Singer Ánh Tuyết: 'Often hungry' in her youth, a 'billionaire diva' in her old age.
In her youth, Ánh Tuyết was penniless, often sitting and gazing at the sky, dreaming of having enough money to buy a house, a car, and open a tea house; unexpectedly, at 62, she has it all, and is often teased by her colleagues as the 'billionaire diva'.
"No food to eat, starving, and yet you sit there wishing and longing."
Singer Ánh Tuyết was born in 1961 into a family with a tradition in the arts; her father was a music teacher, and her brothers were musicians.
From a young age, she showed a knack for business. Every afternoon, she would set up a stall selling sweets, fruits, cigarettes, and so on, always calculating how to make a profit of one or two times the usual amount. Her mother even suspected her of stealing money because of the huge profits.
When Ánh Tuyết first arrived in Saigon, bolero and pop music reigned supreme. While singers competed fiercely for the opportunity to perform, she sought out a genre that no one else would compete for, pursuing it alone.
Her method of building her reputation was also unique: she always wore a white ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) and sang in a very high pitch. "If people don't remember Anh Tuyet, they'll remember 'the girl in the white ao dai,' 'the girl with the incredibly high voice,' that's why," she explained.
The name Ánh Tuyết rose to prominence after she performed at a private concert attended by composer Văn Cao. Overnight, the press unanimously wrote about Ánh Tuyết as a musical phenomenon.
However, Ánh Tuyết's journey to building her career was far from smooth. She started out with nothing, no money, no reputation, no one to support her, and no desire to rely on anyone.
In her early twenties, she was "poorer than the poorest, working herself to death without leaving anything behind," so her mind was rarely at ease. In her free time, she would often gaze at the tall buildings in the distance and daydream.
Once, when Ánh Tuyết told her friend she wished she had enough money to open a tea house, buy a house, and buy a car, she was scolded: "You don't even have enough to eat, you're starving, and you're sitting there wishing and dreaming."
Despite the criticism, she said nothing, silently burying herself in hard work to earn money. Her philosophy was not to prove anything or intimidate anyone, but to challenge herself.
In Ánh Tuyết, there are two contrasting yet complementary personalities: artist and businesswoman. She founded a construction company, opened restaurants and cafes... to nurture her artistic dream - the ATB tea room.
She has never lost money in many business ventures, but she ended up deeply in debt and almost went bankrupt because of her artistic pursuits. Opening the ATB tea room, the singer spent 4 billion VND on renovations, only to lose about 40 million VND per month, forcing her to close after 5 years of struggling.
According to Anh Tuyet, she failed because "she couldn't make money by exhausting the artists, and didn't want to charge the audience too much money."
After the ATB tea room, she also gave up on other big dreams, such as opening a cultural and artistic stage that combined tradition and modernity.
Often teased as the "billionaire diva".
Apart from the tea house, Ánh Tuyết's artistic-style business ventures were very successful. In the early 2000s, she started buying land despite having no knowledge of real estate.
Many times, the singer would read in the newspaper about cheap land that she liked, then call to negotiate the price, and could close the deal immediately without even going to see it. Later, when she bought a house in France, she still did it this way... checking the location on Google Maps and closing the deal over the phone.
"Some landowners said they couldn't believe someone would buy land like that. My brother often scolds her, 'This girl buys land like she's buying a potato,'" she recounted.
And so, Anh Tuyet bought and sold land from Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau to Hoi An, and even in France. In 2021, she was shocked to realize she couldn't manage it all.
Land in Long Thanh, Vung Tau... was neglected by her for over 10 years. Properties in Ho Chi Minh City, including the famous 7,000m2 garden house, have deteriorated to varying degrees.
"Perhaps I'll soon sell all my properties in Saigon and the surrounding areas; I can't manage them all by myself. I plan to only keep the house on Vo Van Tan Street (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) - the first house I ever owned," the singer shared.
Her motto hasn't changed in the past 20 years: "If I like it, I'll buy it no matter what; if I'm happy, I'll sell it with genuine affection."
At 62, Anh Tuyet enjoys gardening and raising livestock. In Hoi An (Quang Nam province), she owns four gardens, each clearly divided for a specific purpose: a garden on Phan Chu Trinh street for growing flowers, a plot of land near the Hoai River for growing vegetables, and so on.
She spends almost an entire day traveling around and tending to her four gardens. In addition, she manages the villa she lives in and the famous old house she uses to entertain friends.
These properties were originally purchased by Anh Tuyet for only about 1 billion VND, but now the old house is valued at nearly 100 billion VND, and a garden plot at around 60-70 billion VND.
In France, Ánh Tuyết's husband's family also has a beautiful garden near the border. Before the pandemic, she and her husband used to visit annually, and this garden inspired her to create her own.
Although Ánh Tuyết has a housekeeper, she prefers to decorate her house and garden herself. She has never studied design, only learning from friends and the internet.
The singer has been romantic and fond of flowers since her youth. Gardens in Ho Chi Minh City and Hoi An both feature flowers brought from France, such as climbing roses and amaranth.
Even now, the singer doesn't consider herself wealthy, always living with the motto, "Even if I were sitting on a pile of gold, I would still be the Ánh Tuyết everyone knows."
On several occasions when she returned to Ho Chi Minh City to perform, her colleagues teased her, calling her a "billionaire diva" or a "real estate diva," but she always firmly dismissed their comments.
Ánh Tuyết remains simple, forgiving, and emotionally driven. During the pandemic, she halved the rent for her business premises and even decisively returned the 1.3 billion VND deposit when she saw that the tenant was hesitant to terminate the contract. She also once lent an acquaintance 4.5 billion VND, but later couldn't bring herself to sue for repayment when that person fell on hard times and faced legal troubles.
Looking back, Anh Tuyet realizes she suffered almost her entire life. In her twilight years, she hasn't found fulfillment, still enjoys working, occasionally singing, and meeting friends.
