Lam Truong 'abandoned' 50 billion house, happy with young wife despite rumors

There is no such thing as "living in America forever"

- On social networks, people say "Lam Truong has moved to America to live", is this true, sir?

Currently, Yen Phuong's wife lives in the US because our daughter - Phoebe is in first grade there while her mother and extended family are still in Vietnam.

Initially, we agreed to let our child attend primary school in Vietnam to master Vietnamese. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Phuong had to stay in the US for a long time due to procedural issues, forcing her to send Phoebe to kindergarten here. Unexpectedly, she integrated so well, and did not want to be away from her friends, so we had to let her continue in first grade.

Now I have to split myself into 3 or 4 people, going back and forth between the two countries and touring around the world. However, I still estimate that I spend the most time in Vietnam.

Phoebe started to depend on her father. Every time I left, she felt sad and reluctant to leave. Luckily, she loved her grandmother so much that she let her father return home to take care of her.

My mother is the same. Every time I go to America, I say I'll only be gone for about 2 weeks, then I find an excuse like "I have to take on more shows because the audience loves me so much" to make her feel less sad. Since the beginning, my mother has always been happy when her son is loved by the audience.

All this time, I was always missing the other side. I only sang about 2 shows/week but the travel time and jet lag had a big impact on my health. Flying between states in the US sometimes took 12 hours, not to mention flying back to Vietnam or Australia.

I have to perform to earn money to raise my children and make products. Besides, I cannot let down the love of the audience. The show is my pride and also the clearest expression of their support for me.

Every day, no matter how tired I am, I still video call my mother and wife and children, tell them what I did today, how many flowers I received and how much the audience loves me.

I have such a warm family, such a beautiful career, I have to endure hardship.

- How do you mentally prepare for your mother's passing because "mother is as old as a ripe banana"?

I am scared, very scared. I, you or anyone will experience the situation of never seeing their loved ones again. Since my father passed away, that feeling has become more clear to me.

Not only me, perhaps my mother also had the same fear. I spent a lot of time talking to her to make her believe that even though I was gone, the children were still living well, everyone was healthy and happy.

I told her many stories about near-death experiences and reincarnation. I also promised her that I would try not to let my grief affect me.

All her life, she took good care of her husband and children. We are proud to have a mother like her. We are just afraid that in our lifetime, we won't be able to do as well as she did.

Humans are born in a vicious cycle of emotions, joys, sorrows, and sufferings. When I understood that, I learned to accept it.

From what happened to Mom, I often think about Phoebe. Right now she is too young to understand. My responsibility is to live well and raise Phoebe well, then she will grow up and feel my feelings right now.

"Gentle nostalgia" - Lam Truong

In the past, I often took my mother out to eat and chat. Now that she can no longer walk, I sit with her to watch sports and analyze the matches. Spending more time with her is the most practical and meaningful way to do this, much more than sitting around worrying and making far-fetched calculations.

Happy with wife 17 years younger, want more children

- What responsibility does Yen Phuong shoulder in your family at this time?

Phuong has to take care of all the raising and teaching of Phoebe, her studies, daily activities, physical activities... when I am not in the US.

My husband and I are very compatible in raising our children, but Phuong has to play the bad guy. Partly because work makes me so stressed, when I come home I don't dare to play the serious guy, afraid that I will take that stress out on my child.

In America, besides performing, I just stay at home, spend all my time with my wife and play with my children, both to warm up family affection and to relax, reducing pressure on myself. Sometimes Phuong tells me how happy I am that I don’t have to play a villain.

In addition to taking care of her children, Phuong also works as an accountant for a Vietnamese company whose clients are mostly Americans. This company is not too strict about working hours, so she can work from home to take care of and pick up her children from school.

Phuong still maintains her online sales, in Vietnam she has a sister-in-law and support staff. Phuong is like her mother, good at business and does not like to sit still and let her husband support her even though I am fully capable.

We are not putting financial pressure on her but it would be unreasonable to ask her to do nothing. Phuong has big plans for her career, what she is doing now is serving her future plans and I respect that very much.

- How does not being together often affect your relationship?

Our relationship is still going well, and we are planning to have another baby. Phoebe really wants to have a baby. However, my schedule is too busy, and the time to be together is past. This time, my husband and I told each other to persevere, children are a gift from God, but we have to be proactive.

- Even though there are still occasional rumors about the relationship between the two?

We rarely post pictures or share our feelings about each other, but inside we are fine, trust each other, and are very comfortable mentally.

- You are famous for pampering your fans, your sweet behavior easily wins sympathy, especially from female fans. Is it natural that you still have many fans at 50 years old?

I don’t do that anymore. Before, I didn’t just hug or put my arm around anyone. I was trusted by my fans because I was willing to listen and sit for hours listening to them share. To me, that’s respect and kindness.

However, Phuong thought it was unnecessary to do so if we were not close enough. In the past, there was an incident where I listened to a younger brother confide in me about the pain of losing a child and it caused a misunderstanding.

I told my wife straight up: "If you're jealous, don't bother being jealous. Right now, I only have my mother, you, the children, and the audience - the most important things to me." She used to worry a lot, but now she's much better.

Some people say I have a "natural talent for flirting". Since having a child, I have restrained my behavior a lot because I'm afraid Phuong will be sad, and even more afraid that she will be sad when she sees her parents unhappy.

"Abandoned" 50 billion house

- Do you and your mother still live in the old house in Phu Nhuan district, HCMC?

I moved my mother to a house in District 10 so that my siblings could come visit and take care of her. Now that I am back in Vietnam, I only live with my mother so the house is empty.

- After many years of performing, you have earned a huge income. Besides investing in products, where will that income go if not in real estate?

In the past, I ran a wedding restaurant and invested a lot in facilities. When I stopped working, I had to return it all to the owner. If I had invested in real estate, I wouldn’t have lost that amount.

I still invest but just enough, depending on the budget at each time. I have no plans this year, next year there may be more things to care about.

The US real estate market is also very potential because of its stability, little ups and downs, slow but steady growth. When I first met Phuong, I invested in a rental house for her to manage. Later, when my husband and I had a baby, we didn't have time anymore so we stopped doing it, the real estate in the US was just left there.

- A house worth 40 - 50 billion, you leave it "abandoned" for a fee, reducing the value?

The house is quite large, about 200 square meters and has several floors, it is a bit big for one person. If it was just my mother and the maid, she would be very sad. My mother likes a small, neat place with the children around. Since moving to District 10, my mother is much happier and healthier. But I don't really care. Sell, rent or just leave it, whatever.

- Do you and Yen Phuong want a boy or a girl?

I don't care about the baby's gender or age. Everything depends on the health and work conditions of both husband and wife. I just hope everything goes smoothly so we can have a baby.