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

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?