The beauty and ups and downs of life of the four great beauties of Saigon

Loc Lien• December 2, 2018 11:24

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.

The Four Beauties of Saigon, the phrase that makes fans immediately think of Tham Thuy Hang. Her real name is Nguyen Kim Phung, born in 1940 in Hai Phong but later followed her father to live in An Giang. Tham Thuy Hang is considered the brightest star of commercial cinema in South Vietnam from the late 1950s to the late 1970s.

During her acting career, she participated in many films such as “Nguoi dep Binh Duong”, “Nguu lang Chuc nu”, many of which were co-productions with the US, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, etc., making her name reach the continental level and become a great monument, a level that no other actress in Vietnam has reached so far. And not only in cinema, Tham Thuy Hang also participated in plays and cai luong performances.

As a silver screen star, Tham Thuy Hang continuously attended international film festivals in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea, the Soviet Union... and won major awards such as "Best Actress" at the Taipei Film Festival, "Asian Best Actress" at the Asian Film Festival held in Hong Kong and Taiwan in 1972 - 1974, "Most Adorable Actress" at the Moscow and Tasken Film Festivals in the Soviet Union in 1982...

However, despite being at the pinnacle of wealth and fame, Tham Thuy Hang's personal life was full of tragedy. In 1959, she was forced to marry and became a single mother in 1964 after her divorce. In 1970, Tham Thuy Hang married a man with a high position in society. But he passed away in 2003, leaving her alone.

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 having to carry a deformed face caused the one-time star to close all doors to communicate with the outside world, only staying at home to chant Buddha's name.

The current post-cosmetic beauty of Tham Thuy Hang (black floral dress).

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 quite modern beauty.

She made an impression through the films "The Bell of Thien Mu" (1957), "Forest Rain", "A Thousand Years of Flying Clouds"...

After 1975, Kieu Chinh and her husband immigrated to Canada, then to the United States 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.

Kieu Chinh's beauty in her old age.

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 many 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 "Ky Nu" and from then on, people knew her as Ky Nu Kim Cuong.

At the same time, Kim Cuong wrote many drama scripts under the pen name Hoang Dung, famous for the script "Durian Leaf" (1963), and later studied 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.

People's Artist Kim Cuong.

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, was a close friend of People's Artist Kim Cuong and Meritorious Artist Tham Thuy Hang, however Meritorious Artist Thanh Nga's artistic path shined 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 luxurious, noble and Asian beauty always made her admirers admire. Thanh Nga was favored by the public with the title "Queen of the Stage".

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 of remembering the late talented artist Meritorious Artist - Queen of the Stage - Asian Actress Thanh Nga".

Loc Lien