Mai Hương

Mai Huong 1941- 2020 Was A Vietnamese Singer Who Comes From One Of The Most Well Known And Respected Lineages Of Vietnamese Entertainment. Her Parents Were Pham Dinh Sy And Stage And Film Actress Kieu Hanh Who Was Mostly Known For Having Acted In Such Plays As Loi Vu And Trong Bong Hau Truong And In Feature Films Like Chung Toi Muon Song We Want To Live 1956 Starring Le Quynh And Mai Tram And Song Tinh 1972 Starring Tham Thuy Hang. Her Father Was The Eldest Brother Of Pham Dinh Viem Who Was Also Known As Singer Hoai Trung Of The Northern Vietnamese Singing Group Thang Long. He Also Had Three Younger Half-Siblings Pham Thi Quang Thai A Singer Known As Thai Hang And Wife Of Legendary Composer Pham Duy Pham Dinh Chuong A Songwriter And Singer Known As Hoai Bac And Pham Thi Bang Thanh Vietnam's Most Celebrated Legendary Female Singer Of Popular Music Known As Thai Thanh. From The Mid-1950s Until 1975 Mai Huong Enjoyed One Of The Longest Tenures As A Professional Singer For Radio Vietnam. She Worked Alongside Such Renowned Vietnamese Vocalists Like Thai Thanh Quynh Giao Chau Ha Mai Han Mai Ngan Anh Ngoc Thanh Vu Moc Lan Duy Trac Ha Thanh And Hoang Oanh. Mai Huong Introduced Songs Written And Composed By Some Of Vietnam's Most Prolific Songwriters Such As Pham Duy Van Cao Van Phung Y Van And Ngoc Bich And Became One Of The Most Recognizable Voices Throughout Vietnam. Among The Most Popular Songs Interpreted By Mai Huong Include Suoi Toc Written By Van Phung Gui Gio Cho May Ngan Bay Written By Doan Chuan And Tu Linh Ta Tu Written By To Vu Dua Em Tim Dong Hoa Vang Written By Pham Duy And Chieu Mo Written By Ngoc Bich. In Addition She Also Hosted A Program For Radio Vietnam As Narrator Of Short Stories And Novels. Mai Huong Had Gained National Stardom Through Radio Vietnam But Unlike Most Other Singers In Vietnam Of Her Day She Rarely Made Any Live Performances. For More Than A Decade Since Turning Professional She Shied Away From Performing At Nightclubs And Cabarets. Finally In 1970 After Having Repeatedly Turned Down Offers From Various Nightclub Owners And Promoters Mai Huong Agreed To A 6-Month Contract To Perform Nightly At The Prestigious Tu Do Cabaret Venue In Saigon Which Was Then Run By Singer Khanh Ly. However On The Very Last Night Of Her 6-Month Engagement At Tu Do Tragedy Struck When A Bomb Exploded Inside The Nightclub Unexpectedly Which Left At Least 20 Victims Injured And Took The Life Of Actress Thuy Ngoc Wife Of Musician Le Van Hien. Although Mai Huong Did Not Suffer Any Serious Physical Injuries The Traumatic Experience Devastated Her So That She Swore Off To Performing At Cabarets Altogether. On April 22 1975 Just 8 Days Before The Fall Of Saigon Mai Huong And Her Family Left Their Native Vietnam For The United States. After A Week Spent In Guam They Would Resettle In Southern California Making It Their Permanent New Home. Beginning A New Life In The United States Faraway From Her Homeland Mai Huong Had Already Prepared Herself Mentally For The Likelihood That She Would Not Be Able To Continue With Her Music Career. Since The Vietnamese Community In The United States During The 1970s Was Still At Its Early Stages Of Development She Was Well Aware Of The Limitations Set Out Against Her Should She Choose To Continue Pursuing Her Career In Music. Mai Huong Then Embarked On An Entirely Different New Profession And Became A Full Time Employee At Bank Of America. Just As She Was Settling Into A Quiet Life With A Daily Nine To Five Routine The Small But Growing Overseas Vietnamese Entertainment Industry Then Came Calling For Her Once Again. Her First One-Night Engagement Performing For An Overseas Vietnamese Audience Was In 1976 In New Orleans Louisiana. The Well Received Performance Then Led To Numerous Other Gigs As The Overseas Vietnamese Population Gradually Increased With New Arrivals Of Refugees On An Almost Weekly Basis During The Final Years Of The 1970s. For More Than Two Decades Mai Huong Sucessfully Juggled A Full Time Job At Bank Of America On Weekdays Traveling Off To Faraway Places Performing At Live Shows For Vietnamese Communities Across The United States And Canada On Weekends While Maintaining A Family Life. In 1977 Mai Huong Toured France As The Featured Special Guest Along With A Gala Of Other Overseas Vietnamese Performance Artists In A Live Show Revue Directed By Musician/show Promoter Hoang Thi Tho. Ten Years Later She Would Be Invited Back On Another Successful European Tour Where She Played To Overseas Vietnamese Audiences In France Germany Switzerland Belgium And Holland. Mai Huong Had Also Performed In Concert For The Vietnamese Community Of Australia. During The 1980s Mai Huong Along With Fellow Singers Kim Tuoc And Quynh Giao Formed The Trio Tieng To Dong Which Specialized In Performing The Genre Of Vietnamese Classical Music Known As Nhac Tien Chien. She Recorded A Total Of 10 Solo Studio Albums For Various Overseas Vietnamese Music Production Labels Such As Truong Hai Diem Xua Productions Mai Ngoc Khanh Giang Ngoc And Tu Quynh. In 1982 Bong Ngay Qua Her First Solo Studio Album For The Overseas Vietnamese Market Was Released Under The Label Tu Quynh. Among Her Most Well Received Solo Studio Albums Include Giac Mo Hoi Huong 1983 Nhat Canh Sao Roi 1990 Di Choi Chua Huong 1993 Tinh Ca Duong Thieu Tuoc 1992 Vang Phai May La 1997 Lo Chuyen Do 2000 And Nhu Ngon Gio Buon Roi 2002 . In Addition To Her Interpretations Of Vietnamese Classical Music Mai Huong Is Also A Highly Respected Gospel Singer. Born In Da Nang In 1941 Pham Thi Mai Huong Spent Her Childhood Years Moving From Various Different Cities Throughout Vietnam Including Hue Hanoi And Finally Saigon Which Would Become Her Permanent Home From The Age Of 11 Up Until 1975 When She Left Her Homeland Just Days Prior To The Fall Of Saigon. Before Making Her Stage Debut As A Singer Mai Huong As A Child Had Made Her First Appearance On Stage As An Actress With A Small Part In The Play. Tam Guong Nhi Nu Starring Her Aunts And Uncles Thai Thanh Hoai Trung Hoai Bac And Khanh Ngoc. At The Age Of 12 She Successfully Competed In The Vocals Talent Search Hosted By Pháp Á French-Vietnamese Radio Broadcasting Held At The Norodom Venue. The Following Year Mai Huong Performed Her First Solo Han Ly Huong Written By Anh Hoa On Stage In Front Of A Live Audience. During Her Senior Year At Nguyen Ba Tong High School In Saigon Mai Huong Had Also Enrolled At Quoc Gia Am Nhac Which Was Then Known As National Conservatory Of Music And Has Since Been Renamed As Conservatory Of Ho Chi Minh City. During Her 3 Years At National Conservatory Of Music She Learned To Play The Violin And The Dan Tranh A Vietnamese Plucked Zither Instrument Similar To The Japanese Koto She Also Studied French And Took Many Courses To Hone Her Skills In Chorale Music Vocals While At The Conservatory. read less