "beauty legend", "the woman with the most beautiful eyes in Vietnamese cinema".

People's Artist - Director Bach Diep, a contemporary of People's Artist Tra Giang, once commented:"Tra Giang is not the most beautiful girl in the class, but her eyes are invincible."The talented director also said that there were times when she first held the script and knew for sure:"Only Tra Giang can play this role. Only Tra Giang can portray it with her eyes without words."

Tra Giang is one of the actors who has made great contributions to the country's cinema, a shining star for 3 decades. After the workRiver of White Flowers (1989), she was absent from the screen.

Tra Giang said that after this time, she was still waiting for a suitable role for herself but there was none. In the early 1990s, the country entered the market economy period, a series of "instant noodle" films were released; she felt that this type of film was not suitable so she decided to retire.

Despite leaving the acting profession, Tra Giang has always kept her passion for art alive. Over the years, she has often attended film award ceremonies and film festivals, seeing this as an opportunity to connect with colleagues and younger generations, and at the same time "to ease her longing for the profession".

Occasionally, artists participate in sharing sessions, recalling memories of the acting profession; giving advice to the younger generation of actors when they have the opportunity to meet at events.

“To have good movies that will last for generations, in addition to a good script, talent and dedication from the director, the actors need to undergo a process of training, practice and arduous experience to express the character's charisma and personality.”, she once shared.

Old age living alone but not lonely

At the age of 83, the female artist lives alone in an apartment in Ho Chi Minh City. For many years, Tra Giang has put her dream of becoming a filmmaker behind her to pursue a new land - painting.

From her initial thought of "just going for a walk", she now has hundreds of paintings of all genres, inspired by women, movies, and the lands she visited during her youth. She once said that finding painting was like finding a salvation after leaving cinema.

Tra Giang does not dare to call herself a painter, but only considers herself a painting actress. However, to date she has had 10 group exhibitions and 4 solo exhibitions.

For Tra Giang, the three most important things in life are acting, her husband, and her daughter. She considers herself lucky because her life is smooth, she has a fulfilling career, and a happy family.

Her husband was music professor Nguyen Bich Ngoc. They married in 1967. She and her husband later moved to Ho Chi Minh City to live until Mr. Ngoc passed away in 1999.

When her husband passed away, she felt lost and lost because she felt like she had lost her support. There was a time when she faced loneliness day after day without any way out. Gradually, the artist learned to accept her sadness. She believed that no matter what life was like, she had to be content because if she kept worrying and dwelling on the past, she would only make herself suffer.

People's Artist Tra Giang and her husband have a daughter named Bich Tra, who went to Russia to study at the age of 14 and is now a famous pianist abroad. Every 1-2 months, artist Bich Tra returns to Vietnam to work and visit her mother.

Talking about her life, Tra Giang uses the two words "satisfied". Looking at life and people through an optimistic eye, the artist sees her life as peaceful and happy at the moment. She thinks positively, finds joy in every moment of everyday life, and does not worry about what will happen when she passes away one day. For her, life is a countdown, so she just focuses on today and does not think about the future.

“Each person has their own destiny, they cannot choose. We should be positive, create joy and happiness from simple things.”, the female artist confided.