Artist Bich Thuan has passed away.

Artist Bich Thuan was a contemporary of People's Artist Phung Ha, Nam Chau, Bay Nam, Kim Chung, and others. She was born in Bac Ninh province, the birthplace of Quan Ho folk songs. At the age of 10, she and her younger sister, Tuong Vi, joined the Dong Au Nhat Tan Ban children's theater troupe of Mr. Bau Tai in Hanoi .

Artist Bich Thuan when she was young.

At that time in Hanoi, there was a movement to perform cải lương (Vietnamese traditional opera) in the style of Southern folk music. Some called it the "Cải Lương troupe performing in the Saigon style," meaning that the plays included Bạc Liêu -style vọng cổ (a type of Vietnamese folk song), classical songs such as Văn Thiên Tường, Tứ Đại Oán, Nam Xuân, Nam Ai, Đảo Ngũ Cung, Xàng Xê, Phụng Hoàng, and short classical songs, spoken lines, and poetry recitation in the style of Saigon's Tao Đàn.

During this period in Hanoi, there were three children's theater troupes: the Nhat Tan Ban troupe of impresario Tai, the Quang Lac Ban troupe of impresario and painter Tran Phen, and the Dong Au San Nhien Dai troupe of impresario and actor Sau Cuong. The female artist Bich Thuan, after only six months of studying traditional music, was already playing the leading female role in the Nhat Tan Ban troupe.

After her contract with the Nhat Tan Ban Children's Troupe ended, artist Bich Thuan joined the To Nhu Theater Troupe and became famous as an artist with both beauty and talent, alongside Northern stage stars such as Bich Hop, Kim Chung, Khanh Hoi, Tuy Dinh...

In 1948, when the To Nhu theater troupe toured the South, artist Bich Thuan stayed in the South and established the Bich Thuan theater troupe. Two years later, she disbanded the Bich Thuan troupe to join the Phung Hao theater troupe of People's Artist Phung Ha, and later performed for the Nam Phi theater troupe of Ms. Nam Phi and People's Artist Bay Nam.

After 1954, artist Bich Thuan joined the Phung Hao 3 theater troupe, performing on stage with actresses such as Phung Ha, Kim Thoa, Thanh Tung, and Ngoc Hai. In the play "Truong Han," artist Bich Thuan, along with People's Artist Phung Ha, played the role of the military general An Loc Son or the love-struck Emperor Duong Minh Hoang. In the play "Mong Hoa Vuong," artist Bich Thuan became famous for her role as the military general Trieu Tuan, who was infatuated with Mong Hoa Vuong and was the rival of the envoy Ngo Trung Canh.

People's Artist Kim Cương recounted that back then, the play "Mộng Hoa Vương," with the aforementioned talented actors, was a popular performance that moved audiences to tears thanks to the love triangle: Mộng Hoa Vương, the envoy Ngô Trung Cảnh, and the military general Triệu Tuấn.

After settling in France in the early 1980s, artist Bich Thuan continued to perform famous excerpts from Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera). Recently, she moved to the United States to live with her children. Her passing has left many stage artists deeply saddened.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nghe-si-bich-thuan-qua-doi-196240628145650796.htm