Actress Thanh Thanh Hoa – The Gold Medalist of the Prestigious Thanh Tam Award in 1961

The actors winning the gold medals were actress Thanh Nga in 1958, actress Lan Chi and actor Hung Minh in 1959, two actresses Bich Son and Ngoc Giau in 1960, and Thanh Thanh Hoa in 1961.

Thanh Thanh Hoa’s real name is Nguyen Thi Hoa, and she was born in 1943. She attended the Pham The Hien elementary school in #8 district and learned how to sing the traditional music at the musician Ut Trong’s training center. Her father was a taxi driver and her mother a vendor at Nancy market.

In 1955, Thanh Minh theatrical troupe established a dance group because, at that time, many Cai luong plays were performed in the combinations of poetry, singing, dancing…
Musician Hoang Viet, composers Le Khanh and Nguyen Phuong were responsible for teaching singing and dancing to the group which consisted of such young actors as Thanh Nga, Thanh Thanh Hoa, Thanh Hien, Kim Anh, Kim Em, Lieu Thuan, Kim Phung, Van Minh, Van Dung (later renamed to Dung Minh Sang), Van Xi (later renamed to Nam Hung), Van Bay, Van Tay… The young Thanh Nga, Thanh Thanh Hoa, Thanh Hien, Van Dung, Van Xi, and Van Tay were good students. They learned how to dance in the morning at the theatre, and how to sing the traditional songs in the afternoon at the musician Ut Trong’s home. In the nightly shows, they took the small parts of soldiers, guards, or dancers on the stage. Sometimes they had a chance to sing one or two Vong co verses, written specifically for them to introduce their new voices to the audience.

A captivating voice

At that time Thanh Thanh Hoa was only 12 years old. She had a contralto voice and could sing fluently. Seeing that, I created two more children’s roles in the plays “Bien Thuy Noi Song” and “Nguoc Song Phu Luong” for Thanh Nga and Thanh Thanh Hoa to sing. Each one sang two Vong co verses.

Thanh Thanh Hoa could memorize her lines very fast, and she was also good at imitating the more experienced peers’ performing styles. She was so self-confident that she could stand in for other actors if they suddenly got sick, and she could handle their roles with ease.

In 1957, owner Sinh established the Tan Huong Hoa troupe, which consisted of such young actors as Thanh Thanh Hoa, Hoai Dung, Hoai My, Anh Hoa, Nam Hung, Minh Vien… He also hired experienced actors such as Minh Chi, Ba Xay, Van Khoe, Van Danh, and Anh Nguyet (Anh Hoa’s mother) to guide the younger ones. Thanh Thanh Hoa became the leading actress, and she shared the lead role with actress Hoai Dung. Entertainment magazines highly praised Thanh Thanh Hoa’s captivating voice.

In 1960, the troupe owner Ba Ban, also the owner of Hoanh Son recording company, formed a Cai luong troupe called Thu Do whose leading actors were Ngoc Huong, Thanh Thanh Hoa, and Thanh Hoang (later renamed to Bo Bo Hoang).

When Thanh Thanh Hoa was 17, she turned into a very beautiful girl with a low and melancholy voice. She performed alongside actors Ut Tra On and Thanh Hai, and they were good match. Thanh Thanh Hoa portrayed successfully in such plays as “Tieng Trong Sang Canh”, “Sau Quan Ai”, “Cay Quat Lua Hong”, “Cat Dung Phuong Tu”…

In 1961, Ngoc Huong and Anh Hong, two beautiful and talented actresses, were selected along with Thanh Thanh Hoa to participate in the Thanh Tam Award contest. Even though Thanh Thanh Hoa had just a few years of experience, and the press did not think highly of her compared to other actors, thanks to her gifted voice and skillful performing style, which had been carefully trained by actor Ba Van, Thanh Thanh Hoa performed very well in every role required by the contest. In the end, she got the highest score and received the prestigious Thanh Tam Award in 1961.

At the end of 1961, the love affair between Thanh Thanh Hoa and actor Nam Hung was exploited by the press, which tainted and consequently damaged Thanh Thanh Hoa’s performing career.

Forbidden love between Thanh Thanh Hoa and Nam Hung

Before going into details about the obstacles and difficulties that Thanh Thanh Hoa and Nam Hung met in their relationship, I would like to briefly go over the biography and singing career of actor Nam Hung.
Nam Hung’s real name is Nguyen Van Xi. His father was a stage-worker named Xuc, and his mother a cook named Dam. Both of them worked for the Viet Kich Nam Chau troupe.