Actress who played 'Sister Dau': A beautiful Hanoi woman with a complicated life, finding happiness in her later years.

In 1980, the film "Sister Dau" by director Pham Van Khoa, adapted from the novel "Turning Off the Lights" by writer Ngo Tat To, was released to the public. The work was immediately considered a milestone in Vietnamese revolutionary cinema, hauntingly portraying the fate of impoverished rural women in a feudal colonial society.

In the lead role - Mrs. Dậu - Meritorious Artist Lê Vân delivered a classic performance, leaving a lasting impression on generations of Vietnamese viewers.

From a beautiful Hanoi woman with an elegant and refined appearance, Le Van completely transformed into a destitute woman forced to sell her child and dog to pay her husband's taxes. The role not only demanded a sacrifice in appearance but also required intense acting power.

Director Pham Van Khoa spent five years searching for an actress to play the role of Mrs. Dau, and finally he chose Le Van.

Sister Dậu is just one of the outstanding roles that made Lê Vân famous. Before that, audiences were moved by the image of the young wife who lost her husband in...When will October come?(Director Dang Nhat Minh) - a role that earned her the Golden Lotus Award at the 1985 Vietnam Film Festival.

Then there's Consort Dang Thi Hue in the Long Tri Night Festival, or the woman with a strong sense of nostalgia in...Nostalgia for the countryside(Director Dang Nhat Minh).

In each role, Le Van is always transformative: sometimes gentle and fragile, other times surprisingly strong. She brings to her characters a purely Vietnamese spiritual beauty – quiet, profound, and full of suppressed emotions. In less than two decades in the acting profession, she has become an icon of refined and exemplary acting, leaving a lasting impression on many generations of viewers.

Le Van was born into a renowned artistic family. Her father is People's Artist Tran Tien, her mother is Meritorious Artist Le Mai, and her maternal uncle is Meritorious Artist Le Chuc. Her two younger sisters – People's Artist Le Khanh and dancer Le Vi – are also big names in Vietnamese theater and film. The childhood of the three sisters, Le Van, Le Khanh, and Le Vi, was closely associated with the stage lights and serious art lessons from a young age.

Initially, Le Van studied dance, but fate led her to film, where she shone brightly with her elegant beauty mixed with the gentle charm of Hanoi, along with a sensitive, multifaceted soul, deeply artistic.

However, at the peak of her career, she unexpectedly withdrew from the spotlight. Meritorious Artist Le Van believes it was the right decision, as she had dedicated herself completely to both fields: dance and acting. After her last role, she almost went into seclusion, living quietly, away from the media and the glitz and glamour of the arts.

In 2006, she made a surprise comeback with her autobiography.Le Van - Love and LifeThe book revealed many hidden aspects of her private life and honest confessions about her profession. It immediately sparked much controversy, leading to Le Van further distancing herself from the art world and living a quiet, private life with her family.

Possessing stunning beauty and undeniable talent, Le Van's love life has been far from smooth. In her autobiography, she reveals she's been through three relationships and two unsuccessful marriages.

Her first marriage lasted only 14 days. At the time, for personal reasons, Le Van agreed to register her marriage with a long-time suitor. Later, she realized she didn't have genuine feelings for him, so she ended the relationship. Her second marriage lasted 10 years with a Vietnamese expatriate who had been married before and had children from his previous marriage – but it also ultimately broke down due to differences in their life perspectives.

True happiness only came when Le Van married for the third time to a Dutch man. They have two children together and are now settled abroad. After many years of living in seclusion, Le Van is now calm and peaceful. She occasionally visits her mother and sister and participates in charitable activities.