People's Artist Minh Hang wishes to be buried with quartz crystals when she passes away.

- What does a typical day look like for you these days?

I have three places to go back and forth to. So, I spend three days at my own home, three days at my mother's house, and three days at the garden house.

I travel by public transport. I used to have a private driver, but I thought maintaining the car and paying the driver's salary was too expensive, so I sold it. Since selling the car, I've saved an average of over 25 million VND per month.

My garden house has 5 dogs and 4 cats. I recently started raising ducks, but unfortunately, the catfish in the pond ate them all, and now only 2 are left.

I also really enjoy raising catfish. My school of fish is very large, each one as big as my thigh. Every time I feed them, I call out "bong bong bang bang" like in the story of Tam Cam, and they all pop up with their beaks sticking out, so adorable! To take care of the fish, I have to spend over 1 million dong each month, having my housekeeper buy fish feed and chopped up pig lungs for them to eat.

Recently, Bông, my beloved pet dog, had a tumor and had to be hospitalized, costing nearly 20 million VND, and she's still not doing well. Bông is old, but I still treated her because before he passed away, my husband told me to cherish all pets. Similarly, when our cat broke her leg while jumping, I had to take her to the hospital for bandaging and treatment, which cost over 10 million VND.

- Have you regained your balance after your husband's death?

Right now, I feel very relaxed and my thoughts are different than before. I came to understand Buddhism after my husband passed away, so I think simply: although we met in this life, we may not meet in the next. Depending on each person's fortune and karma, everyone will eventually go to a different realm and may never meet again. I wanted to see him again, so I made a promise to meet him in the afterlife, but in reality, how could we ever meet again?

So I decided that while we're alive, we should treat each other well, and it's okay if we never see each other again after we're gone. I realized that after my husband passed away.

Before he passed away, my husband also instructed me: "Minh Hang, I'm giving you this much, to save for when I'm no longer here. My share has been divided equally among the children. You can do whatever you want with it, but please keep it because this is all I have left."

So now, I don't prioritize making money; I just need enough to live comfortably, enjoy time with friends, and help others… Even if I dislike someone, I'll ignore it without needing to explain myself.

- Do you intend to settle down with another man to keep you company in your old age?

I have absolutely no intention of "moving on" with someone else. At 60, whether I see a man or a woman, my emotions remain completely unmoved.

I loved my husband very much, and no matter where I went, I always carried his picture with me. Once, in a hurry, I forgot to bring his picture and had a terrible bout of vomiting, unable to eat or drink. Afterwards, I prayed: "My dear husband, I forgot your picture at home. Please bless me with good health so I can return home. The journey is 700 kilometers, and I'm terrified. Otherwise, I'll have to stay here for one or two weeks." Then I recovered, and the journey home was very smooth.

I'm not actively seeking another man, nor do I have any biological children, but wherever I go, everyone calls me "mother." My children take care of me meticulously.

For example, I met Son when I went to get my teeth done. Initially, she quoted 327 million VND, and I was about to haggle, but Son offered to cover the cost of materials, which was 90 million VND. After that, we didn't see each other for six months, but Son occasionally called to check on my dental care. The next time I met her, I saw that she was still as sincere as before, so I decided to invite her out. Suddenly, we became as close as mother and daughter.

Luckily, life didn't bring us together in any other unfortunate circumstances; instead, we had the opportunity to spend money lavishly, which is why I had another child. Son said he would take care of me for the rest of my life, and we would travel and enjoy life together.

- Living alone, do you fear the day you pass away?

Whenever I went back to our large garden house, many people asked if I was afraid of ghosts. I thought maybe the ghosts were afraid of me. My mother was very worried about me. She advised me to move to the city because she was afraid her daughter would be in danger, wandering around alone at night.

I told my mother: Everyone who comes into this world has their own purpose, their own money, and their own role. If something unfortunate happens, it means my time in this world is over. My grave is ready, everything is arranged, so I feel normal. If I have to leave, it's God's will. So please rest assured, don't worry about what might happen to me.

I've prepared the necessary "combo" for the road ahead, and I hope that for now I can be at peace and happy with my friends, living a life without resentment, anger, expectations, or blame.

Before enlightenment, I was quite sad about not having children. But now I understand that when I came into this world, I owed nothing to anyone. If some children come to me out of karmic connection to repay debts, there will also be some who come simply to collect debts.

I wish I could afford to buy several dozen kilograms of quartz crystals so that when I pass away, I can be surrounded by them.

Why do you like to wear gemstones and jewelry?

Quartz is a precious stone, of course it's not too expensive, but maybe in a few hundred years, my grave will be leveled for another project. Then, when they "excavate" my grave, they'll be amazed by the pile of stones and think I must have been a famous person to be buried with so many valuable things (laughs). That's what artists are like; even in death, they still want to be famous.

Forty years ago, I consulted a fortune teller who predicted that when I died, I would be buried on a very high mound. At the time, my family didn't have much money, so I was skeptical. But now, I have plenty of money, gardens, land, and even a burial plot already prepared on the highest hilltop.

I also reserved a plot at the temple and booked a 50-year grave care service for both myself and my husband. My husband's children all live abroad and cannot regularly tend to the graves.

People's Artist Minh Hang, born in 1961, is a familiar face to Vietnamese audiences through her roles in the "Tao Quan" (Kitchen Gods) show.Year-End GatheringShe has participated in films.My child(Directed by People's Artist Khai Hung) - the first feature film to win an award at the National Film Festival in 1983.

The actress has also made her mark through many roles in other television dramas such as:People of Hanoi, Returning Amidst Love, Jealousy, Exemplary Employees…

People's Artist Minh Hằng is a member of the first graduating class of the Youth Theatre, along with People's Artists Lê Khanh, Lan Hương, and Chí Trung.