Actress playing 'Chi Dau': A multi-faceted Hanoi beauty, happy in her old age

In 1980, the film Chi Dau by director Pham Van Khoa - adapted from the novel Tat Den by writer Ngo Tat To was released to the public. The work was immediately considered a milestone of Vietnamese Revolutionary cinema, depicting the haunting fate of poor rural women in feudal colonial society.

In the main role - Chi Dau - Meritorious Artist Le Van has a classic transformation, imprinted in the minds of many generations of Vietnamese audiences.

From a Hanoi beauty with a regal, noble appearance, Le Van completely transformed into a miserable woman who had to sell her children and dogs to pay taxes for her husband. The role not only required sacrifice of appearance but also required strong acting power.

Director Pham Van Khoa spent 5 years looking for an actress for the role of Chi Dau, and finally he "chose the right person" for the role of Le Van.

Chi Dau is just one of the excellent roles that made Le Van famous. Previously, the audience was moved by the image of a young wife who lost her husband inWhen until October?(Director Dang Nhat Minh) - the role that brought her the Golden Lotus Award at the Vietnam Film Festival in 1985.

Then there is Imperial Concubine Dang Thi Hue in Long Tri Night Festival, or the nostalgic woman inMissing the countryside(Director Dang Nhat Minh).

In each role, Le Van always transforms: sometimes gentle and fragile, sometimes surprisingly strong. She brings to the character a pure Vietnamese spiritual beauty - quiet, profound and full of hidden feelings. In less than two decades of acting, she has become a symbol of refined and standard acting, leaving an impression on many generations of audiences.

Le Van was born into a famous artistic family. Her father is People's Artist Tran Tien, her mother is Meritorious Artist Le Mai, and her uncle is Meritorious Artist Le Chuc. Her two younger sisters - People's Artist Le Khanh and dancer Le Vi - are also big names on the Vietnamese stage and screen. 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 then fate brought her to cinema, and then she shone brightly with her elegant beauty mixed with the gentleness of Hanoi, along with a sensitive, multi-dimensional soul, full of artistry.

However, when her career was at its peak, she suddenly withdrew from the spotlight. Meritorious Artist Le Van believes that it was the right decision, because she had devoted herself completely to both fields: dancing and acting. After her last role, she almost went into hiding, living quietly, away from the media and the artistic halo.

In 2006, she suddenly returned with an autobiography.Le Van - love and live,Revealing many hidden corners of her private life and honest confidences about her career, the book immediately caused many conflicting opinions, leading to Le Van continuing to distance herself from the art world, living a quiet and private life with her family.

Possessing stunning beauty and undeniable talent, Le Van’s love life has not been smooth. In her autobiography, she revealed that she had gone through three love affairs and two unfulfilling marriages.

The first marriage lasted only 14 days. At that time, for personal reasons, Le Van agreed to register with a long-time pursuer. Later, she realized that she did not have true feelings, so she stopped. The second marriage lasted 10 years with a Vietnamese-American who had been married before and had children - but in the end, it also broke down due to differences in life views.

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