Phuong Dung

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

Phương Dung, born in 1946 as Phan Phương Dung, is a South Vietnamese country music singer.

Status

Phương Dung's hometown is in Tiền Giang, then being student of Gia Long school. She started her singing life in 1959, at the age of 12.

Singing life

She rose to fame at the age of 16 after successfully presenting the song "Nỗi buồn gác trọ" of Hoai Linh and Manh Phat in 1962, then being more famous for songs like "The Sim flower hill" in 1964 (by Dzũng Chinh, Huu Loan's poem) and "Tạ từ trong đêm" in 1965 (by Tran Thien Thanh). Phuong Dung was awarded the gold medal for the "Singer of the Year" in 1965, while the author Tran Thien Thanh received the "Best Song of the Year".

Phuong Dung also has the title of "The Gò Công White Swallow" by Kien Giang poet Hà Huy Hà gave her.

She has recorded a lot of 45 tours records of companies Vietnam: Sóng Nhạc, Sơn Ca, and then the Akai tape for centers of Continental, Trường Hải, Nhật Trường and was a huge 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), "Nỗi buồn đêm đông" (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.^[1][2][3]

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 a mobilized artists, her friends participate in this program through the art show for charity in countries where there're many Vietnamese.

From 1999, Phuong Dung back to Vietnam to help patients treat eye damage, initially in Go Cong, Tien Giang, where she was born, and then out into the Quang Tri, Dong Hoi, Quang Nam, Kon Tum, Dong Thap, Can Tho. Also active eye treatment, charities also help to poor students, disaster relief, flood.

References

1. "Phuong Dung tu hao 59 Nam hat Bolero Huyen Thoai". the thaovanhoa.vn (Google translation) Retrieved 2016-6-23
2. "nhan trang go cong phuong dung toi muon tro ve vi toi la nguoi viet nam". Phapluatplus.vn (Google translation) Retrieved 2016-6-23
3. "danh ca phuong dung dat tron niem tin vao chi dan". Yan.vn (Google translation) Retrieved 2016-6-23