Phuong Dung

Singer Tâm Đan (left) and Phương Dung (right) in the Voice of Army's broadcast of VTVN in 1965

Phương Dung (also known as Phan Phương Dung, born in 1946) was a popular South Vietnamese country music singer from 1960 to 1970.

Early life

Phương Dung was born in Gò Công Province (now Tiền Giang Province. She moved to Saigon when she finished primary school and attended secondary school from 1958 to 1959.^[1] She started her singing career around 1960.

Music career

She rose to fame at the age of 17 after the success of the song "Nỗi buồn gác trọ" by Hoai Linh and Manh Phat in 1962, then being more famous for songs like "Những đồi hoa sim" in 1964 (by Dzũng Chinh, who used a poem by Hữu Loan as lyrics) and "Tạ từ trong đêm" in 1965 (by Trần Thiện Thanh). Phuong Dung was awarded the "Gold Award for Female Artists" in 1965, while Trần Thiện Thanh received the "Best Song of the Year Award".

Phuong Dung also was given the title of "Con Nhạn Trắng Gò Công" by Kien Giang poet Hà Huy Hà.

She has done a total 45 tours for Vietnamese companies: Sóng Nhạc, Sơn Ca, and later Akai của các trung tâm Continental, Trường Hải, and Nhật Trường, all a great success. When it comes to the song: "The Sim flower hill" (Dzũng Chinh and Hữu Loan), "Nỗi buồn gác trọ" (Manh Phat and Hoai Linh), "Tạ từ trong đêm" (Tran Thien Thanh), "Khúc hát ân tình" (Xuân Tiên và Y Vân), "Đố ai" (Phạm Duy), "Sương lạnh chiều đông" (Mạnh Phát), "Tím cả rừng chiều" (Thu Hồ), "Vọng gác đêm sương" (Mạnh Phát), "Cánh buồm chuyển bến" (Minh Kỳ), "The Winter Night's Sorrow" (Anh Minh), "Sắc hoa màu nhớ" (Nguyễn Văn Đông), "Biết đâu tìm" (Hoàng Thi Thơ), "Còn mãi những khúc tình ca" (Quốc Dũng)... it is difficult to deny Phuong Dung was singing love songs associated with that wartime.

Family and career

In 1968, she married and gave up her music career for motherhood, having 8 children, 6 boys and 2 girls.

In 1977 the family moved to Australia and her 2 daughters followed in her footsteps - Phuong Vy had worked with the Thuy Nga Center (as well as movies like Romper Stomper) and Hoang Ly with Asia Entertainment before becoming a model.

Phuong Dung often participates in charity programs, especially relating to religious organisations.

In recent years, she returned to Vietnam and is embraced with music lovers.

To her credit, Phuong Dung has recorded almost 400 albums and many of her famous songs are still sung today by the new generation of singers.

May 6/2014, Phuong Dung joined with Giao Linh performed concerts Sol Golden, anniversary of her musical path for years.

Around the end of 2014, Phuong Dung was invited as judge for the music competition "Solo cùng Bolero" and has continued on the talent show into 2016.^[2][3][4]

Charity

With the volunteer work, she is the one who established the See The Light specializes in helping patients and the poor in Vietnam by helping money to cure eye, building houses, schools. She also encouraged artists and her friends to participate in this program through the art show for charity in countries where there are larger Vietnamese populations.

From 1999, Phuong Dung went back to Vietnam to help treat patients with eye damage. She started in Go Cong, then Tien Giang, where she was born, and then out into the areas of Quang Tri, Dong Hoi, Quang Nam, Kon Tum, Dong Thap, Can Tho. In addition to her work with eye treatment, she participated in charities also help to poor students, as well as flood and disaster relief.

References