The beauty and ups and downs of life of the four great beauties of Saigon
Tham Thuy Hang, Kieu Chinh, Kim Cuong and the late artist Thanh Nga are names ranked among the four great beauties of Saigon at one time, however their lives had different tragedies and turns.
In particular, the greatest tragedy in Tham Thuy Hang's life was the result of plastic surgery. It caused her face to be horribly disfigured. From a stunning beauty, now she has to carry a disfigured face, causing the former star to close all doors to the outside world, only staying at home to chant Buddha's name.
The second beauty is Kieu Chinh, whose birth name is Nguyen Thi Chinh, born in 1937 in Hanoi. She was a famous actress in South Vietnam before 1975 as well as one of the four famous beauties in Saigon before 1975. Kieu Chinh impressed many people with her modern beauty.
After 1975, Kieu Chinh and her husband immigrated to Canada, then to the US to continue their acting career. Up to now, Kieu Chinh has appeared in 100 American films and television shows. These include famous films such as The Letter (1986), Welcome Home (1989), What Cooking (2000), Face (2001)... In 1996, Kieu Chinh received an Emmy Award for the documentary "Kieu Chinh: A Journey Home". In 2003, Kieu Chinh was awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award".
To date, Kieu Chinh is the first and only Vietnamese actress to achieve these remarkable achievements in Hollywood.
Currently, although residing in the US, Kieu Chinh still tirelessly contributes through many charitable activities during her visits to her homeland.
The third of the four great beauties of Saigon is Kim Cuong, born in 1937, known as a diva of the Southern drama scene at that time because she not only attracted audiences with her acting talent but also with her charming beauty.
Coming from a family with a long tradition of art, with her mother being the late People's Artist Bay Nam, People's Artist Kim Cuong was exposed to the stage early.
Unlike her close friend Tham Thuy Hang, People's Artist Kim Cuong's name is more associated with drama than cinema, although she has also acted in quite a few films.
She was famous for her tear-jerking roles or her witty roles. In the mid-1950s, journalist Nguyen Anh Ca gave her the nickname "the legendary woman", and from then on everyone knew her as the Diamond Legend.
At the same time, Kim Cuong wrote many drama scripts under the pen name Hoang Dung, famous for the script "Durian Leaves" (1963), and later went to study directing in Bulgaria.
Despite her peak career, the female artist has had a difficult love life, having experienced five failed relationships. Now, at the age of 80, she lives happily with her children and grandchildren and still devotes herself to charity work for the country.
Finally, the four great beauties must mention the late artist Thanh Nga, her real name is Juliette Nguyen Thi Nga, born in 1942 in Tay Ninh, she is a close friend of People's Artist Kim Cuong and Meritorious Artist Tham Thuy Hang, however Meritorious Artist Thanh Nga's artistic path shines in the field of reformed theater.
In the 1960s and 1970s, when mentioning Thanh Nga, it can be said that everyone knew her name with her beauty and talent being among the top in Saigon. Her elegant, noble and Asian beauty always made her admirers admire. Thanh Nga was given the title "stage queen" by the public.
In 1978, the sudden passing of Thanh Nga and her husband after a murder left many of her admirers in mourning. Until now, when talking about Meritorious Artist Thanh Nga, the public still refers to her as the most talented and beautiful female artist in the Southern theater arts scene.
Recently, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the passing of Meritorious Artist Thanh Nga, at 12 noon today, December 2, the Youtube channel will officially release the documentary "40 years in memory of the late talented artist Meritorious Artist - Queen of the Stage - Asian Actress Thanh Nga".
