Ngoc Lan on Her Favorite Singers

Ngoc Lan was one of those people that if she didn't have anything nice to say about someone, she wouldn't say anything at all.  During the time I knew her, we rarely spoke about other singers.  I do recall only one occasion while she was driving me around to look for costumes for our video shoot that I just flat out asked her at point blank just who was her favorite singer.  She hesitated a bit to answer and then she said, "I think Kieu Nga sings really well."  And then I asked her, " Well, who was the singer that had inspired you?  Who was your idol growing up and before you became a singer?"  She paused for a bit.  Then she uttered, "Thanh Lan".  Of course, I had to put my two cents in and tell her how much I had also idolized Khanh Ha and Julie Quang, in addition to her.  I asked her what she thought of them.  All she said was that she liked them, especially Julie Quang whenever she sang in French.  Being the nosy person I am, I had really wanted to ask her which singers did she not particularly care for.  But I didn't dare go there.

Kieu Nga and Ngoc Lan 

When I asked Ngoc Lan who was her favorite Vietnamese male singer, she readily answered that it was Duy Quang.  I then told her I liked Duy Quang's voice, as well.  And then she said something to the effect that all singers are great in their own distinct way.  I could tell this was her way of closing out the conversation and hinting to me that we should move on to another subject.  Somehow I had gotten the feeling that she didn't like to be asked such questions.  I think perhaps she might have been concerned that if she were to disclose who she did and didn't like among Vietnamese singers, the word just might get out which might bring about tensions between some of her colleagues and herself.  I'd have to say that that was a quality I really admired in Ngoc Lan.  She was obviously smart enough to realize that in the world of showbiz what you say can easily get misconstrued and end up biting you in the back.  From that day on, I never asked her about what she thought of other singers ever again.

I did pay attention to one other thing during the times I had spent with her.  And that was, who she would listen to while she was driving me around, which cassettes were in her selection kept in her car.  Most of the time she would be listening to songs that she was in the process of rehearsing and about to go into the studio to record.  A few times I heard her listening to Olivia Newton-John.  And other times, she would play Elsa Lughini.  As for Vietnamese singers, I remember listening to one or two cassettes of Kieu Nga.  And there was one occasion when she made me listen to Nhat Truong and Thanh Lan on an old cassette recorded way back in Saigon prior to 1975 during the entire drive.  She kept playing over and over again, Nguoi O Lai Charlie and Mua Dong Cua Anh.  I do like Thanh Lan's voice.  But as far as Nhat Truong and his music, just imagine how I felt listening to it considering how I was a kid who had grown up in the United States and was then just familiarizing myself with Vietnamese music.  Nhat Truong's music is anything but even remotely close to that of American pop music.  A few months later, I finally figured out the reason why she had me listen to those two songs over and over that one day when I saw that Ngoc Lan and Duy Quang had just released another duet album which included their version of Mua Dong Cua Anh and again, on some compilation cassette of various artists produced by Lang Van that included their duet version of Nguoi O Lai Charlie.  It just goes to show how much of a hard worker Ngoc Lan was.  Even when driving around, rather than listen to music as a way to relax, Ngoc Lan was actually listening with her work in mind.

Ngoc Lan Trivia

This is to all fellow devoted fans of Ngoc Lan out there.  How much do you know about Ngoc Lan?  Would you say you're an expert who knows a lot when it comes to facts about Ngoc Lan's career, music and life?  How read up are you about Ngoc Lan?  I challenge you to take our Ngoc Lan Trivia and try to answer the following questions.  It just might surprise you on how much you know about our beloved Ngoc Lan.

Ngoc Lan Trivia - Part 1:

Here are the first five questions.  I assume these questions are fairly easy and that you don't have to be an expert on Ngoc Lan to know the answers.

1. What was Ngoc Lan's given birthname?  A) Nguyen Ngoc Lan  B) Jade Orchid  C) Nguyen Thanh Lan  D) Maria Le Thanh Lan  E) Tran Ngoc Lan
2. What city was Ngoc Lan born in?  A) Hanoi  B) Saigon  C) Nha Trang  D) Da Lat  E) Paris
3. Other than Vietnamese, Ngoc Lan was famous for singing in what language?  A) English  B) French  C) Chinese  D) Korean  E) Spanish
4. When and where did Ngoc Lan began her career as a professional singer?  A) After she left Vietnam for the United States first resettling in Minnesota  B) At the age of 20 while she was still in Vietnam at cabarets and nightclubs in Saigon  C) While she was in college as a foreign exchange student in Paris, France  D) As a child while still living in Nha Trang  E) In Hollywood during the 1990s where she also appeared on the Hollywood Night music video series
5. What was the cause of Ngoc Lan's untimely passing?  A) Cancer  B) Multiple Sclerosis  C) Suicide  D) Diabetes  E)  Automobile Accident

So, were you able to answer all five of the previous questions?  If so, then you're definitely a fan of our beloved Ngoc Lan.  But not so fast.  Just by knowing the answers to those five very easy questions about Ngoc Lan doesn't necessarily make you a devoted fan of Ngoc Lan.  The answers to those five questions are pretty much public knowledge.  Maybe that's putting it a bit too extreme there.  Let's say the answers to those previous questions are basic information about Ngoc Lan.  Therefor, one would have to be a fan of Ngoc Lan in order to know the answers.

Let's continue on to the next set of questions.

Ngoc Lan Trivia - Part 2:

The following ten questions here are designed for those that are considered to be devoted fans of Ngoc Lan.  These questions are a bit harder and require fans to do a bit of reading about Ngoc Lan to know the answers to.  For those devoted fans who have followed Ngoc Lan's career closely through the years, you should have no problem answering these trivia questions.

1. When Ngoc Lan resettled in Southern California in 1982, what was the name of the music production label that she first recorded professionally for?  A) Asia Productions  B) Da Lan  C) Doi Magazine  D) Lang Van  E) Giang Ngoc 
2. During the 1980s, what was the name of the first major nightclub that Ngoc Lan had become an exclusive weekly peformer at for an entire year?  A) Majestic  B) Diamond  C) Dem Mau Hong  D) Ritz  E) Au Baccara
3. Ngoc Lan had recorded duets with a lot of male artists during the 1980s and 1990s.  Which one of these male artists did she not ever record a duet with?  A) Duy Quang  B) Don Ho  C) Trinh Nam Son  D) Lam Nhat Tien  E) Nhat Truong
4. What was Ngoc Lan's best selling studio album during the 1980s?  A) Tieng Hat Ngoc Lan  B) Nguoi Yeu Dau  C) L'amour Tinh Ta  D) Tinh Xanh  E) Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh
5. Ngoc Lan had also recorded many duets with other female artists?  Which one of these female singers did Ngoc Lan record the most duets with?  A) Kieu Nga  B) Khanh Ha  C) Nhu Mai  D) Huong Lan  E) Julie Quang
6. Ngoc Lan had come from a large family.  Including herself, how many children did her parents have altogether?  A) 10  B) 12  C) 6  D) 8  E) 11
7. Among her siblings, Ngoc Lan was ..... A) the fifth eldest.  B) the eldest.  C) the second eldest.  D) the third eldest.  E) the youngest.
8. In 1990, May Productions released Ngoc Lan's ground-breaking first solo music videotape which consisted of beautifully shot music videos for five of her recorded songs.  What was the title of her first solo videotape?  A) Ngoc Lan in Hollywood  B) Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh  C) Khi Co Chang  D) Lai Gan Hon Em  E) Ngoc Lan on Video
9. During her career as a professional singer, Ngoc Lan toured extensively and performed in concert for live audiences in many different countries all over the world.  Ironically, there was one country where her fans never did get to see her perform live in concert.  Which country was that?  A) United States  B) Australia  C) Canada  D) France  E) Vietnam
10. How old was Ngoc Lan when she passed?  A) 32  B) 50  C) 44  D) 36  E) 40

So how did you do with that last set of ten questions?  I told you they were going to be harder than those first five.  Well, if you had no trouble answering all ten of those questions, I must say then that you are definitely a devoted fan.  Actually, if you were able to answer at least half out of the ten questions, I'll say you still qualify as a devoted fan of Ngoc Lan.  How many of you are courageous enough to move onto the final set of questions?  If you can answer these next five questions without any problems at all, then you have my total respect.  You would then not only be considered either a truly devoted fan of Ngoc Lan or even an expert about her, but a qualified obsessive Ngoc Lan fanatic like myself.  Not to worry, it's alright to be one.  I should know, I've been an obsessive Ngoc Lan fanatic for years and proud of it.  

Ngoc Lan Trivia - Part 3:

All I can say is, good luck on these last five questions, friends!

1. What was the name of Ngoc Lan's very first recorded song?  A) Nguoi Yeu Dau  B) Nang Chieu  C) Mua Dong Cua Anh  D) Lo Mai Sau  E) Oh, Mon Amour
2. Ngoc Lan's debut solo studio album, Tieng Hat Ngoc Lan, consisted mostly of covers she recorded of popular French songs and Vietnamese ballads.  Only one out of the twelve songs on this album had never been recorded before by any other artist.  It was a Vietnamese song written by a former beauty queen who had been crowned as Miss Vietnam - USA in the Hoa Hau Ao Dai Long Beach beauty pageant in the early 1980s.  What was the name of that song and who was the songwriter?  A) Sao Danh Xa Em written by Marguarite Pham  B) Sa Mac Tinh Yeu written by Khuc Lan C) Hay Den Voi Em written by Giang Ngoc  D) Song Xuan written by Que Phuong  E) Con Yeu written by Cam Van
3. Ngoc Lan's height has been exaggerated to as tall as 5' 8" by some unreliable sources, yet in reality, she was anything but 5' 8".  How tall was she?  A) 5' 6"  B) 5' 4"  C) 5' 3"  D) 5' 2"  E) Under 5 feet tall
4. During the 1980s, long before Ngoc Lan had gotten married to Kelvin Khoa, she had been romantically linked to a famous Vietnamese-American saxophone player and musician.  What was his name?  A) Vu Anh Tuan  B) Tuan Duc  C) Thanh Lam  D) Trung Nghia  E) Truc Ho
5. Ngoc Lan's first album, Tieng Hat Ngoc Lan, was released in 1986 available in the form of audio cassette.  A couple of years after, it would be reprinted and re-released available in the form of compact disc by the production label, Doi Magazine.  Which production label had released it back in 1986 available in the form of audio cassette?  A) Giang Ngoc  B) Da Lan  C) Asia Productions  D) Lang Van  E) Ngoc Lan

If you had no trouble coming up with answers to all 20 Ngoc Lan Trivia questions, I seriously tip my hat to you.  Way to go!   But if you did have trouble answering these questions, relax, that doesn't disqualify you as a fan of Ngoc Lan.  Who am I to say you are a fan or aren't a fan of Ngoc Lan anyway?  The fact that you've taken this trivia.... Actually, the fact that you've taken the time to visit this blog site, for that matter, already shows that you certainly are a true fan of our beloved Ngoc Lan.

Answers to Ngoc Lan Trivia - Part 1 Questions:

1. D  2. C  3. B  4. A  5. B

Answers to Ngoc Lan Trivia - Part 2 Questions:

1. B  2. D  3. D  4. B  5. A  6. D  7. A  8. B  9. E  10. C

Answers to Ngoc Lan Trivia - Part 3 Questions:

1. D  2. D  3. E  4. C  5. E

Did You Know That Ngoc Lan Could Also Sing in Chinese?

When we think of Ngoc Lan and the several different languages that she could sing in other than Vietnamese, the first language that would come to mind would naturally be French with all of the beautiful French love songs she had recorded throughout her career.  We all loved Ngoc Lan's covers of French love songs not just because her pronunciation in French was rather good, but more so because of how she was able to put her heart and soul into the music with each recording.  She could easily just break your heart with her somber, yet sweet voice that just seemed perfect for such easy listening, romantic French ballads with the most beautifully written sad lyrics.  I still get goose bumps everytime I listen to Ngoc Lan's rendition of Je Pense Encore à Lui that was featured on her first solo studio album.  That was probably one of the most heartfelt performances I've ever heard.  Of course, there are countless others such as Vivre Pour Toi, Mourir Pour Toi, Viens M'embrasser, Ne Laisses Pas Ma Vie Sans Toi, and pretty much any of the rest of the songs she had recorded on her third solo studio album, L'amour Tinh Ta.  The songs she had selected along with her deliveries on that album were nothing short of perfection.  I could go on and on about Ngoc Lan and the long list of French songs she had recorded which I loved so much.  But this article is about another language that Ngoc Lan was able to sing in other than Vietnamese.  I'm not talking about English.  We all know our beloved Ngoc Lan had made many efforts to sing in English during her career, and although her English was pretty good as she was able to speak, read and write in English pretty well, when she sang in English, she just couldn't get beyond her thick Vietnamese accent.  That was rather odd, when I think about it, because when she spoke in English, she barely had any accent at all.  The language that Ngoc Lan was able to sing in that I find to be rather shocking was Chinese.  When we think of Vietnamese singers that were able to sing in Chinese, singers like Kim Anh, Tuan Dat, Lucia Kim Chi and Thai Doanh Doanh pop up in our minds.  Afterall, these singers are of Chinese descent and are able to speak Chinese.  But not Ngoc Lan.

During the era sometime in the 1980s, Chinese dramas had become so popular with Vietnamese people, as a matter of fact throughout all of Asia, this period became known as the Chinese Wave.  The Korean Wave is now in effect with the popularity of Korean dramas.  Haven't you noticed how a lot of Vietnamese are now listening to Korean music?  Well, during the Chinese Wave, many Vietnamese singers jumped on the band wagon and started to sing in Chinese.  Among them were Elvis Phuong, Kieu Nga, Hai Ly, Julie Quang, billed simply as Julie,  and even our own beloved Ngoc Lan.

I've found three songs that Ngoc Lan had recorded in Chinese.  The first was a song featured on Asia Productions' third volume cassette, Da Vu Xanh.  The name of the song in Vietnamese was Cung La Buon.  I wasn't too crazy about the song.  But I did, however, like Ngoc Lan's vocals on it.  I found it a bit surprising to hear Ngoc Lan sing in Chinese the first time I heard it.  The other two were released by Da Lan.  One of them was a song she had recorded on a compilation album entitled as Co Gai Do Long, which consisted of 12 popular Chinese love songs recorded by various Vietnamese artists such as Tuan Anh, Huong Lan, Kieu Nga, Luu Hong, Nhu Mai, Tuan Dat, Duy Quang, Hai Ly and Bich Ha.  The Vietnamese title for the song Ngoc Lan had recorded on this album was Dong Song Ly Biet 2.  I especially loved this song.  Ngoc Lan did an excellent job with this recording.  I don't speak any Chinese, myself, to know whether her pronunciation was good or not.  But the other day, one of my good friends, Richard, who is Chinese was listening to it.  He smiled a bit.  When I asked him what he thought of her pronunciation, he just said he thought it was very cute.  By the way, there is one other track on Co Gai Do Long that is worth mentioning.  Singer Luu Hong had recorded a track featured on this album entitled as Lau Dai Tinh Ai which really took my breath away the first time I listened to it.  I still get goose bumps whenever I listen to Luu Hong's outstanding performance with this song.  I'd say out of all the tracks featured on Co Gai Do Long, the two tracks recorded by Luu Hong and Ngoc Lan really made the entire album.  The last out of the three songs that Ngoc Lan had recorded partially in Chinese was featured on Da Lan Volume 22:  Nhac Phim Bo Chon Loc.  Like the previously mentioned compilation album released under the Da Lan label, this album would also consist of 12 tracks, all of which were covers of popular Chinese love songs.  Ngoc Lan had recorded two tracks on this album; a duet track with Vu Khanh, Tron Kiep Yeu Nguoi, and a solo track, Cuoc Doi Phu Du, in which she had recorded about half of the song in Mandarin.  I neither cared much for her delivery of this song, the melody of the song nor the Vietnamese lyrics that had been written for Ngoc Lan to record.  As a matter of fact, this entire album was rather disappointing.  Despite the impressive lineup of various artists featured on this compilation album which included Vu Khanh, Ngoc Lan, Kieu Nga, Duy Quang, Nhu Mai, Mai Huong, Thanh Phong, Luu Hong, Hai Ly, Thanh Mai, Tuan Vu, Kim Tuyen, Tuan Anh and Bich Ha, the entire production just seemed like a sham.  I tried my best to listen to the entire album from beginning to end, and I couldn't even come up with the slightest compliment for anything.  Not the sound quality, photo cover, vocals, arrangements, song selections were even of mentioning.  Overall, the quality level of production for this album was poor.  If it were to be given a grade, I would give it a C minus only because I'm rather generous.  It should really get a D grade.  

Paris Van Doi (Paris Still Awaits) - Ngoc Lan and Kieu Nga Duet Album

For many of us die hard Ngoc Lan fans, we really loved it whenever she had teamed up with Kieu Nga on their many duets recorded together.  During the latter years of the 1980s, when it came to the Vietnamese music genre known as Nhac Tre, there was no doubt that Ngoc Lan and Kieu Nga were the two most celebrated divas.  When May Productions had released this album in 1990, I was sort of displeased with the mediocre level of production.  In a way, it seemed like a rehashed version of the magic that Ngoc Lan and Kieu Nga had once captured in their earlier recordings with Asia Productions and Nguoi Dep Binh Duong years ago.  I'd have to say that I enjoyed listening to Ngoc Lan and Kieu Nga's earlier duet album released by Nguoi Dep Binh Duong back in 1988, Khong Can Noi Yeu Em, a lot more despite how its less elaborate arrangements and promotion efforts.  They both sounded much more natural and much more energy in the deliveries of the songs recorded.

In Paris Van Doi (Paris Still Awaits), a lot of the songs they had selected seemed like variations of songs they had each recorded before, only scrambled among one another, or by other Vietnamese singers on compilation albums they each had appeared on.  For example, there was En Courant, in which Kieu Nga had recorded for Nguoi Dep Binh Duong a couple years prior.  Johnny Johnny was another one Kieu Nga had recorded for Asia Productions.  And L'amour à la Plage that had been recorded by Julie , also known as Julie Quang on a compilation album that Kieu Nga had also been featured on released by Kim Ngan years ago.

I can't say that Paris Van Doi wasn't enjoyable to listen to.  It was.  But I had expected so much more.  If anything, the album is worth listening to just because it was an album that featured two of our favorites, Ngoc Lan and Kieu Nga, and for one other reason, the classic duet track, Toi Jamais.  That track alone makes the entire album worth listening to.

Mat Troi Ben Kia Mua Ha (Sunny on the Other Side) Review

To follow up with the enormous success of Ngoc Lan's solo videotape, Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh (As If I've Always Loved You), Tran Thang, the CEO and co-founder of May Productions, and Ngoc Lan once again collaborated and came up with a sophomore vehicle, Mat Troi Ben Kia Mua Ha (Sunny on the Other Side).  Undoubtedly, there had been high anticipation given the unprecedented record of sales from Ngoc Lan's first solo videotape released back in 1990.  Nearly everyone among overseas Vietnamese audiences, including myself, couldn't wait to see what May Productions and Ngoc Lan would come out with in the years to come and if the level of success enjoyed from Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh would ever be matched or surpassed.  Such a task was deemed quite plausible for Ngoc Lan's video works, since the public had already seen such an example in her career as a recording artist a few years prior.  This was, of course, in reference to the enormous success of her 2nd solo studio album, Nguoi Yeu Dau (1987), which had become the biggest selling solo studio album ever recorded by an overseas Vietnamese recording artist, that would be nearly matched the following year with the release of her third solo studio album, L'amour Tinh Ta, which rounded out as the highest selling album for the Giang Ngoc label of the year in 1988.  For a brief while, L'amour Tinh Ta held the position of being the 2nd biggest selling solo studio album recorded by an overseas Vietnamese artist, right behind Nguoi Yeu Dau.  For an artist to hold both first and second places among the best selling studio albums in the Vietnamese music industry, as was the case of Ngoc Lan, is simply astounding to say the least.  During the latter part of the 1980s and beginning years of the 1990s, it can arguably be said that the overseas Vietnamese music industry was pretty much dominated by Ngoc Lan.

Music video productions among the Vietnamese music industry had just started to grow into fruition. The tremendous impact that music videos had made within the American mainstream music industry from the early 1980s and the birth of MTV music video channel had revolutionized world music altogether. Singers were then regarded as movie stars, as audiences now would identify a singer with not only his or her signature song but also as the star of a particular mini-movie known as a music video made for the song.  The same effect would also take place among Vietnamese singers.  Michael Jackson, Madonna and Cyndi Lauper have been accredited as the first major stars of American and world pop music videos.  Among Vietnamese singers, undoubtedly it was Ngoc Lan.

Although Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh had been so well received by Vietnamese audiences worldwide, it had received some criticism for its lack of artistic value.  Ngoc Lan indeed looked beautiful, as the camera crew of May Productions had managed to capture her essence and physical beauty for the entire world to see.  But the storyline behind the music videos featured on Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh were either weak, if not non-existent.  Aside from Khi Co Chang (Je Ne Suis Que de L'amour), the storyline on the rest of the music videos from Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh really did not make any sense. Nevertheless, we enjoyed watching them.  I'd have to say my favorite video was Doi Cho (Johnny, Johnny).  I guess you can say that would be one of my all time favorite guilty pleasures in music videos.  I loved watching how beautiful Ngoc Lan looked, how playful she was with her cute style of dancing, and even the endearing silliness of her trying to dance while standing knee deep in water of some lake.  But just what in the hell was the video all about?  Who cares?  It was more than enough for us viewers how Ngoc Lan looked so sexy dancing and changing into different wardrobes throughout the song, but toward the end of the song, we see a streetlight that shifts from the colors green, yellow and ultimately, red.  Ngoc Lan walks slowly to approach a door that would open to some mysterious room.  And just as she was about to enter, she faints and drops to the ground.  That was the music video of Ngoc Lan singing Johnny, Johnny.  It's rather funny and completely silly, but so what?  We all loved it and just couldn't get enough of Ngoc Lan.

Among the songs selected to be made into music videos featured on Mat Troi Ben Kia Mua Ha, May Productions worked with an innovative Vietnamese-American musician, Alan Nguyen.  Unlike the videos produced on Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh, for the most part the music videos featured on Mat Troi Ben Kia Mua Ha had each been produced and shot with a bit more of a storyline and seemed like each video had an actual script.  Actually, all but one out of the six music videos on Mat Troi Ben Kia Mua Ha seemed to have had a script.  I'll hold off on disclosing which of the six it was because I have a feeling many of our readers already have a pretty good idea which music video I'm referring to here.  If you're not completely sure which video I'm referring to, just read on and before you are finished reading this entire post, you'll know which one I am talking about right now and hopefully will understand my reasons for thinking this way about this music video for this particular song.


Dang Tran Thuc, as in all the music videos for Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh, once again served as the director of this Mat Troi Ben Kia Mua Ha.  Would you believe that Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, the star of Paris By Night videos series presently, had also worked on this project as assistant director?  There is no doubt in my mind that she had contributed a lot of input to the making of this videotape.  I'm just really surprised that Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen had managed to remain as assistant director of this project rather than take over as the director, judging from my own few experiences working with her in the past.  I don't mean that in a negative way.  It's just that, based on my observations of Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, she seems like a perfectionist and a take-charge type of individual.  But whoever it should be accredited to, I must say that the brave attempts at being innovative on this videotape production are rather impressive.  But keep in mind, this was still a Vietnamese music video production where no matter what, the star would always have to appear at all times looking flawlessly beautiful.  The production team behind May Productions was fully aware of that. Therefor, Ngoc Lan would appear in full make-up at all times, regardless if she was portraying someone imprisoned, a mental ward patient, or even a girl who had just woken up in the morning. That is just the absolute requirement by Vietnamese law universally understood in the field of entertainment, a law permanently set in stone with no possibility of amendment what so ever.  Every Vietnamese person on earth is aware of this law from as early on as childbirth and refers to such more so as common knowledge.  Put it this way, to Vietnamese people, the likelihood of man one day being able to sprout wings and fly like birds is much greater than a Vietnamese singer or actress ever appearing on stage or the big screen without any make-up.  The latter would just be humanly impossible.

The first music video featured on this volume was Mua Thu Ru Em, a song written and composed by Duc Huy.  I really enjoyed this one. However, as I've noticed, this did not fair out so well with the Vietnamese general audience simply because Ngoc Lan did not appear in the video wearing any glamorous wardrobes.  From beginning to end, she was seen dressed in the costume of a cave girl.  I thought she looked seductive.  But for a singer to appear on video not wearing a designer evening gown filled with sequins is just an impossible sale with Vietnamese audiences.  That is just how it goes.

Three of the six in total videos on this videotape were made for three original songs:  Mal de Toi, Prisoner of Love, and Whenever You Come To Me, all written and composed by Alan Nguyen for Ngoc Lan.  Ngoc Lan's voice was in top form in the audio recordings of these three songs from Alan Nguyen, and each of the videos for these songs would contain ample footage of Ngoc Lan looking sensational and glamorous changing in and out of one beautiful wardrobe after another.  Therefor, it was really of no surprise that these three music videos of Alan Nguyen-penned new songs were sure shot favorites with Vietnamese audiences.  Ngoc Lan obviously had good taste in clothing, and as always looked great in every wardrobe she was seen wearing on video.  But I must concede, especially in the music video for Mal de Toi, it would have been a whole lot better if May Productions had hired a professional choreographer to help her out, or at least enrolled Ngoc Lan in some professional dance lessons.  Just watching Ngoc Lan looking cute, smiling and wiggling back and forth while lip synching the lyrics to Johnny, Johnny on Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh was charming enough to make Vietnamese audiences love and adore Ngoc Lan even more and deem the video as enjoyable to watch and entertaining.  However, the same approach did not work on Mal de Toi, as the lack of choreography was quite apparent and Ngoc Lan's limited dance moves just simply got old before even the first minute into the video.  She looked really bored trying to dance by herself in front of the camera.  But could anyone blame her?

Whenever You Come to Me is a lovely song written and composed by Alan Nguyen with a gentle melody and beautiful lyrics both in English and Vietnamese.  Yes, Ngoc Lan was seen in this video singing in English.  There had been no question that Ngoc Lan's singing in the French language was an exceptional trademark of hers and how she had been so successful with her recorded covers of French love songs where her French sounded as effortless as her Vietnamese.  But up until then, it had seemed that English was a language she often struggled with on many of her recordings of American love songs.  Her performance with Whenever You Come to Me, as well as Prisoner of Love are clear examples that she had indeed come a long way with the English language.  Her pronunciation in English with these two songs were a far cry from Casablanca recorded on her first solo studio album and other songs she had recorded in English from her earlier days.  This was just another example of how Ngoc Lan had grown as an artist.

Like in her first solo videotape, Ngoc Lan chooses to round out this second solo videotape with a classic Vietnamese tune; a popular song written by Tuan Khanh, Noi Niem.  This decision and the art direction of the music video to Noi Niem seemed too much like a replica of Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh, in which the final music video was of the song written by Trinh Cong Son, Tuoi Da Buon.  Just like how Tuoi Da Buon had been the least entertaining video on Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh,  in my opinion, Noi Niem was the least entertaining and most uneventful out of the six music videos featured on Mat Troi Ben Kia Mua Ha. 

The one video I found to be rather ridiculous with an unclear storyline, and can even be downgraded to being utterly ridiculous the more times I've watched it, was Mua Dong Sap Den.  Years ago, I had heard Ngoc Lan's recorded version of this song on a compilation cassette of Duc Huy songs consisting of several other female recording artists like Kieu Nga, Thuy Vi, Bich Ha, Nhu Mai and Ngoc Lan, entitled as Em! released under Da Lan music label.  I didn't care much for Ngoc Lan's delivery of this song.  This song had also been recorded by Khanh Ha on her solo studio album, Ngay Ngat Ben Anh (1987), released by Diem Xua Productions, which would later be retitled as Coi Tinh when it was released on compact disc.  Khanh Ha's superb rendition of Mua Dong Sap Den has since then overshadowed all others.  Out of all the songs Ngoc Lan had recorded throughout her career, Mua Dong Sap Den would be one of my least favorites.  Her vocals for this song seemed rather lifeless and mundane.  The art direction and storyline on the music video of Ngoc Lan's version of Mua Dong Sap Den only further perpetuated my sentiment.  Besides two very brief footages of Ngoc Lan walking in the snow in this video, which would represent something having to do with winter at least, most of the clips put together for this song seemed like a mishmash of seasons and events totally without any sort of correlation.  I couldn't help but wonder just what the scriptwriter, editor and director of this video were all trying to do with Mua Dong Sap Den.  In the music video for this song, Ngoc Lan was seen walking on the beach, lying on a hammock on what seemed like a hot summer day, wearing a backless dress out in the desert, and attending an outdoor wedding as the guest who catches the bouquet thrown by the bride.  Now keep in mind, this was a song called Mua Dong Sap Den (Coming Winter).  After watching the music video several times, I guess, all I can say is, well, uh.... perhaps the only thing that would have made it totally complete would be if Ngoc Lan had appeared wearing a bathing suit on some tropical island and then maybe a few clips of Ngoc Lan dressed as either a nun or can-can dancer walking along the Seine River.  In other words, huh?

Ngoc Lan's sophomore video effort, Mat Troi Ben Kia Mua Ha, upon its release generated high sales, unsurprisingly.  Despite its greater artistic value, the popularity of Mat Troi Ben Kia Mua Ha would not match anywhere near the massive level Ngoc Lan had enjoyed with her first solo videotape, Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh.  Although Ngoc Lan did look beautiful on this videotape, she just didn't appear as glamorous as she did in Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh.  I believe that was probably one of the main factors of it being not as popular as her first solo videotape.  Nevertheless, Mat Troi Ben Kia did turn out to be a successful vehicle for both May Productions and Ngoc Lan.  It was well received by the audience, especially among her loyal fans, and was in no way a discredit to Ngoc Lan as a Vietnamese music video star.  It just wasn't as grand as Nhu Em Da Yeu Anh.

By the way, all six of these songs featured on this videotape would be released on compact disc by May Productions almost a decade later.  The title given to this compact disc would also be Mat Troi Ben Kia Mua Ha and would include six other songs Ngoc Lan had recorded for May Productions that had yet to be released.  Although it would technically be Ngoc Lan's 11th solo studio album, in actuality this was more like a compilation album consisting of some of Ngoc Lan's recorded songs at different times for May Productions.  This album was released in 1999 by May Productions, when Ngoc Lan was no longer actively recording for the label.  

Author's Selection of Ngoc Lan's Best Duets

Ngoc Lan had recorded many duets with many different singers throughout her career, both male and female.  Ngoc Lan's soft, gentle singing voice can be described as the epitome of femininity.  Perhaps that is why her voice was so compatible for duets with male artists.  Among the male artists Ngoc Lan had recorded duets with were Don Ho, Huy Sinh, Jo Marcel, Trung Hanh, Elvis Phuong, Nhat Truong, Vu Khanh, Chau Dinh An, Si Phu, Duc Huy, Trinh Nam Son, and of course, Duy Quang.

There was a pleasant melange, like a perfect blend of the male and female voice, which came about when Ngoc Lan and Duy Quang paired up to record a duet.  The chemistry between the two voices was undeniably magical. This was proven with the high sales these two artists experienced with their first duet album together, Bien Mong, released in 1987 by Kim Ngan, and again with Tinh Phai, released in 1989 by Dream Musical Productions.  Both Ngoc Lan and Duy Quang were aware of how compatible their voices were for duets. That is why they recorded duet albums together a total of three times.  Their last duet album recorded together was entitled Ta Say, released in 1994 by Ngoc Lan Musique.

Nhu Mai and Kieu Nga had each recorded duets with Ngoc Lan.  Similar to the popularity Ngoc Lan had experienced on duets with Duy Quang, her duets with Kieu Nga were widely received by Vietnamese audiences everywhere.  The most popular duet song recorded by these two ladies would undoubtedly be Anh Thi Khong (Toi Jamais).  The music video to that song alone was reason enough for the song's popularity with Vietnamese audiences.

Here are my selections of the best duets Ngoc Lan had recorded with another artist.

1.  Anh Thi Khong (Toi Jamais) - Ngoc Lan & Kieu Nga

Of course, this song had to be included.  Who doesn't like this version recorded by the top two Vietnamese queens of French music?  This song was featured on Ngoc Lan and Kieu Nga's duet album released by May Productions, Paris Van Doi.  Vietnamese lyrics for this song were written by Vu Xuan Hung.

2.  Neu Xa Nhau - Ngoc Lan & Duy Quang

Featured on their first duet album together, Bien Mong, released by Kim Ngan (1987).  This Duc Huy penned love song was done best as a duet by these two.

3.  Mua Dong Cua Anh - Ngoc Lan & Duy Quang

I loved this song ever since I heard the original version recorded by Nhat Truong and Thanh Lan prior to 1975.  But I must say, Ngoc Lan and Duy Quang added a certain distinct charm of their own with their version featured on their second duet album together, Tinh Phai, released by Dream Musical Productions (1989).  This song was written by Tran Thien Thanh AKA Nhat Truong, of course.

4.  Tren Dinh Mua Dong - Ngoc Lan & Nhat Truong                                 

Featured on the Ngoc Lan and Nhat Truong duet album, Chan Troi Tim, released by May Productions, this has been one of my favorite songs writeen by Tran Thien Thanh ever since I can remember.  I love how Ngoc Lan's voice blended so well with Nhat Truong's, similar to that of Thanh Lan and Nhat Truong's recorded duets together from way back in the day.

5.  Nguoi Lia Xa (Tu T'en Vas) - Ngoc Lan & Elvis Phuong

Elvis Phuong had recorded many great albums in the 1980s.  Among them was this unforgettable album, Lady Nguoi Toi Yeu, released in 1988, which comprised of a collection of French love songs he recorded with several female vocalists such as Kieu Nga, Minh Xuan and Ngoc Lan.  Vietnamese lyrics to this song were written by Nhat Ngan.

There you have it.  That was my selection of the top 5 duet songs recorded by Ngoc Lan.  What were some of your favorite duet songs Ngoc Lan had recorded?

Author's Selection of Top 10 Ngoc Lan Songs

Selecting which are my favorite songs recorded by Ngoc Lan is definitely a difficult task.  There are just so many.  It has been documented that Ngoc Lan had recorded a total of 800 songs throughout her career.  I don't exactly know just how many of those songs I've heard.  But since I do own quite a few compact discs and old audio cassettes of Ngoc Lan that I probably have heard most of them. Right off the top of my head, I can already think of over 30 songs recorded by Ngoc Lan that I really love and consider to be my favorites.  But I do realize that this is not a book I'm writing here, but just only a post for this blog that shouldn't be too long and boring.  So I've narrowed it down to a list of my favorite 10 songs recorded by Ngoc Lan.

Each of these songs on this list holds some sort of special memory for me.  Tell me what you think about the songs on this list.  I'd love to know what  your favorite songs recorded by Ngoc Lan are. Let's see if our tastes are similar.


My Top 10 Favorite Ngoc Lan Songs

1. Tinh - Written by the legendary great Vietnamese songwriter/ composer Van Phung, this has been one of my favorite songs with its jazzy melody and brilliant lyrics.  I first heard this song from Ngoc Lan's 2nd solo album, Nguoi Yeu Dau, when it was first released only on audio cassette in 1987 by Giang Ngoc.  Her performance on this song really impressed me, especially with her ability to effortlessly keep up with the arrangement's bouncy tempo.  To this day, I've yet to hear any other singers match Ngoc Lan's flawless rendition of this Van Phung classic.

2. Noi Buon - Another great song written and composed by Van Phung that was also featured on the same album, Nguoi Yeu Dau.  Ngoc Lan's sweet gentle voice was just perfect for it.  What do you know?  This is another great song written and composed by Van Phung and sung perfectly by Ngoc Lan. There may be a connection here.  Actually, I've heard Ngoc Lan's recordings of other Van Phung songs, and I've loved them all.  These two just happen to be my favorites.  

3.  Hoi Nguoi Tinh - Translated Vietnamese lyrics for this song had been written by none other than our beloved, Ngoc Lan, herself.  Ngoc Lan shocked a lot of her fans with her other talent as a lyricist with this song.  How could anyone not be mesmerized when hearing her sing, "Hoi nguoi tinh, van biet anh khong he yeu, sao em van doi cho trong hat hiu" (Oh my love, though I know you don't love me, why do I keep waiting for you in sorrow).... This song was also featured on the album, Nguoi Yeu Dau.  Therefor, it is fairly obvious that Nguoi Yeu Dau is one of my favorite albums of Ngoc Lan ever, given how 3 songs from this album are on this list.  

4.  Neu Vang Anh - Lyrics by Nguyen Sa and Music by Anh Bang.  I had heard this song recorded by several other singers before and frankly, I really didn't care much for the song until I heard Ngoc Lan's version.  She sings this song as if she is telling a story.  I find her delivery especially charming and really pleasant to listen to.  This recording was featured on a compilation cassette with various other artists produced by Phuong Hoang in 1988.  The album title was, Mua Thu Paris, and featured the gorgeous model, Thanh Hang, on the cover.  

5.  Ngay Ngat Ben Anh (Je M'envole) - Ngoc Lan covered this French tune originally sung by Nicole Riu in both French and Vietnamese translated lyrics that were written by Pham Duy.  As often been the case with many of Ngoc Lan's recorded covers of French love songs, I liked Ngoc Lan's version much more than the original.  This recording was also featured on a compilation album with various other artists, Nhac Phap Tru Tinh (Les Chansons d'Amour), produced by singer Trung Hanh and released by Nguoi Dep Binh Duong in 1988.  Other artists included on this compilation album were Kieu Nga, Julie (Julie Quang), Elvis Phuong, Minh Xuan and Trung Hanh. 

6.  Hanh Phuc Noi Nao - This was the title track to her 10th solo album.  The lovely Vietnamese lyrics sung by Ngoc Lan on this French love ballad was written by the late Trinh Lam Ngan.  All I can say about this beautiful song is how can anyone not love it?

7.  Mua Tren Bien Vang - Ngoc Lan had said it herself that this was the song she felt closest to the audience whenever she had performed it at her live shows.  Unfortunately, I did not ever see her perform this song live.  But just from listening to her recorded studio version, I can just imagine how she would enchant the audience as they watched her serenade this song to them.

8.  Khi Nang Yeu (Une Femme Amoureuse)  -  Originally titled as Woman in Love, this song was written by Barry Gibb for Barbra Streisand.  Nobody can compare to Miss Streisand's original recording.  However, judging from Barbra's past attempts to sing in French from Je M'appelle Barbra, let's just say I'm glad she didn't decide to record this song in French, as well.  I believe Mireille Mathieu was the singer who had recorded the French version to this song.  I've never cared much for Mireille Mathieu's tormented vibrato, so reminiscent of Edith Piaf.  I preferred Ngoc Lan's interpretation in French and Vietnamese.  By the way, this song was on Ngoc Lan's 3rd solo album, L'amour Tinh Ta, and the Vietnamese lyrics were written by Pham Duy. 

9.  Em Van Nho Toi Anh (Je Pense Encore à Lui) -  I loved Mimi Hetu's original version.  But Ngoc Lan's cover of this song was just as beautiful.  Featured on her first solo album, Tieng Hat Ngoc Lan, since then no other Vietnamese singer has ever recorded this song.  I wonder why.  It's so beautiful.  

10.  Phu Du -  Written by Phan Kien, I've only heard one other artist record this song.  And that was Khanh Ha.  Although Khanh Ha had done a fine job with her recorded version, I prefer Ngoc Lan's version which had been featured on Ngoc Lan and Duy Quang's 1st duet album together, Bien Mong (1987).  

The Best Vietnamese Songstress of French Pop Music

Ngoc Lan photographed while posing on the streets of Paris.

French music has sustained its popularity in Vietnam for more than a century.  The French influence in Vietnam and its people naturally came about from the French colonial era which officially began in the year of 1862 and lasted until 1954 at the end of the French Indochina War.  One would think that perhaps the popularity of French music in Vietnam was at its peak while under French rule.  Instead, the presence of French influence along with French music in Vietnam, particularly Saigon, continued on for many years after the end of French colonialism.  Its peak in popularity didn't occur until the early 1960s to coincide with the emergence of a style of music known as Ye-Ye.  In this particular style of French pop music, originally from France allowed many songstresses to become internationally known and adored by fans from all over the world.  Among them were Sylvie Vartan, France Gall, Francoise Hardy and two songstresses that were of Vietnamese origin that also made marks onto the international scene as singers of the Ye-Ye style of music, Tiny Yong (Thien Huong) and Bach Yen. 

Bach Yen has been accredited as the Vietnamese pioneer chanteuse of French Popular Music.

Tiny Yong (Thien Huong) - one of the original songstresses of Ye-Ye

Yen Huong - Eurasian singer of French-Vietnamese descent who had been quite popular during the 1950s and 1960s in Saigon .  In the 1980s, she had made a brief comeback in the United States and released a couple of albums consisting of covers of French popular love songs.  

In Vietnam, Bach Yen had already established her career as a singer before setting her sights internationally where she sang in many other languages such as English, Italian, Spanish and Hebrew.  Tiny Yong, although born in Cambodia, is of Vietnamese origin who started her singing career in France during the Ye-Ye era but was virtually an unknown in Vietnam.  Another chanteuse of French-language music worthy of mentioning is Bebe Hong Suong, who was originally from Hanoi and was of mixed Vietnamese and Belgian parentage.  She began her career in Belgium and achieved international fame within Francophone countries with her hits, Rio de Janeiro and Nana.  Of course, there were also others like Bich Chieu, My Hoa and Yen Huong who had successful careers as French-language chanteuses in Saigon during this period.  But it wasn't until the later years in the 1960s when Thanh Lan emerged onto the spotlight that French music really reached its peak in popularity with Vietnamese audiences.  Thanh Lan's interpretation of popular French songs such as La Plus Belle Pour Aller Danser, Bang Bang, and Oh Mon Amour made a massive impact in the popularity of French music all over Vietnam and turned her into an icon in Vietnam.  Thanh Lan's enormous success as an interpreter of French music paved the way for other female singers of Vietnam such as Julie Quang, Pauline Ngoc, Bich Tram and Jeannie Mai.



Thanh Lan was an iconic interpreter of French popular music in Saigon prior to 1975.



Julie (formerly known as Julie Quang) first gained popularity as a French-language singer back in Saigon prior to 1975.  In the 1980s, she along with Ngoc Lan and Kieu Nga were the top 3 female singers of French popular music with overseas Vietnamese audiences.

French-Vietnamese singer Pauline Ngoc achieved fame in Vietnam with her interpretation of the French popular song, "La Petite Gamine", in Vietnam during the late 1960s.

The 1980s saw a resurgence of French music popularity among Vietnamese audiences overseas.  Among the Vietnamese songstresses responsible for this resurgences were Julie (formerly known as Julie Quang), Minh Xuan, Khanh Ha and of course, Ngoc Lan and Kieu Nga.  The title as Queen of French music had been unofficially given to Kieu Nga by numerous Vietnamese entertainment publications and writers.  However, Ngoc Lan's fame as a Vietnamese singer of French music was not far behind.  Although they were all extremely talented, my personal favorites were Julie and Ngoc Lan.  They each had a style of singing in French that brought about a certain distinguishable charm.  To this day, I still prefer Ngoc Lan's rendition of Je Ne Suis Que de L'amour over Nicole Croisille's original version, just like Julie's rendition of Enrico Macias' Paris, Tu Mas Pris Dans Tes Bras.  These Vietnamese divas with their abilities of singing in the French language are undeniably one of the reasons why the presence of French culture among Vietnamese people all over the world is still kept alive to this day.



Ngoc Lan and Kieu Nga's duet version of "Toi Jamais" was among one of the most popular songs recorded in French and Vietnamese.

Update:  In fairness, this article wouldn't be complete without mentioning these four other chanteuses of today that are definitely deserving of being listed in the ranks of the best Vietnamese songstresses of French popular music.  The first out of the four is Leslie.  She is of Vietnamese, Polynesian and French descent.  Since the release of her first album, Je Suis et Je Resterais, in 2002, Leslie has risen to be one of the most popular singers in France.  Like her predecessors, Bebe Hong Suong and Tiny Yong, French language Vietnamese singers who had each reached mainstream prominence in Francophone countries, Leslie's music career has not been centered around Vietnamese audiences.  Although Leslie is a virtual unknown in Vietnam, her astounding achievements as a major celebrity in French popular culture is a fleet admired by many Vietnamese people from all over the world.

Séverine Ferrer is a beautiful French cinema actress and pop singer.  She is of Vietnamese and Italian descent, raised in the French island of Réunion off the coast of East Africa.  Séverine Ferrer first came onto the French music scene in 2004 when she released her debut self-titled studio album for the label, Treize Bis Records.  Two years later, she represented Monaco at the 2006 annual Concours Eurovision de la Chanson contest held in Athens, Greece.  Although she did not make it as one of the finalists at the Eurovision competition, Séverine Ferrer did manage to make quite a splash with her unforgettable performance of La Coco Dance.  Recently, she had given birth to her third child and has temporarily taken time off from her careers both in music and films.  Already an established star in mainstream France, something tells me that we'll all be hearing and seeing a lot more of Séverine Ferrer in the near future.

Aïna Quach is a rising new star in French pop music.  She is of Vietnamese, Chinese, Belgian and Malagasy descent, born in the island country of Madagascar.  In recent years, Aïna Quach was the new lead female vocalist of the internationally renowned French progressive rock band, Tai Phong.  She had been personally selected to sing lead by the original founder of Tai Phong, musician Khanh Mai.  After a successful concert tour of Japan along with a released live concert album with Tai Phong, Aïna Quach released her first solo single, Je t'emmenerai, in 2016.  In addition to French, she also sings in English and several dialects of the Malagasy language.  

French Pop Singer Leslie

Quynh Anh

Our final out of the four Vietnamese songstresses of French popular music is Quynh Anh, a Belgian singer of Vietnamese origin.  Unlike the three previously mentioned, Quynh Anh is also well known in Vietnam and various overseas Vietnamese communities throughout the world.  To most Vietnamese people, Quynh Anh, first came onto the music scene in 2006 with her recording of a song entitled, Bonjour Vietnam, written by acclaimed Belgian singer Marc Lavoine.  Although Quynh Anh had managed to attain some success with mainstream Francophone audiences at the beginning of her music career as Marc Lavoine's protégée, in recent years she has shifted her career more toward Vietnamese audiences collaborating with Thuy Nga Paris. Her popularity with Vietnamese audiences has made Quynh Anh the carrier of the torch passed over graciously by a long list of talented Vietnamese songstresses of French popular music who had come before her.

Link(s):

Quynh Anh Bio on VietCeleb
Tiny Yong Bio on VietCeleb

Bach Yen Bio on VietCeleb

Thanh Lan Bio on Viet Celeb

Khanh Ha Bio on Viet Celeb
Leslie Bio on Viet Celeb
Bçbç Hong Suong Bio on Viet Celeb
Ngoc Lan Bio on Viet Celeb
Julie Quang Bio on Viet Celeb
Kieu Nga Bio on Viet Celeb
Jeannie Mai (Singer) Bio on Viet Celeb

Memories of a Big Sister, Idol, and Inspiration 2014

I have told this story several times before.  Among the various blogs, social media websites and tribute sites that had been created by Ngoc Lan's many fans where I have told this story in the past, I believe it was when I had posted this story on IloveNgocLan.com sometime in the fall of 2004 that had reached the widest viewership audience.  I really enjoyed writing this story, as much as I still enjoy telling it over and over again to those around me.  Now when I look back, what I had written about my friendship with Ngoc Lan were indeed very fond memories that I will forever cherish and hold dear to my heart.  The image I would always like to have of Ngoc Lan is that from my recollections during my friendship with her.. The Ngoc Lan that I had befriended, looked upon as an adoptive older sister, and had grown to love was someone who was always in focus of exactly what she wanted in life, someone very beautiful, and someone who truly loved life.  Here is the story I had written of Ngoc Lan almost 10 years ago that I've partially revised and updated for this publication here on NgocLanRemembered.BlogSpot.com for our readers.  I hope you will enjoy reading this, and as always, I look forward to reading your comments.

Thien Phu

This poster I still keep hung on my bedroom wall was one that chi Ngoc Lan had autographed and given to me back in 1989.

Memories of a Big Sister, Idol, and Inspiration 2014

I'd like to tell you a story about the Ngoc Lan I was so fortunate to know, love and miss very much.  I'm writing this in English for it is my primary language and much easier for me to express myself than it is in Vietnamese. 

Let me first introduce myself.  My name is Thien Phu.  I had also been involved in the entertainment industry for the Vietnamese community here in the United States.  In the 1990s, I tried my hand at singing, did a few professional audio recordings, and performed for Vietnamese audiences throughout America and abroad with some success.  After nearly a decade working as an entertainer, I decided to put my singing career behind me and went back to school to pursue a degree in English at Cal State Long Beach.  Whether that had been the right decision or not remains ambiguous in my mind to this day.  But that's another story. 

My story of Ngoc Lan began sometime in 1989 when I was just 16 years old.  At the time I was in high school here in the States having primarily American friends and speaking very little Vietnamese.  I was studying French and took a liking to French music.  This is when I began listening to Ngoc Lan's music.  At first I was interested in Ngoc Lan's recorded covers of popular French songs, in which she would bilingually sing in both the original French lyrics, as well as the translated Vietnamese lyrics.  Songs like La Vie En Rose, Une Histoire D'amour and Quelque Chose Dans Mon Coeur that she had recorded enchanted me greatly.  I would often listen to the original versions recorded by the famous French singers and then compare them to Ngoc Lan's cover renditions, and usually I'd end up feeling more of a closeness with her interpretations.  This is when I first started to collect cassettes produced by various Vietnamese music production companies that would include this particular pop music genre referred to as Nhac Tre in the Vietnamese language.  Such compilation cassettes produced with similar Nhac Tre themes released back in the day would feature various other talented Vietnamese recording artists whom also had possessed abilities to sing bilingually in both Vietnamese and French similar to Ngoc Lan like Julie, also known as Julie Quang, Kieu Nga, Elvis Phuong, Minh Xuan, etc.  As a result, this would lead to my transformation of my music interests from primarily being interested in only what would be considered mainstream American to much broader interests in world music, which would include Vietnamese music, of course.  I'd have to say Ngoc Lan along with these previously mentioned artists were responsible in opening up my mind to the Vietnamese culture, thus acquiring for myself a sense of pride in being Vietnamese, as a result.

My meeting with Ngoc Lan was on a Monday night in the spring of 1989.  I remembered I had just finished my homework and my mother had just gotten home from work.  My mother was fussing that my hair had grown too long and insisted that she drive me to the beauty salon to get a haircut.  She called up our family's hairdresser, Perry Zeild, in Santa Ana for an appointment.  Perry was not just our hairdresser, but a very charismatic guy who had become my friend.  He knew all too well how much I idolized Ngoc Lan.  Though it was late and he was about to close up shop, he went out of his way to give me a last minute hair appointment.  Before he hung up, Perry instructed me not to be late and also told me that he had a big surprise for me.  That surprise would be Ngoc Lan.

It turns out Perry had recently accepted an offer to do freelance work on a video project for Ngoc Lan.  He would be her make-up artist for video shoots.  In one particular music video she had planned to do which was for a cover of a jolly French tune, 365 Dimanches, Ngoc Lan a needed a few back-up dancers.  Perry also had a knack for dancing and would himself be in the video as one of her back-up dancers along with 2 other girls, Diem Thinh and Yen Trang, both of which were familiar faces in the Vietnamese community as they were also models that had appeared on covers of such Vietnamese music cassettes, calendars, and fashion magazines.  Ngoc Lan along with the other two female dancers were supposed to meet up with Perry at his salon later on that night after business hours. 

When I arrived at the salon, there were no other customers.  He had pretty much closed up shop and was just working on my hair.  Perry then casually told me that Ngoc Lan, the famous Vietnamese singer, was on her way over to his salon and if I'd like I could stay there awhile to meet her after my haircut.  I was beyond excited.  So naturally, I jumped at the chance to meet my idol.  But still I wasn't so sure if he was being honest or just telling me a fib.  Afterall, he had known how big of a fan I was, that I had all her cassettes, and to meet a celebrity like her would be totally thrilling to me.  So I thought he was just joking in order to trick me into staying after just to keep him company.  Then about 15 minutes later, Ngoc Lan showed up.  I was shivering when she walked into the salon.  I kept on looking at her to make sure if this was the same person I had watched on television so many times.  And yep, it sure was.  She was definitely Ngoc Lan, my idol.  Wow!

As Perry was introducing me to her, she turned to smile at me with a, "Hi!" And then she asked me if I understood any Vietnamese.  (You see, for those of you not familiar with who I am, I am half-Swedish.  Therefore, my looks tend to favor that more of a Westerner than an Asian.)  I naturally replied with a yes.  And as I stuttered, I tried to tell her how much I admired her or as we say in Vietnamese, "ai mo".  She just smiled and thanked me.  Then I asked if it was okay that I stay to watch while she and Perry along with the 2 other dancers rehearse.  She replied with a yes but only if I would agree to also be in the video with her.  I told her I had never danced professionally before, but she insisted that the routine was quite simple and that she thought I was very handsome and should definitely be featured in her video.  Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I was very eager to accept her invitation to be a part of the video.  But first I would have to ask permission from my mother.  She said okay and assured me that I had nothing to worry about.  Ngoc Lan had also in her very cute way, nudged me that from now on I should always address her as "chi" Lan, which in Vietnamese means older sister. When my mother arrived back at the salon to pick me up, she was delighted to be approached by Ngoc Lan and was instantly overtaken by Ngoc Lan's polite mannerism and charm, she readily agreed to let me do it.

This photograph was taken at Perry Zeild's beauty salon where Ngoc Lan, myself and the other dancers for the music video, "365 Dimanches", would rehearse nightly for months prior to the day of shooting for the video would take place in May of 1989.  Perry Zeild is photographed with his back faced toward the camera.  I'm facing him with one arm raised waving in the air, since this snapshot had caught me while I was doing the dance routine.  And to the right, behind Perry would be Ngoc Lan.

For the next few months, we rehearsed the dance routine relentlessly for hours on 4 nights out of each week.  On the weekends, chi Lan had to be out of town to do her live shows so we couldn't meet for rehearsals then.  But every weeknight was tiresome as we would practice our dance routine for the video until the late hours of the night at Perry's salon which we had used as a dance studio after he closed up shop each night and cleared away the chairs.  It was really hard work.  This is when I first learned how much of a perfectionist Ngoc Lan was.  If any of the dancers missed a step, she would be the first one to notice.  She wouldn't react by being arrogant or unpleasant whenever she pointed out anyone's mistakes.  Instead she had a mild-mannered way of speaking and always kept her cool.  During these months, I got to spend a great deal of time with chi Lan.  We would go about town looking for costumes for the video shoot.  Naturally, she drove me everywhere since I was still 16 and neither had a car nor had gotten myself a driver's license yet.  At first we had trouble finding the right costumes.  We tried Vietnamese owned boutiques first, but they had very limited supplies and people would often waste time being starstruck upon meeting Ngoc Lan, the famous singer, rather than treating her like every other customer.  The few places we would go to within the Vietnamese community, for some reason, people would often ask her if I was her younger brother.  She would just smile.  One of those inquiring people, I just went ahead and answered flat out with a "No!  What are you thinking?  How could it be possible?  My father is a

White man.  And both of chi Lan's parents are full-blooded Vietnamese, which means she is 100% Vietnamese.  How could you people not see that?"  It was quite obvious that I was getting rather frustrated at such questions by some rather oblivious Vietnamese folks.  At that point, chi Lan cleverly softened the situation by flashing a friendly smile at the inquisitors.  She would later bring this up during a conversation between just the two of us and also advised me that I should just say yes if anyone else asks me that same question in the future, because, as she put it, she would be honored to have such a good-looking younger brother.  As the weeks passed, we finally accomplished finding the right costumes at some hole-in-the-wall shop somewhere in downtown Los Angeles.  A friendship between us had developed throughout the course of preparing for this video between chi Lan and myself.  Our relationship became like that of a brother and a sister.  She even one time, when I went to her house for a costume fitting, asked me if I would consider her as an adoptive big sister.

A big sister, she was during that time.  I didn't realize how much I had learned from her.  At times, I was in complete awe watching her tenacious determination and hard work.  She was always on the go, working on some recording project, music videos, or flying off to faraway destinations for her live show performances.  I was amazed at how she had managed to keep it all together.  Although most of the time, chi Lan had to be serious due to her hectic schedule, she would also find the time to talk to me in private, crack a few jokes here and there, and even show her generosity by giving me advice on life.  On one occasion while I was at her house, she shared with me a thick photo album that consisted of many pictures taken of her at live performances at shows in different places from all over the world, obviously since in her line of work a great deal of travelling is required.  To a 16 years old kid like myself who had lived most of his life in Southern California, hearing her tell me stories of her many adventures and travels throughout her career made me feel like a kid at a candy store.  For me to befriend someone who was older, wiser, and had experienced so much of life really was a treat. 

Finally in May of that year, the day of the video shoot would come.  It was shot at some rather large American-owned film studio in Santa Monica, California.  The entire crew arrived at the studio at 6am.  Immediately, we all got ourselves ready for make-up and into our costumes.  That would be the first time in my life that I would have make-up applied onto my face.  When Perry was finished doing my make-up, I gave myself a second or two to check myself out in front of a mirror.  I was shocked, as I couldn't even recognize that it was actually me that I was staring directly at.  As corny as it may sound, all of the sudden I sighed to myself that perhaps it is true what some people have been telling me all along, in that I am indeed a pretty boy. 

Shooting was to start at 9am.  And just right before the camera was scheduled to start rolling, I realized I had left my pair of dress shoes behind.  The director, Mr. Thuc, and the executive producer and owner of May Productions, Mr. Thang, were furious with me, needless to say.  As they both were about to scold me, chi Lan took notice of how frightened I was and pulled me aside to whisper in my ear not to worry and that I should rest assure that she would take care of this matter.  She slipped me several $20 bills into my pocket and told her friend, who I now know was actually Thanh Lam, the famous saxophone player, to drive me to the nearest shoes store to pick up a pair.  What could have easily turned into a fiasco was prevented from happening due to chi Lan's calm and rational way of thinking.  Once my shoes situation had been resolved, the video shoot began.  It was truly an exhausting experience.  We didn't finish filming until the really late hours of the night.  Just before wrapping it up, chi Lan hugged everyone and thanked us for all of our hard work.  Perhaps it is my imagination, but I felt that chi Lan hugged me the longest.  During the long hug, as she said her goodbye to me, she stressed one particular reminder to me that we should always keep in touch and to never forget that I am her little brother.  I don't know why, but that brought a tear to my eye.

Thien Phu and Perry Zeild, 1993.  This is the only photograph I can find of myself with Perry.  Perry passed away in 1994 after many years battling with the AIDS epidemic.  This photograph had been taken when I went to visit him in the dressing room during one of his performances in Chinese opera.  Aside from being an accomplished hairstylist and make-up artist, Perry had also enjoyed a successful career as a performer of Chinese opera.

I didn't realize that that would be the very last time I would ever see her up close in person alive or even speak to her.  In the years that followed, I guess I couldn't really blame her for losing contact since she would obviously be constantly occupied with her grueling schedule, and I would be equally busy finishing up high school.  As I entered adulthood, right after high school I would come across the first of several chance meetings with chi Lan that would unfortunately never come to fruition.  In the summer of 1990, once again my friend Perry would introduce me to the promoters of a major beauty pageant live show event held in Long Beach called Dai Hoi Hoa Hau Ao Dai Long Beach '90 as he would put in a good word with them recommending me as a potential candidate to be selected as 1 of 4 male models that would be in the live show with duties of escorting the beauty pageant contestants as they make their entrances onto the stage, as well as when they would make their exits from the stage .  This would also be the first time I would come across a rising newcomer show hostess, who at first I found to be a little too talkative, by the name of Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen.

After I had been chosen to be 1 of the 4 male models for the beauty pageant live show, to my delight I would also learn that among the list of scheduled music performers on that night would be none other than Ngoc Lan, my beloved big sister.  On the night of the show, while chi Lan was performing her set of songs during the show's music segment, I stood there and watched her sing for as long as I could from backstage before I was called to get ready to escort another beauty pageant semi-finalist contestant out onto the stage. I didn't get to see chi Lan's performance of her last of 3 songs she did that night since I had to go change into a different tuxedo in the dressing room.  I tried to hurry so that I could catch another glimpse of her in person and possibly say hi, but it just wasn't in the cards.  By the time I changed into the next wardrobe, my hair would be next.  After Perry would finish checking if my hairstyle and stage make-up was okay, I ran toward the right backstage side entrance in hopes that I would catch chi Lan while she exits the stage.  But I was too late, since chi Lan had apparently already left the building.  That would be the first of several chance meetings that would almost, but still would not allow me to meet up with my big sister, Ngoc Lan. 

In 1992, Ngoc Lan did a show at Diamond Nightclub in Fullerton.  I had bought tickets and arrived early.  Unfortunately, I wasn't 21 yet and was not let in by the guards at the door.  In '94, I was now a paid singer at cafes and smaller clubs around Orange County,  I had caught the attention of some interviewer for Vietnam Performing Arts Television and been asked to appear on his television show for an interview.  The day I showed up at the television studio, I would learn that chi Lan had just left less than 5 minutes ago.  She had been there earlier and was interviewed to plug an upcoming show of hers at the Anaheim Marriott promoted by the band, May Bon Phuong.  3 years later, I was in the process of recording my first album, Tiec Nho with Anh Tu, Julie and Thai Thao for Bien Tinh Productions.  One of the tracks on that CD was called Magic Boulevard, a French song originally recorded and written by Francois Feldman and the Vietnamese version was entitled Ngay Vui Nam Ay written by none other than Ngoc Lan.  I had gotten a hold of chi Lan's telephone number and called to ask for permission to use her written lyrics for my recording.  A woman had answered when I called, she took down my phone number and that same woman called back the following day to say that it was alright for me to go ahead and record the lyrics with Ngoc Lan's blessings.  It wasn't chi Lan that I had spoken to.  That same year, I had a booking to perform at some casino outside of Atlanta, Georgia that had featured a gala of some of the top names in the Vietnamese music business like Thanh Tuyen, Henry Chuc, Dalena and Ngoc Lan whose photos were all included on the poster flyers to promote the show.  I was so excited that one of my dreams in being able to share the same stage with chi Lan; my big sister, my idol, and my inspiration, was about to come true.  Unfortunately, this chance meeting would also not come to be.  When I arrived in Atlanta, I was told Ngoc Lan was not going to be there and had to cancel due to health reasons.  This saddened me.  In the years to come, I would release my debut album and perform at many more shows throughout the United States and abroad working with many other singers.  Through the circle of other performers.  I would hear many horrific rumors about her health.  I heard from one person she had a brain tumor.  Another said she was a bedridden diabetic.  Some even claimed that Ngoc Lan's health was as a result fo her being a targeted victim of voodoo.  None of these stories seemed to be the truth.  One story did, however.  And that was what Glenn, a Vietnamese celebrity hairstylist and make-up artist who had worked on Ngoc Lan's last music video appearance, had told me.  He said that Ngoc Lan had revealed to him that she had been suffering from Multiple Sclerosis.  By the way, Glenn was my friend, a fellow Amerasian, and recently had passed away less than two years ago. 

Regardless whatever disease chi Lan had, I wasn't sure and I really couldn't sort out which of the rumors about Ngoc Lan was the truth.  And some of the rumors were just downright vicious.  All I know was, one thing was for sure.  Ngoc Lan was ill. 

In 1999, I was working on my next album, Ngay Em Di.  Before its release, I had been referred by another fellow recording artist, Ngoc Hue, to Kelvin Khoa, a musician, to remaster some of the tracks I had recorded.  I then learned he was Ngoc Lan's husband.  I tried many times to ask anh Kelvin Khoa about her health, but never could go through with it fearing he might think I was prying into her business.  I did, however, tell him about my past friendship with his wife and that I miss her very much.  When he finished with the re-mastering work for my songs, he did tell me that he did speak of me to chi Lan a few times and that yes, she did indeed remember who I was.  He also said that together he and chi Lan had listened to my CD after he had finished with the remastering work and that her favorite song I had recorded was Lemon Tree.  That made me very happy. 

I guess like with all singers, I had idols to look up to before  I went into the profession.  One of those idols was indeed Ngoc Lan.  In a selfish way, I had always wished for any of my idols to one day see  me sing and hopefully offer me feedback or critique.  Sadly, this occasion with Ngoc Lan never happened for me.  But I can be thankful she did get to hear me sing through my audio recordings.  I'm also sad I didn't really get the chance to thank her for all that she had taught me and her generosity toward me back when I was just a 16 years old dancer.  She will always be a true inspiration to me. 

As for that music video for the song, 365 Dimanches, we had shot together back in 1989, when I ran into Mr. Thang and his wife, singer Tra Mi, whom were owners of May Productions, at Ngoc Lan's funeral in March of 2001, they told me that much of the footage of that music video somehow had been damaged and the remainder left was an insufficient amount in order to make into a complete music video to release.  So all I have left now of chi Lan are the memories and, of course, her beautiful voice through her music.  Thank you, chi Lan!  I hope you can hear me say, I really love you and miss you, my sister. 

Who knows?  She just might be listening from above.

                                                                              Thien Phu

                                                                                       2014