Ngô Thanh Vân

Veronica Ngô Thanh Vân (born 26 February 1979) is a Vietnamese actress, singer and model. She is also known as Veronica Ngo or her initials NTV.

Ngô Thanh Vân
Background information
Birth nameNgo Thanh Van
Also known asVeronica Ngo
Born (1979-02-26) February 26, 1979
OriginTrà Vinh, Vietnam
GenresPop, Dance
Years active1999present
LabelsTwins Dolphin Production

Early life and education

Ngo Thanh Van was born on February 26, 1979, in Trà Vinh, Vietnam. She is the youngest child with 3 older brothers. When she was 10, her family put her in a boat to cross the border. In 1990 Ngo Thanh Van became a boat person who arrived in Norway without a family member.

In 1999, at the age of 20, Ngo returned to Vietnam where she participated in a beauty pageant organized by the magazine Women's World, and finished as second runner-up. Following this initial success, she launched her modelling career in Vietnam as a model for magazines, calendars, and fashion collections. Soon after, she had her first acting role on the small screen in Huong De, a short TV series on HTV Channel.

Career

Music career

In 2002, Ngo transitioned into the music scene as a pop-dance singer with the help of producer Quoc Bao. She recorded the duet album called Vuon Tinh Nhan (Lovers' Garden) with established singer Tuan Hung.

One year later, again with the help of producer Quoc Bao, Ngo released her debut solo album, The Gioi Tro Choi (Playworld), on February 26. This album was a power pop-dance LP with the theme "NTV Virus". Two music videos were filmed for the album; "The Gioi Tro Choi" & "Ngay Tuoi Sang", a cover version of jtL's "A Better Day", which was directed by Jackie Chen. These two videos were the first Vietnamese music videos to feature professional special effects and are listed among the most expensive Vietnamese music videos to date.

In 2004, Ngo followed up with her second album, Bi An Vang Trang (Mystery of the Moon), which featured a moon theme, on March 15. Three videos were released from this album: "Bi An Vang Trang", the cheerleader-themed "Vuon Toi tam Cao (Reach for the Sky)", and the ballad "Khi Nao Em Buon (Whenever I'm Sad)", which was later covered by many artists including Mat Ngoc, Minh Thuan and Thanh Thảo.

In autumn 2006, after a 2-month break in America, Ngo returned to Vietnam, and started recording her 4th album which she promised would be a dance anthem record. On October 2006, Ngo premiered one of her new songs "I Won't Stop Loving You," a new collaboration with Quốc Bảo, on the final episode of 21st Century Woman on VTV. But due to heavy promotion for The Rebel, the album release was pushed back to the summer of 2007. In May 2007, Ngo announced that the fourth album title would be Studio 68 and claimed that 68 was her lucky number. She released Studio 68 on January 10, 2008.[1]

In 2006, Ngo signed a contract to appear in the long-running music and comedy show Van Son, produced by Van Son Entertainment, an overseas Vietnamese music production company. She has since appeared in every Van Son DVD release to date.[2]

During the first months of 2008, Ngo began working on her next album Nuoc Mat Thien Than (Tears of Angel), while Studio 68 was awarded "Most Creative Album" in a monthly "Album Vang" prize.

Acting career

In 2004, Ngo made her first international appearance in Rouge, a 13-part late night television series aired on AZN Television.[3] 'Rouge' was produced by MTV Asia & MediaCorp Singapore and was broadcast widely in Asia and Australia. For the remainder of the year, Ngo was busy with the promotional campaign for Rouge throughout Asia and the recording of her third album. She was chosen as the favourite actress in Rouge on the MTV Asia website.[3]

On September 5, 2005, My Way, Ngo's third album, was released. This album was produced by Ngo herself and featured a collaboration with a group of producers called The Dreams.[4] My Way featured multiple genres, from alternative rock to pop, R&B, and hip hop. She remixed the famous Trịnh Công Sơn song "Quynh Huong".

After My Way, Ngo engaged herself further in acting, with many starring roles in films such as Saigon Love Story by Ringo Le, 2 in 1 by Dao Duy Phuc, and The Rebel by Charlie Nguyen Chanh Truc with Johnny Trí Nguyễn, the latter becoming (at that point) Vietnam's highest-grossing film of all time.[5] Ngo's performance was highly praised by both critics and the public, and she was nominated for "Best Actress" at the 'Canh Dieu Vang' awards (Vietnam's Oscars) for the second time. In the spring of 2007, Ngo also starred in a new thriller called Ngoi Nha Bi An (Haunted Manor), which premiered in Vietnamese cinemas in November 2007. That December, Ngo was awarded the "Best Actress" prize at the 15th Vietnam Film Festival.

After her success in The Rebel, Ngo went public about her relationship with Johnny Trí Nguyễn, which ended his marriage with Cathy Viet Thi, a singer on Van Son.[6]

2009 saw Ngo once again starring beside Johnny Trí Nguyễn in a Chanh Phuong action movie Clash.[7] She also opened her own talent agency called VAA.[8]

In 2010, Ngo competed as a contestant in the Vietnamese version of Dancing With The Stars. She finished as the victor for season one.[9] After winning, Ngo revealed that she would return to music in 2011. In Autumn, she embarked on a national promotional tour.

In 2016, she appeared in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and starred in Tam Cam: The Untold Story.[8]

In 2017, she played Paige Tico, the older sister to Rose Tico, in The Last Jedi.[10] Although her screen time was brief, her character's death was an important act of self-sacrifice that affected the major characters in the film, especially Rose.[11] Later in 2017, she played Tien, an Inferni elf enforcer working for Leilah, the main antagonist in the Netflix film Bright.[12]

In 2019, she starred in Vietnamese action film Furie (Hai Phượng). Hai Phuong later became the highest grossing domestic film of all time in Vietnam.[13] In June 2019, it was announced that Veronica Ngo had joined the cast of The Old Guard beside Charlize Theron. She also starred in Spike Lee's film Da 5 Bloods with Chadwick Boseman.

The same year, Ngo was selected to jury the New York Asian Film Festival.[14]

Discography

  • 2002: Vuon Tinh Nhan (Lovers' Garden) featuring Tuan Hung
  • 2003: The Gioi Tro Choi (Playworld)
  • 2004: Bi An Vang Trang (Mystery of the Moon)
  • 2005: My Way (Con Duong Em Di)
  • 2008: Studio 68 (Heaven: The Virus Remix)
  • 2008: Tears of Angel (Nuoc Mat Thien Than)

Filmography

Television

Year Title Notes
2002 Huong De
2004 Rouge
2007-2009 Cô Gái Xấu Xí Vietnamese version of Ugly Betty - Cameo
2010 Bước nhảy hoàn vũ Vietnamese version of Dancing with the Stars
2013 Project Runway Vietnam

Film

Year Title Original title Role Notes
2006 2 in 1 2 trong 1 Như Lan
Saigon Love Story Chuyện tình Sài Gòn Tâm Shot in 2004, Vân’s film debut
2007 The Rebel Dòng Máu Anh Hùng Võ Thanh Thúy
Ngôi Nhà Bí Ân Trúc
2009 Clash Bẫy rồng Trinh / Phoenix
2011 Pearls of the Far East Ngọc viễn đông Sister
2012 House in the Alley Ngôi nhà trong hẻm Thảo
2013 Once Upon a Time in Vietnam Lửa Phật Ánh
2015 The Lost Dragon Ngày nảy ngày nay Đan Nương
2016 Bitcoin Heist Siêu trộm Kỳ
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny Mantis
Tam Cam: The Untold Story Tấm Cám: Chuyện chưa kể The stepmother Vân’s directorial debut
2017 The Tailor Cô Ba Sài Gòn Thanh Mai
Star Wars: The Last Jedi Paige Tico
Bright Tien
2018 Going Home for Tet Về quê ăn Tết Đậu Xanh
2019 Furie Hai Phượng Hai Phượng
2020 Da 5 Bloods Hanoi Hannah
The Old Guard

References

  1. "Ngô Thanh Vân sẽ giới thiệu "Studio '68" tại vũ trường" [Ngo Thanh Van will introduce "Studio" 68 "at the disco]. January 15, 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  2. "Ngô Thanh Vân diễn hài trong chương trình Vân Sơn" [Ngo Thanh Van is a comedian in Van Son show]. VnExpress (in Vietnamese). October 12, 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  3. "Ngô Thanh Vân". Elle (in Vietnamese).
  4. 'My way' của Ngô Thanh Vân có nguy cơ bị thu hồi VnExpress 16/9/2005
  5. G. Allen Johnson (March 6, 2011). Johnny Tri Nguyen finds movie stardom in Vietnam 2011 "Nguyen is the martial arts hero, screenwriter and co-producer in both, and his real-life love, Thanh Van Ngo, is the female star of both films (they're Vietnam's version of Brangelina)."
  6. "So nhan sắc 3 người phụ nữ có ảnh hưởng lớn với Johnny Trí Nguyễn" [The beauty of 3 women who have a big influence on Johnny Tri Nguyen] (in Vietnamese). November 2, 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  7. "Ngô Thanh Vân 'nóng bỏng' cùng Johnny Trí Nguyễn" (in Vietnamese). March 20, 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  8. "Phỏng vấn độc quyền Ngô Thanh Vân: "Hoa hồng đều có gai"" [Exclusive interview with Ngo Thanh Van: "Roses have thorns"]. Harper's Bazaar (in Vietnamese). March 28, 2016.
  9. "Ngo Thanh Van triumphs at Dancing with the Stars". Saigon Times. June 22, 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  10. Kamp, David (May 24, 2017). "Cover Story: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Definitive Preview". Vanity Fair.
  11. Ryan General (December 18, 2017). "Meet the Asian Woman Who Played the Biggest Part of All in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'". nextshark.com. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  12. David Vo (December 12, 2017). "M.A.A.C. – NGO THANH VAN aka VERONICA NGO Stars Alongside WILL SMITH In Netflix's BRIGHT. UPDATE: Trailer #3". www.maactioncinema.com. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  13. Lâm Lê (March 8, 2019). "Phim Hai Phượng kỷ lục phòng vé Việt Nam, gây ấn tượng ở Mỹ" (in Vietnamese). BBC News. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  14. "Actress joins jury of New York Asian film fest 2019". Vietnam News Agency. June 27, 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
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