Artist Mong Tuyen, 78 years old, is youthful, beautiful, and wealthy, but her food budget is less than 50,000 VND per day.

I spend two hours shopping for groceries, and my food expenses are less than 50,000 VND per day.

- How are you, Grandma?

I'm fine. I have a show in Rach Gia - Kien Giang.(now An Giang - PV)I went singing at 1 PM and immediately returned to Ho Chi Minh City at 4 AM the next morning. I was tired but happy.

I still have regular health checkups every six months, whether I'm in France or Vietnam. To this day, I haven't detected any illnesses, not even age-related diseases like diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or joint problems. One doctor even exclaimed after examining me: "How can you be so healthy at 78? I'm already so frail at such a young age!"

- How is she living?

I usually wake up at 4:30 - 5:00 AM, or around 5:30 - 6:00 AM if I get home late from performances. I spend an hour reading the Bible, exercising, and then going to Vuon Chuoi market.

Every day I go to the market to hang out with the vendors, sometimes helping them sell their goods, and assisting anyone in need. As a result, I spend two hours at the market every day before returning home!

It's a small market, so I know almost everyone. Many people who go to the market recognize Mong Tuyen and stop by to buy things, chat, and become friends. It's the same with everyone; strangers become friends. On days when they arrive late, the ladies even call me to come and "rescue" them.

For over 40 years, I've only eaten one meal a day at lunchtime, cooked and brought to me by my younger siblings in turns. Once I got used to it, I no longer felt hungry, and I could have some fruit in the morning. I don't seek delicious food, only nutritious food.

When traveling with a group, you eat whatever everyone else eats. Living in a group requires blending in; if you act different, people will lose their affection for you.

I do aerobics twice a day, each session lasting about 1 hour and 10 minutes, with vigorous movements, not the gentle, relaxing kind; if I'm busy performing, I skip it.

In the evening, I go online to read the news, browsing and learning from anything interesting, and skipping over anything unnecessary.

- That sounds quite simple for someone earning nearly 100 million VND per month, doesn't it, ma'am?

That was back when I rented out my house at a high price, plus the bank interest, which is how I got that amount.

Later, due to economic difficulties and the Covid-19 pandemic, I thought I had to let people make a living, so I gradually reduced the fee, and now I only charge 30 million VND per month. I also provide meals for the staff here, even though I have no relationship with them.

But it's true that I live simply, from my clothes to my daily life, nothing is expensive. My food expenses are less than 50,000 VND per day, and my clothes and bags are all inexpensive.(laugh)

My expenses, if any, are for leisure. I have a group of friends who love my audience, and we occasionally travel or find places with beautiful scenery to eat, drink, and sing. For those who don't have money, I'll pay for their trips so they can relax and have fun.

When I was making a lot of money, I gave away a lot, but now that my income has decreased, I share less. Besides, I don't have to eat it all myself.

My biggest regret in life

- She won the Thanh Tam Award for her Cai Luong singing and the Golden Lotus Award for her film acting. A beautiful and talented woman like that would surely be an A-list star in today's showbiz. Did she ever think about where her career would have gone if she hadn't chosen to leave Vietnam that year?

To clarify, that year, I left for no other reason than to find my lost younger sibling. I loved my siblings as much as my parents love their children. That's why I left my career to go to France and ask the United Nations for help in the search.(cry)

After three long years of searching, we still couldn't find her, and my life was ruined. That's something I'll always regret. At the peak of my career, with the love of my fans, I gave it all up. If I could turn back time, I wouldn't dare make that trade.

- Which countries have you lived in?

In 1984, I moved to France and opened a souvenir shop. Over the past 30 years, I've also frequently traveled to Australia and the United States to visit my siblings and returned to Vietnam 68 times. There hasn't been a year I haven't been back, at least once, sometimes up to six times.

After the Covid-19 pandemic, I practically stayed in Vietnam. Currently, I only hold French and Vietnamese citizenship; I've given up my Australian permanent residency status.

When will she return to the stage?

When I first returned to Vietnam, many people said I left the country and only came back when things got too difficult, competing for a living with contemporary artists. Because of my self-respect, I chose to disappear for a while.

One day, I realized that the audience was still delighted to see me, and deep down, I still longed to sing. So, I started singing again, but I didn't show my face anymore; I've been singing in the "shadows" for decades now.

I sing with the intention of showing gratitude to the audience, so I don't take any fees. I sing at everything from temples and shrines to charity shows, funerals, and weddings; I go no matter how far, as long as I can serve the audience.

Whether it's modern music or traditional opera, I'll sing whatever anyone asks me to, I just regret not having had the chance to perform. It's only fulfilling for an artist to have both singing and performing.

They live frugally but give generously to charity.

- With no career left in Vietnam, how did she manage to buy her current house worth 10.1 billion VND?

I've never been rich, but I've never been poor either. At the height of my career—excuse me for saying I was incredibly wealthy, with a big house and plenty of money—I had it all.

When I went to France, I opened a large souvenir shop right in a tourist area, so I had a steady stream of customers. I lived very frugally; I wouldn't even spend a single penny on a bottle of water when I was thirsty.

In addition, I work for my younger siblings. They pay their employees the same amount, even though I do the work of three people combined.

I had to work hard and save every penny for decades to have the money I have for my old age.

- You must have witnessed many deaths.

What I regret most is that during the last seven years of her life, Thẩm Thúy Hằng absolutely refused to meet me, only communicating over the phone.

I place great importance on how we treat each other while we are alive. We never know when we will pass away; even young people can leave us early, let alone Ms. Hang, who will be over 80 by then.

If I pass away tomorrow, you don't need to come to see me off. What matters is that while we're alive, we cherish and care for each other.

Every day, I pray to God to let me pass away in my sleep. I live without bothering anyone, so I'm very afraid of getting sick and having others take care of me.

- Do you often look at pictures of yourself when you were young?

Sometimes, I look at myself in the mirror and jokingly say, "Tuyen, your parents gave you such beauty, but now you're so ugly!" then I laugh to myself.

Some people commented that I'm lucky to still be "decent-looking" at almost 80 years old.

- At 78, without a husband or children, family must be very important to you?

I have nine sisters. When I was young, I became famous early on, earning a lot of money to support my parents, my siblings, and even ten nieces and nephews. Now, my sisters and nieces and nephews are all grown up and wealthier than me.(laugh)

They mostly live abroad but still keep in touch, check in, and buy things for me. It's a simple gesture, but it's actually very heartwarming.

- Considering you've had a fulfilling old age, what have you learned from it?

The ancient poet Nguyen Du once said, "Throughout history, human determination has often triumphed over fate." I don't want to attribute everything to fate. Do good deeds, and Heaven will help you.

People say people have their destinies, but I don't believe it. Shoes and clothes have their destinies, but I don't know what my destiny is. That's why for decades, I've lived life to the fullest instead of sitting around waiting for fate to decide my future.