I accept compliments and criticism when making "Kieu"!

- Project "Kieu" and the nameMai Thu HuyenThe film has attracted attention from the Vietnamese cinema-loving community since the filming began until it was completed. Are you currently satisfied with your brainchild?

MovieKieuAfter 1 year of preparation and 2 months of filming in all 3 regions of North, Central and South with a crew of more than 100 people. I think that what my colleagues and I wanted to achieve has basically been completed. The road ahead will be quite long and arduous. We still have to worry about post-production and especially bringing the work to theaters.

From the producer's perspective, my team and I have worked hard to bring a well-crafted work from the script, to the set design, to the costumes, to the images and to gather a cast of actors who performed well. I also have faith and have high expectations for revenue but it still depends on the release time and luck.

Mai Thu Huyen on the set of "Kieu". She has been nurturing a project about the work of the great poet Nguyen Du for 10 years.

- From the teasers, first images to the choice of setting and styling, the film has encountered a lot of controversy. As the main person in charge of the project, how do you accept this?

I accept and listen to everyone's opinions on all aspects. Some audiences give comments, reviews or even criticism and we respect that. However, the crew has its own choices to suit the image the film is aiming for.

Kieunot a film adaptation but only inspired by the workThe Tale of KieuFrom the beginning, we chose the Ancient-Fantasy genre so that the crew could be creative without being bound by a specific time or space.

The transition from poetry tocinemaThere will certainly be many differences. The film cannot be compared 1:1 with the original and of course there will be creativity in language and images to suit the tastes of Vietnamese audiences today. If I put myself in the audience's position, I would also expect something new, not just what is in the books that everyone has learned and known since high school.

- A gentle and feminine actress Mai Thu Huyen will make the audience skeptical about the role of producer and director - a field that has always been the strength of men. What have you experienced from this path?

From an actor to a producer is a long journey. Pressure is inevitable, but I consider it as a motivation to strive and overcome. Through each project, I learn, absorb, and am proud of the success I have created, but at the same time accept the failures.

In my opinion, a producer or director does not need to be good at everything. The best thing they can do is to attract talented people and create unity to push the whole group forward. Moreover, in art there is no good or bad, it depends on each person's perception. We have to accept compliments and criticisms, more importantly, if we do it with passion and artistic perspective, I believe it will be recognized.

- Being an actress, businesswoman, then switching to the role of director and producer, people say she is "greedy" because she takes on too many things...

I think I was being foolish! If I was greedy, I could have just sat back and enjoyed it without worrying too much. But I think we only have one life to live, so we should just give it our all with passion and dedication.

Each person has a different perspective on life. The same problem but each of us has a different perspective. Some people like a life of enjoyment and leisure, but I am quite strong-minded, like to conquer challenges and do difficult things. I always put myself with the thought that happiness is not only having a stable life, but also living fully with passion and a favorite job.

For example, with the film production job, I am both the boss and the maid. The boss because I have to pay to hire everyone. But the maid because I have to do everything from A to Z. Of course, these jobs give me experiences, life skills and wonderful relationships that if I hadn't experienced them all my life, I would never understand the feeling.

My husband is my first and only love!

- Outsiders say you are lucky to marry a talented and rich husband. In your eyes, what kind of person is your husband?

My husband is a thoughtful, understanding person and devoted to his wife and children. He has never objected or hindered my work. This is also a great motivation for me to feel that I try my best in work and family life. I am proud that my husband is my first love and also my only love up to now.

As for me, I also think I have fulfilled my responsibilities as a wife and mother of the family. Perhaps love and responsibility for our family and children is the strongest bond between us.

Mai Thu Huyen calls her husband her first and last love.

- You love your husband but before you always avoided mentioning him in the media, why is that?

I want to keep my private life to myself. My husband is not a showbiz person so he doesn’t want to appear in public. As a wife, I respect him for that. Sometimes I want to show off my husband and children but I also have to respect my family’s opinions.

I believe that it is hard to predict what will happen tomorrow. I always hope to have a happy home, so I focus on maintaining it, otherwise I will "talk too much and lose my way".

- You and your husband - one is an artist, the other is a businessman. What is your consensus on how to raise children?

My two children have different personalities. But they are good, gentle, polite, well-behaved, intelligent, good at studying, and do not misbehave or do things that upset their parents.

I think a child’s daily life revolves around family and school. Once that is clearly defined, we want our children to live in an environment where adults are always kind and loving to each other. Children will naturally learn from that and develop themselves.

Of course, to have such an education, my husband and I must be aware of balancing our roles in society and at home. If we had a choice, we would also consider family as the most important thing.

Mai Thu Huyen's happy home.

- Mai Thu Huyen has career, family and the image of a beautiful woman. Do you think you are a lucky woman?

Each person will have their own feelings and evaluations of success. I always think about how to balance and harmonize to preserve what I have and promote it. I don’t need to become something too great, but enough to feel satisfied with what I have.

After all, I am satisfied with my current life! I always appreciate and enjoy happiness but am also sober enough to accept the reality that: Today's life is unpredictable.