Minh Mạng 明命
Emperor of Vietnam
Depiction of Minh Mạng from John Crawfurd's journal
Reign	14 February 1820 – 20 January 1841 (&1000000000000002000000020 years, &10000000000000341000000341 days)
Predecessor	Gia Long
Successor	Thiệu Trị
Spouse	Hồ Thị Hoa
House	Nguyễn Dynasty
Father	Gia Long
Mother	Thuận Thiên (aka Trần Thị Đang)
Born	14 February 1791
Died	20 January 1841(1841-01-20) (aged 49)
Burial	Hiếu Lăng
Religion	Confucianism

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Minh Mạng (14 February 1791 – 20 January 1841; born Nguyễn Phúc Đảm 阮福膽, also known as Nguyễn Phúc Kiểu 阮福晈) was the second emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam, reigning from 14 February 1820 (his 29th birthday) until his death, on 20 January 1841. He was a younger son of Emperor Gia Long, whose eldest son, Crown Prince Cảnh, had died in 1801. He was well known for his opposition to French involvement in Vietnam and his rigid Confucian orthodoxy.

As Gia Long aged, he took on a more isolationist foreign policy, and as a result favored Minh Mạng, especially for his outlook. Minh Mạng pursued a sceptical policy to Christian missionaries, often trying to inhibit their activities by administrative means, and later by explicitly banning proselytisation. His crackdowns led to negative European sentiment towards Vietnam and fomented discontent at home and abroad which further antagonised Western attitudes towards Vietnam. As a result of his Confucian conservatism, Minh Mạng allowed little innovation in Vietnamese society, and in time its military in particular became antiquated. He restricted trade and exchange with Western powers. At home he strengthened the central administration and had to contend with several rebellions. The most serious came in 1833 when southern Vietnam revolted, leading to a civil war lasting a year. This was further deepened by an invasion into the same area by Siamese forces who had attempted to retake Cambodia from Vietnam. After a long struggle, his forces managed to regain control.

Early years[link]

Born Nguyễn Phúc Đảm, son of the Emperor Gia Long's first concubine Thuận Thiên (also known as Trần Thị Đang), it was assumed that Gia Long's grandson and son of Prince Nguyễn Phúc Cảnh would become the next Emperor. Prince Cảnh had died in 1801 before Gia Long had unified Vietnam. However, in 1816 Gia Long appointed Phúc Đảm as his successor. Long chose him for his strong character and his deep aversion to westerners. Before his ascension, he was reported by French missionaries in a report to the French government as having praised the Japanese for having expelled and eradicated Christianity from their country. He was reported as believing that it was not ideal to have two religions in one country. Upon ascending the throne, he took the name Minh Mạng.

Long's death coincided with the re-establishment of the Paris Missionary Society's operations in Vietnam, which had closed in 1792 during the chaos of the power struggle between Gia Long and the Tây Sơn brothers before Vietnam was unified. In the early years of Minh Mạng's government, the most serious challenge came from one of his father's most trusted lieutenants and a national hero in Vietnam, Lê Văn Duyệt, who had led the Nguyễn forces to victory at Quy Nhơn in 1801 against the Tây Sơn Dynasty and was made regent in the south by Gia Long with full freedom to rule and deal with foreign powers. Duyệt opposed the enthronement of Minh Mạng.^{[citation needed]}

Policy towards missionaries[link]

Execution of Saint Pierre Borie, 24 November 1838, in Tonkin, Vietnam. Vietnamese painting.

In February 1825, Minh Mạng banned missionaries from entering Vietnam. French vessels entering Vietnamese harbours were ordered to be searched with extra care. All entries were to be watched "lest some masters of the European religion enter furtively, mix with the people and spread darkness in the kingdom." In an imperial edict, Christianity was described as the "perverse European" (practice) and accused of "corrupting the hearts of men". Between 1833 and 1838, seven missionaries were sentenced to death. He first attempted to stifle the spread of Christianity by attempting to isolate Catholic priests and missionaries from the populace. He asserted that he had no French interpreters after Chaigneau's departure and summoned the French clergy to Hue and appointed them as mandarins of high rank to woo them from their proselytising. This worked until a priest, Father Regereau, entered the country and began missionary work. Following the edict which forbade further entry of missionaries into Vietnam, arrests of clerics began. After strong lobbying by Duyệt, the governor of Cochin China, and a close confidant of Gia Long and Pigneau de Behaine, Minh Mạng agreed to release the priests on the condition that they congregate at Đà Nẵng and return to France. None of the missionaries obeyed the order upon being released, and they all returned to their parishes and resumed preaching.^{[citation needed]}

Isolationist foreign policy[link]

Minh Mạng continued and intensified his father's isolationist and conservative Confucian policies. His father had rebuffed a British delegation in 1804 proposing that Vietnam be opened to trade. The delegation's gifts were not accepted and turned away. It was not until 1821 that another attempt was made by John Crawfurd of the British East India Company, without success. He was only allowed to disembark in the northern ports of Tonkin, but was granted no agreements. At the time, Vietnam was under no threat of colonisation, since most of Europe was engaged in the Napoleonic Wars. Nevertheless, Napoleon had seen Vietnam as a strategically important objective in the colonial power struggle in Asia, as he felt that it would make an ideal base from which to contest the British East India Company's control of the Indian subcontinent. With the restoration of the monarchy and the final departure of Napoleon in 1815, the military scene in Europe quieted and French interest in Vietnam was revived. Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau, one of the volunteers of Pigneau de Behaine who had helped Gia Long in his quest for power, had become a mandarin and continued to serve Minh Mạng, upon whose ascension, Chaigneau and his colleagues were treated more distantly. He eventually left in November 1824. In 1825, he was appointed as French consul to Vietnam after returning to his homeland to visit his family after more than a quarter of a century in Asia. Upon his return, Minh Mạng received him coldly. The policy of isolationism soon saw Vietnam fall further behind and become more vulnerable as political stability returned to continental Europe, allowing her colonial powers a free hand to once again direct their attention towards further conquests. With his Confucian orthodoxy, Minh Mạng shunned all western influence and ideas as hostile and avoided all contact.^{[citation needed]}

In 1820, Captain John White of the United States Navy was the first American to make contact with Vietnam, arriving in Saigon. Minh Mạng was willing to sign a contract, but only to purchase artillery, firearms, uniforms and books. White was of the opinion that the deal was not sufficiently advantageous and nothing was implemented. Another American approach in 1822, led by Roberts formerly of the British East India Company, also proved fruitless. Vietnam under Minh Mạng was the first East Asian country with whom the United States sought foreign relations. President Andrew Jackson tried twice, in 1832 and 1836, to contact Minh Mạng, to no avail. In 1822, the French frigate La Cleopatre visited Tourane (present day Đà Nẵng). Her captain was to pay his respects to Minh Mạng, but was greeted with a symbolic dispatch of troops as though an invasion had been expected. In 1824 Henri Baron de Bougainville was sent by Louis XVIII to Vietnam with the stated mission "of peace and protection of commerce. Upon arriving in Tourane in 1825, it was not allowed ashore. The royal message was turned away on the pretext that there was nobody able to translate it. It was assumed that the snub was related to an attempt by Bougainville to smuggle ashore a Roman Catholic missionary. Further fruitless attempts to start a commercial deal were led by de Kergariou in 1827 and Admiral Laplace in 1831. Chaigneau's nephew, Eugene Chaigneau, was sent to Vietnam in 1826 as the intended consul but was forced to leave the country without taking up his position. Another effort by Chaigneau in 1829 also failed. In 1831 another French envoy was turned away. In 1821, a trade agreement from Louis XVIII was turned away, with Minh Mạng indicating that no special deal would be offered to any country. In 1837 and 1838, La bonite and L'Artemise were ordered to land in Tourane to attempt to gauge the situation in Vietnam with respect to missionary work. Both were met with hostility and communication was prevented.^{[citation needed]}

In 1824 he rejected the offer of an alliance from Burma against Siam, a common enemy of both countries. Later, in 1833 and 1834, a war with Siam was fought over control of Cambodia which for the preceding century had been reduced to impotence and fell under control of its two neighbours. After Vietnam under Gia Long gained control over Cambodia in the early 19th century, a Vietnamese-approved monarch was installed. Minh Mạng was forced to put down a Siamese attempt to regain control of the vassal as well as an invasion of southern Vietnam which coincided with rebellion by Lê Văn Khôi. The Siamese planned the invasion to coincide with the rebellion, putting enormous strain on the Nguyen armies. Eventually, Minh Mạng's forces were able to quell the invasion as well as the revolt in Saigon, and he reacted to western aggression by blaming Christianity and showing hostility, giving the European powers to assert that intervention was needed to protect their missionaries. This resulted in missed opportunities to avert future colonisation through having friendly relations, since strong opposition was occurring in France against an invasion, wary of the costs of such a venture. After China was attacked by Britain in the Opium War, Minh Mạng attempted to build an alliance with European powers by sending a delegation of two lower rank mandarins and two interpreters in 1840. They were received in Paris by Prime Minister Marshal Soult and the Commerce Minister, but they were shunned by King Louis-Philippe. This came after the Society of Foreign Missions and the Vatican had urged a rebuke for an "enemy of the religion". The delegation went on to London, with no success.^{[citation needed]}

Domestic program[link]

On the domestic front, Minh Mạng continued his father's national policies of reorganising the administrative structure of the government. These included the construction of highways, a postal service, public storehouses for food, monetary and agrarian reforms. He continued to redistribute land periodically and forbade all other sales of land to prevent wealthy citizens from reacquiring excessive amounts of land with their money. In 1840 it was decreed that rich landowners had to return a third of their holdings to the community. Calls for basic industrialisation and diversification of the economy into fields such as mining and forestry were ignored. He further centralised the administration, introduced the definition of three levels of performance in the triennial examinations for recruiting mandarins. In 1839, Minh Mạng introduced a program of salaries and pensions for princes and mandarins to replace the traditional assignment of fief estates.^{[citation needed]}

Rebellions[link]

Minh Mạng was regarded as being in touch with the concerns of the populace. Frequent local rebellions reminded him of their plight. Descendants of the old Lê Dynasty fomented dissent in the north, appealing not only to the peasantry but to the Catholic minority. They attempted to enlist foreign help by promising to open up to missionaries. Local leaders in the south were upset with the loss of the relative political autonomy they enjoyed under Duyệt. With Duyệt's death in 1832, a strong defender of Christianity passed. Catholics had traditionally been inclined to side with rebel movements against the monarchy more than most Vietnamese and this erupted after Duyệt's death. Minh Mạng ordered Duyệt posthumously indicted and one hundred lashes were applied to his grave. This caused indignation against southerners who respected Duyệt. In July 1833, a revolt broke out under the leadership of his adopted son, Lê Văn Khôi. Historical opinion is divided with scholars contesting whether the grave desecration or the loss of southern autonomy after Duyệt's death was the main catalyst. Khôi's rebels brought Cochinchina under their control and proposed to replace Minh Mạng with a son of Prince Cảnh. Khôi convinced Marchand to come and stay within the citadel, hoping that his presence would win over Catholic support. Khôi enlisted Siamese support, which was forthcoming and helped put Minh Mạng on the defense for a period.

Eventually, however, the Siamese were defeated and the south was recaptured by royalist forces, who besieged Saigon. Khôi died during the siege in December 1834 and Saigon fell nine months later in September 1835 and the rebel commanders put to death. In all the estimates of the captured rebels was put between 500 and 2000, who were executed. The missionaries were rounded up and ordered out of the country. The first French missionary executed was Gagelin in October 1833, the second was Marchand, who was put to death along with the other leaders of the Saigon citadel which surrendered in September 1835. From then until 1838 five more missionaries were put to death. The missionaries began seeking protection from their home countries and the use of force against Asians.^{[citation needed]}

Ruling style[link]

Coin bearing the flying dragon (phi long) issued by Minh Mang, 1833

Minh Mạng was known for his firmness of character, which guided his instincts in his policy making. This accentuated his unwillingness to break with orthodoxy in dealing with Vietnam's problems. His biographer, Marcel Gaultier, asserted that Minh Mạng had expressed his opinions about national policy before Gia Long's death, proposing a policy of greater isolationism and shunning westerners, and that Long tacitly approved of this. Minh Mạng was regarded as more nuanced and gentle than his father, with less forced labour and an increased perceptiveness towards the sentiment of the peasantry. His harsh policies and strict belief in Confucian society meant no foreign ideas of any kind was allowed during his reign, and when rebellions broke out, his first reaction was to blame the Christian missionaries and their Vietnamese converts. This gave France the excuse to become involved in Vietnam and, in 1858 after his death, French troops briefly occupied Tourane, demanding that the persecutions stop. This was the beginning of the Franch campaign to occupy and colonize Vietnam.^{[citation needed]}

Although he disagreed with European culture and thinking, he studied it closely and was known for his scholarly nature. Ming Mạng was keen in Western technologies, namely mechanics, weaponry and navigation which he attempted to introduce into Vietnam. Upon hearing of the vaccination against smallpox, he organised for a French surgeon to live in a palatial residence and vaccinate the royal family against the disease. He was learned in Eastern philosophy and was regarded as an intellectually oriented monarch. His biographer, Caultier, described him as possessing a "feminine instinct in the service for a male character", and he was known for his writings as poet. He was known for his attention to detail and micromanagement of state affairs, to a level that "astonished his contemporaries". As a result he was held in high regard for his devotion to running the country. When Minh Mạng died, he left the throne to his son, Emperor Thiệu Trị, who was more rigidly Confucianist and anti-foreign than his father. During Thiệu Trị's reign, diplomatic standoffs over the treatment of Catholic priests often led to instances of gunboat diplomacy being used on Vietnam, and led to increasing raids and the eventual colonisation of Vietnam by France. Nevertheless, during his reign Minh Mạng had established a more efficient government, stopped a Siamese invasion and built many national monuments in the imperial city of Huế.^{[citation needed]}

Imperial succession poem[link]

Vietnamese Wikisource has original text related to this article: Đế hệ thi

Minh Mạng had many wives and children, he decided to name his descendants (Nguyễn Phước or Nguyễn Phúc: all members of the Nguyễn Dynasty) by choosing the Middle name following the words of the Imperial succession poem to avoid confusion. For boys, the following poem is shown in Chữ Quốc Ngữ (modern Vietnamese script) and in chữ nôm:

The meaning of each name is roughly given as follows:^[1]

Girls receive also a different name on each generation, for example: Công-Chúa, Công-Nữ, Công Tôn-Nữ, Công-Huyền Tôn-Nữ, Lai-Huyền Tôn-Nữ.

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Hall, D. G. E. (1981) [1955]. A History of South-east Asia. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-24163-0. 
• Cady, John F. (1976) [1964]. South East Asia: Its historical development. New York: McGraw Hill. OCLC 15002777. 
• Buttinger, Joseph (1958). The Smaller Dragon: A Political History of Vietnam. Praeger. OCLC 411659. 

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2010)

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Mỹ Tâm
The singer holds a traditional conical hat in this 2010 photo.
Background information
Born	(1981-01-16) January 16, 1981 (age 31) Da Nang, Vietnam
Origin	Vietnam
Genres	Pop, dance-pop, acoustic, blues
Occupations	singer, composer, dancer, actress, musical director
Instruments	vocals, piano, guitar, flute, drum
Years active	2001–present
Labels	MT Entertainment
Website	My Tam's Official website MT Entertainment

Phan Thị Mỹ Tâm (born January 16, 1981), who uses the stage name Mỹ Tâm, is a Vietnamese pop singer who achieved fame through well known songs such as "Nightingale", "Sing With the River", "A dream of love", "We Seemed To Be...", "Wish", "Brown Hair Dark Lips", "Bleeding Love", "Old Road", "Foolish Love" and so on.

Early life[link]

My Tam was born in the city of Da Nang in 1981. She started learning ballet for three years from the age of 6 before moving to learning instruments such as guitar and organ. She enjoyed singing, but was never aware of her ability, and also never regarded singing as a career. She got the First Prize in her secondary school's singing competition and was chosen for the municipal competition. She got another First Prize for the city's solo singing competition and then the Gold Award for Beautiful Voice Spring 1997. She was chosen for the Military School of Art in Hanoi. However, due to her family's condition, she decided to enter Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory for a 4-year course, learning vocal training. She graduated as a top student from the course.^[1]

Career[link]

1999–2000: Career debut[link]

She quickly got a contract with Vafaco record company in 1999 and participated in many singing teams. My Tam has gained many awards in various singing competitions. At the start of 1999, My Tam made her first demo for the song "Please, baby" by Nguyen Ha, an important person in building the image of My Tam at the starting point of her career. After that, she composed the song "Love Forever", a soft ballad, together with Nguyen Quang. The two songs were later included in her debut "Love Forever" album.

After her contract with Vafaco ended in 2000, My Tam began to attract attention when she cut her long hair typical of female students and colour her hair yellowish-brown in a Korean style. She also changed the way she dresed in a more sexually attractive way. Following this period, she attained the bronze medal at the Asian Music Festival held in Shanghai at the end of 2000 when she was working in the Music Center in Ho Chi Minh City. This was a very significant achievement for her. She graduated in 2001 and became active in the music market.

2001–2002: Early success[link]

In these two years, My Tam released 2 albums: Love Forever and Not Only Me, one VCD single "Sing With the River", 2 CD singles "Dawn of Love (Japanese song)" and "The Guitar of Students".

Her first major hit "Toc nau moi tram" (Brown Hair Dark Lips), an uptempo dance record from her first album Love Forever, was to impact the fashion trend with many young girls changing their hair to dark yellow to look like My Tam. Her self-composed title song of the first album Love Forever established her as a young songwriter. Two other hits "My love Candle" and "Foolish live" were significantly popular in Karaoke during the period. Her next big hit "Twenty", was a present from her longtime musician Quoc Bao in celebration of her twentieth birthday. The song was about the youthful energy that a 20-year-old girl could dedicate to life and became young women's anthem. It was an important song from her first album, as many young female students in university at that time performed the song in various public occasions. Together with "Brown Hair Dark Lips", "Twenty" made My Tam a new influence in Vietnamese music industry. Another hit "Please, baby/ Nhe Anh" was also a success, accompanied by a popular music video. However, the success of "Please, baby" was hampered by copyright issue, a major concern in the industry. Love Forever sold 54,000 copies.

Her first CD single "The Student Guitar", became an instant success due to its appeal to My Tam's original audience, the students in their 20s. The song quickly became the ionic song of early 2000s and tied her to the tertiary level students as her greatest fan base. This served as the basis for her 2004 tour around various universities across the country. Up to now, "The Student Guitar" was used frequently in the media to portray the lives of students as warm, romantic and artistic. The song firmly established My Tam as a pop icon, propelled her to become the number one rising star in the industry. It remained her signature song. "The Student Guitar" was also included as the second track in her first VCD single Sing with the River released on May 2002 to capture its success. The title song of "Sing with the River" was successful despite criticism of its lazy and incomprehensible lyrics. "My Childhood Hometown", the third track from Sing with the River was initially not a hit due to the overshadowing success of the first 2 tracks, but slowly became popular. The song became a classic for My Tam.

The next CD single Dawn of Love released in the same month with Sing with the River was less successful. However, a track from this single, "Love If is Distant", was a massive karaoke hit.

My Tam followed the success of her debut with her second studio album Not Only Me. Released in May 2002, it contained a heavy dance-pop influence, unlike her first album, which was more of soft R&B. However, some ballads "The grass ring" and "The sad starlight" were also present in her second album. Indeed, they were the more popular songs from this album. Covers of France Gall's "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" and Cher's "Bang Bang" were made in an uptempo manner. The biggest hit from this album "Love Dream" received massive airplay on radio and TV. The song "Sing for you to stay back/ Hat cho nguoi o lai", was also another hit for My Tam.

[edit] 2003–2005: Commercial peak – "The Queen of V-Pop"

In the middle of 2003, she released her third studio album Yesterday and Now. And it became a huge record in the show industry and is the most successful album in her musical career. The album spawned My Tam's biggest hit: "Wish" and another major hit: "My Everlasting Love". "Wish" has become the signature song for My Tam up to date and My Tam still frequently performs the song in many TV appearances. However, My Tam also shared that she did not expect "Wish" to become such a huge hit, but thought that "My everlasting love" would impact the market more. 60,000 copies of the album were sold for just a few months and it received numerous positive responses from audiences and critics. However, criticism of the album included the lack of coherence and poor arrangement. The tracks in the album were just common that they were ballads. Other than that, they varied in themes, genres and influences.

The other hits from the album included "Loving Summer", "Brown Hair Nightingale" and "Belief in Victory". "Loving Summer" took My Tam to the even younger generation of audience, the teenager, as the song described a pupil's feeling before the summer holiday came, that she was going to miss her friend, and that she regretted that the summer came too quickly. It was popular among secondary and high school students and became an iconic song of the teenagers. "Brown Hair Nightingale" was a reference to her first major hit "Brown Hair Dark Lip". However, in contrast to "Brown Hair Dark Lip", a powerful dance record, where her image was an independent girl feeling how promising her love and her life was, "Brown Hair Nightingale" portrayed My Tam as a young innocent, but dedicated girl who was naive about love. This was a reminder of her days singing "Twenty" and also signalled a change in her public image when she grew her hair much longer than before. The gaffes that she committed during various interviews following the release of her first two album may serve as a reason for this change in public image. "Belief in Victory" was, in contrast other ballads in the albums, was powerful. It was becoming a hit at a time when Vietnam was hosting the 23rd SEA Game. It quickly became popular in the media, since the song served as an encouragement for Vietnamese team at that time. The protagonist in the song strongly believed in a day of victory, despite all the difficulties of the life around him.

Following her third album, My Tam quickly released the her first VCD album Love Forever. It consisted of some of her minor hits prior to the release of Yesterday & Now as well as the new track "Xich lo". The song also quickly became popular due to the massive success of her third album.

Knowing that her chance was coming, My Tam came up with the idea about a concert in two big stadiums in Vietnam and became the first Vietnamese artist to have ever got a sold-out stadium concert. The total expenditure for the 2 concerts was about 3 billion VND (approximately 250,000 USD in 2003) and is the most expensive concert funding in the Vietnamese music industry. My Tam was crowned: "No. 1 Pop Star in Vietnam"/"The Queen of V-Pop". After these concerts, her third album hit more than 100,000 copies which made it the highest-selling album of Vietnamese recording industry. The album is still in print in 2008 due to popular demand from new fans.

Later in 2004, My Tam was the only Vietnamese singer who participated in the Asia Song Festival in Seoul, Korea. This festival is one of the most prominent international Music Festival in Asia. She wowed the Korean crowds with her 2 hits: "Wish" and "Oh First Kiss". In the end of the stage of Asia Song Festival, she received 'the plaque of Appreciation' and 'The Best Contribution Award' from Korean Minister of Culture and Tourism as host of this festival. This embarked her motivation for cooperating with Korean producers later in 2005.

In the end of 2004, she had one more concert "My Childhood Home Town" and the tour "Live With Your Best". Her fourth studio album The Color of My Life was released in 2005. At the end of 2005, she had one more tour for students which was called "Power of Dreams". At this time, Vietnamese audiences did not only perceive My Tam as a singer but also a composer/producer as well. A lot of hits were written and composed entirely by My Tam was published such as: Oh First Kiss, How Come, Untold Love, Miss ... Although less successful than its predecessors, "The Color of My life" was acclaimed due to its coherence as well as My Tam's ability to assume a greater creative control over her album. The album made a record in its first week of sale and went on to sell 20,000 copies. My Tam re-released her fourth album with a pop/rock remix in it, this album included a new song which was to become a smash hit: "Duong Nhu Ta Da"/"We Seemed To Be..." which is My Tam's self-composed song. The track is then to be re-recorded in Korean and appears in her fifth album. The re-release also included some of her hits from her third album.

One controversy was sparked when My Tam lost the status of Best Female Artist to another Vietnamese pop singer Ho Qunh Huong in the annual Mai Vang (Golden Ochna Integerrima). The award was called out as being rigged and fake due to the amount of votes for My Tam was much higher than the other artist. Despite being compared with the new artist, My Tam has still strengthened her position as the No. 1 Pop Star in Vietnam.

2006–2008: "The Time & Myself"[link]

Reaching the top, My Tam continues to expand her career. Unsatisfied with Vietnamese recording & studio techniques, My Tam cooperated with Numari Picture (South Korea) to work on her fifth album Fly. During that time, she took more vocal training, dance lessons, and exposed to different music genres. The 5th album instead of followed her usual pop and ballad style, indeed embarked a new sound for her career with more up-tempo R&B, Hip-hop and Soul songs. Fly was released in Christmas 2005. Although this album wasn't as successful as 3rd album, it was critically acclaimed and highly rated. The album has yielded many commercial singles; their music videos were released including: Come To Me, Secret, and Untold Love. A single was released in South Korea containing four tracks recorded exclusively in Korean: "We Seemed To Be...", "The Dew Drop", "Come To me" and the notable Alicia Keys influenced R&B track "Today".

In early 2008, My Tam reunited with another Korean production to record her 6th album: The Return. Unlike the previous effort, the Korean producers are only in charged of mastering the record. All the tracks are composed by Vietnamese producers, including Tam's self-produced track: "Nhu Em Doi Anh/ Like I Wait For You". The album was recorded in Seoul, South Korea. My Tam explained that through the title The Return, she wants to express that the album is her return with "pop ballad and slow-jam" and "emotional feeling". The new album has the similar sound like her third album except it is influenced more by Korean vibes. The Return has been claimed by Vietnamese critics that it brought My Tam to a new level in her career: a more professional voice, significantly improved English, and more skilled singing techniques (especially in the R&B track: "And I Have You"). Even though majority of the album is produced by Vietnamese producers, it contains a more international vibe, excellent quality and characterizes My Tam as an evolving artist. Following the album release, a tour is planned in summer 2008.

The Return has been clearly stated by My Tam that it is only her first step of: "The Time & Myself".

On September 1, 2008, My Tam released her seventh album, To the Beat (Nhip Dap). Accompanied with the release was a live concert tour to promote for the album and her previous successful album The Return (Tro Lai). To the Beat was produced by the same producer who worked on her last album The Return. Unlike those techno-rap dance songs popular nowadays in Viet Nam, the album was said to be an up-tempo one with beats that "make you want to move and shake when you first hear it" (My Tam, 2008). On September 7, 2008, the concert tour was kicked off in Tao Dan stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The official name of the tour is "Multifrequency Sound Wave", which means a sound wave that can come to everywhere so that everyone can hear and enjoy it, no matter you are rich or poor, living in urban or rural areas. For all that, My Tam won the prize "Singer of the year 2008" in the Contribution award held by The Thao & Van Hoa newspaper (Sport & Culture) with participation and voting of 97 reporters.

On April 17, 2009, 1 year anniversary of "The Time and Me" project, My Tam releases "Multifrequency Sound Wave" DVD, a DVD that recorded her concert tour. The DVD is the last move of "The Time And Me" project, officially closes a successful project.

2008–2011: Melodies of Time[link]

Discography[link]

[edit] Love Forever – Mãi Yêu (2001)

1. "Mãi Yêu" (Eternal Love)
2. "Yêu Dại Khờ" (Foolish Love)
3. "Hai mươi (20)"
4. "Tình mơ" (Dream love)
5. "Nhé anh" (My sweetheart)
6. "Em của tôi" (My girlfriend)
7. "Sóng" (Wave)
8. "Bài ca đêm" (Nocturne)
9. "Hãy nói với em" (Talk to me)
10. "Khúc nhạc tình yêu" (The melody of love)
11. "On the breath of an angle"
12. "Tóc nâu môi trầm"
13. Bonus VC: "Tình như ngọn nến" (Love like a candle)

[edit] Not Only Me – Đâu Chỉ Riêng Em (2002)

1. "Lời Mở Đầu" (Intro)
2. "Búp Bê Không Tình Yêu" (Doll without love, Poupée de cire, poupée de son)
3. "Giấc mơ tình yêu" (A dream of love)
4. "Khung trời mộng mơ" (Dreamy world)
5. "Khi xưa ta bé (Bang Bang)"
6. "Tình Xót Xa Thôi" (Bleeding Love)
7. "Thank you"
8. "Chiếc nhẫn cỏ" (The grass ring)
9. "Một lần và mãi mãi" (Once and forever)
10. "Ánh Sao Buồn" (Sad twinkle)
11. "Tình yêu trong lành" (Pure love)
12. (Bonus Track) "Hát Cho Người Ở Lại" (Singing for you to stay)

[edit] Yesterday and Now – Ngày Ấy Và Bây Giờ (2003)

1. "Lời Mở Đầu" (Intro)
2. "Ngỡ đâu tình đã quên mình"
3. "Ước gì" (Wish)
4. "Đêm thấy ta là thác đổ"
5. "Tình em còn mãi" (My everlasting love)
6. "Mùa hè thương yêu" (Summer of Friendship)
7. "Bóng cả" (Great love)
8. "Hoạ mi tóc nâu" (Nightingale)
9. "Đường xưa" (Old road)
10. "Bốn mùa và em" (Four Seasons And I)
11. "Về chốn thiên đường" (Back to heaven)
12. "Niềm tin chiến thắng" (The faith of victory)
13. "Khúc yêu thương" (Music of love)

[edit] The Color of My Life – Hoàng Hôn Thức Giấc (originally Wake up on horizon) (2005)

1. "Lời mở đầu" (Intro)
2. "Giấc Mơ Muôn Màu" (Colorful Dream)
3. "Nhớ..." (Missing U)
4. "Rồi Mai Thức Giấc" (Awoken)
5. "Giấc Mơ Mùa Thu" (Autumn Dream)
6. "Có Phải Ta Chia Tay" (Is it The Goodbye?)
7. "Đánh Thức Mùa Thu" (Wake Up The Autumn)
8. "Em Đã Yêu Anh" (I Used to Love You)
9. "Nụ Hôn Bất Ngờ" (First kiss)
10. "Nhịp Đập Dại Khờ" (Foolish Beat)
11. "Người Yêu Dấu Ơi (Nhạc Nhật)" (Hey Baby)
12. "Em Hãy Ngủ Đi" (Good Night, Darling)
13. "Không Còn Yêu (Nhạc Pháp)" (No More Love)
14. "Rồi Anh Sẽ Quên" (You Will Forget)
15. "Vì Đâu" (How Come?)

[edit] Fly – Vút Bay (2007)

1. "Tình nồng" (True Love)
2. "Hãy đến với em" (Come To Me)
3. "Giọt sương" (DewDrop)
4. "Dường như ta đã" (Korean) (We Seemed To Be...)
5. "Bí Mật" (Secret)
6. "Tình Yêu Chưa Nói" (Untold Love - How can I say I love you)
7. "Khóc Một Mình" (I Will ....)
8. "Ngày Hôm Nay" (Today)
9. "Ô Cửa Sổ" (The Window)
10. "Giấc Mơ Mùa Hè" (Summer Dream)
11. "Em Chờ Anh" (Waiting For You)
12. "Hãy đến với em" (Korean) (Come To Me)
13. "Giọt sương" (Korean) (The Dew Drop)
14. "Ngày Hôm Nay" (Korean) (Today)

[edit] The Return – Trở lại (2008)

1. "Như Em Đợi Anh" (Like I'm Waiting For You)
2. "Cơn mưa dĩ vãng" (Rain from the Past)
3. "Khi Tình Yêu Trở Lại" (When Our Love Returns)
4. "Mưa và nỗi nhớ" (Rain & Memory)
5. "Hurt So Much"
6. "Vì Em Đã Biết" ('cause I Already Knew)
7. "Chỉ Có Thể Là Tình Yêu" (It Could Only Be Love)
8. "Và em có anh" (And I Have You)
9. "Cô Gái Đến Từ Hôm Qua" (The Girl From Yesterday)
10. "Một ngày mùa đông" (A Winter Day)
11. "Hơi ấm ngày xưa" (Good ol Warmth)
12. "Vẫn hát lời tình yêu" (The Ongoing Love Song)

[edit] To The Beat – Nhịp Đập (Volume 7) (2008)

1. "Quên đi ngày yêu dấu" (I moved on)
2. "Ngày anh ra đi" (The day you went away)
3. "Nhớ anh thật nhiều" (Missing you)
4. "Vũ điệu France cho anh" (Twist)
5. "Về đi anh" (Come back baby)
6. "Chỉ tình yêu anh mất" (Nothing but love)
7. "Lạc lối" (Lost)
8. "Mưa khóc" (Tears for us)
9. "Tic Tac Toe"
10. "Do it" (Niềm Tin)

[edit] Melodies of Time – Những Giai Điệu Của Thời Gian (Special Edition)

1. "Chuyện tình không suy tư"
2. "Xin thời gian qua mau"
3. "Bản tình cuối"
4. "Những bước chân âm thầm"
5. "Đợi yêu"
6. "Sao em còn buồn"
7. "Em đã thấy mùa xuân chưa"
8. "Đoản khúc cuối cho em"
9. "Chuyện hợp tan"
10. "Có một dòng sông đã qua đời"

[edit] My Dear Country – Tình khúc ca ngợi Quê Hương (Special Edition)

1. "Đâu phải bởi mùa thu"
2. "Nhớ về Hà Nội"
3. "Bản tình cuối"
4. "Quê hương tuổi thơ tôi"
5. "Tạm biệt chim én"
6. "Thành phố tình yêu và nỗi nhớ"
7. "Em còn nhớ hay em đã quên"
8. "Em vẫn đợi anh về"
9. "Câu hò bên bờ Hiền Lương"
10. "Bèo dạt mây trôi"
11. "Làng tôi"

[edit] For a love – Cho một tình yêu (Single)

1. Ballad Version
2. Guitar Version
3. Main Version
4. Piano (Ending)
5. Piano (Instrument)
6. Piano (Intro)
7. Trombone (Instrument)
8. Trompet (Instrument)

Liveshow – Concert[link]

Tour: "With Sunsilk, Shine Your Dreams" (Cùng Sunsilk tỏa sáng ước mơ)[link]

• Year: 2001
• Supported by: Sunsilk
• Placed: Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi Capital, Da Dang City

Liveshow: "Yesterday and Now" (Ngày ấy và bây giờ)[link]

• Year: early 2004
• Supported by: Pepsi and Sunsilk
• Placed: Ho CHi Minh City (QK7 Stadium) and Ha Noi Capital (National Stadium - My Dinh)
• Expenditure: 3 billion VND (the most expensive in Vietnam musical history)
• Number of attendees: almost 15,000 per night

[edit] Liveshow: "My Childhood Hometown" (TV show: Music and Friends)

• Year: mid 2004
• Supported by: VTV and Honda
• Placed: Da Nang City

Tour: "Live With Your Best" (Sống hết mình)[link]

• Year: later 2004
• Supported by: Pepsi
• Placed: Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi Capital

Tour: "Power of Dream" (Sức mạnh của những ước mơ)[link]

• Year: later 2005 – early 2006
• Supported by: Honda
• Placed: A lot of universities in Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi Capital, Da Nang City, Da Lat City, Cần Thơ City.
• Number of attendees: almost 20,000 per night

Live Concert Tour 2008: "Multi-Frequency Sound Wave" (Sóng đa tần)[link]

• Year: Sep, 2008 - Oct, 2008
• Supported by: MT Entertainment
• Placed: Ho Chi Minh city (Tao Dan stadium), Ha Noi capital, Da Nang city, Buon Me Thuoc city, Cần Thơ city.
• Number of attendees: almost 15,000 per night.

Concert: "Melodies of Time" (Những giai điệu của thời gian)[link]

• Year: 2010
• Supported by: MT Entertainment
• Placed: Ho Chi Minh City (the Municipal Theatre)

Special Show: "Ten Years Of Singing Anniversary" (Kỉ niệm 10 năm ca hát)[link]

• Year: 2011
• Supported by: MT Entertainment
• Placed: Ho Chi Minh City (Queen Plaza), Ha Noi City (Việt Xô Center)
• Number of attendees: 700 (attendance was limited to a maximum of 700 as My Tam wanted to hold a cozy show to thank all partners and colleagues who have offered her support over the past 10 years) and 1000 (in Hanoi)
• Activities: There was a buffet, display of photos, intimate talks, and My Tam performed 30 unplugged songs.
• Note: Ticket fees were 2.5 million and 3.5 million respectively, the highest ever charged in all My Tam's shows and concerts thus far.

Voice[link]

My Tam possesses a three-octave vocal range, her longest note lasting 13 seconds.^[2] She is a mezzo-soprano with a deep, powerful and clear voice ^[3] that fits her into a variety of genres, including pop, dance and rock. Prior to her album Vút bay, My Tam was sometimes criticized for her lackluster performances which tended to focus more on vocal mechanics than emotions. However, her 2005 album was highly acclaimed by Diva Mỹ Linh since it "marked My Tam's wise move with her voice becoming more subtle and emotional, which would do her good in the long run".^[4]

My Tam has been widely praised for her remarkable ability to sing live while performing complex dance moves on stage.^[5] In all of her live shows and concert tours, she sang around 20-30 songs consecutively but still maintained a very strong and passionate voice. This is one of the most important factors that has been securing her position as the No.1 Vietnamese performer nowadays.^[6]

Awards[link]

• 1st Prize as a solo performer in the "Spring of 1997" in Đà Nẵng City.
• Gold Medal for Best Vocal in 1997
• 1st Prize in the "Singing Contest of District Tan Binh", HCMC in 1998
• 1st Prize in the "Singing Contest of District 6", HCMC in 1998
• 1st Prize in the "Muc Tim Newspaper's Best Vocal" in 1998
• Bronze Medal in the "Asian Song Festival" in Shanghai, China in 2000
• "Exemplary Model of 2001" by the Vietnamese Television
• "Top 5 most promising singers - the 1st Hoa Học Trò Music Awards" in 2001
• "Favorite singer of 2002"" by the "Thursday Evening" Youth Club - Bến Thành Theatre
• "Talented Young Artist" by Đẹp Magazine in 2002, 2003
• "Golden Apricot" Award in 2002, 2003 by the Working Class Magazine
• "Best artist of the year" in the "Blue Waves" Musical Ceremony held by Ho Chi Minh Radio Television in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009
• "Best artist of the year" in the "VTV- Songs that I love" music contest in 2002
• "Best music video clip" in the "VTV- Songs that I love" music contest in 2003
• "Best music video clip chosen by the Panel of Judges" in the "VTV- Songs that I love" music contest in 2003
• "Best artist" by Vietnamnet in 2003
• "Best dressed artist" in 2003 by Fadin Fashion Academy
• "Heart of Vietnam" Award in 20003
• "The Platinum Award - Best female artist in 2003" by "Stage & Cinema" Magazine
• Gold Medal for the "Community Devotion" Award in 2004 by Hanoi Culture Corporation and the Community Newspaper
• "Maple Leaf" Award by the Chief Embassy of Canada
• "Golden Rose" Award voted by audiences of VTC in 2006
• "Best artist and composer" in the "Blue Waves" Musical Ceremony in 2006
• "The Platinum Award - Best female artist in 2006" by "Stage & Cinema" Magazine
• Best artist over 10 years in the "Blue Waves" Musical Ceremony
• "Golden Apricot" Award in 2008 by the Working Class Magazine
• "Award of Devotion" in 2008 by the Sports and Culture Newspaper
• "Best artist and compsoser" in the Top 10 of the "Blue Waves" Musical Ceremony in 2009
• "Best Female Artist" in the HTV Awards in 2006, 2007, and 2009 by HCMC Television Network
• In the review by ABC News (America) in August 2010, My Tam ranked 6th out of 12 "ABC's Global Pop Sensations You've Never Heard Of"
• "Best artist" in the Top 10 of the "Blue Waves" Musical Ceremony in 2010
• "Artist of the year" in the Top 10 of the "Blue Waves" Musical Ceremony in 2010

Sao Mai Điểm Hẹn 2010[link]

Sao Mai Điểm Hẹn is a reality television singing competition created and produced by VTV3 every two years starting from 2004. This is one of the two major singing competitions of Vietnam Television, the other one being Sao Mai which is held each odd year. Contestants have to pass the application and auditioning around before entering into the finale, where they perform a range of designated genres like rock, RnB, hip hop, etc. as well as their own chosen songs.

The series employs a panel of judges who critique the contestants' performances. My Tam was one of the judges in the fourth season, alongside music producers/ composers Tuấn Khanh and Hồ Hoài Anh.^[7] She was noted for her frank and hard-hitting remarks, but still displayed a sense of humour and gave contestants very constructive feedback for their improvement.^[8] My Tam received much positive publicity for her fashion choice during the series ^[9] as all her outfits creatively fit into each theme of the competition.

Cho Một Tình Yêu – For a Love (Film Project)[link]

Cho Một Tình Yêu (For a Love) is a 37-episode musical television drama film produced by BHD and directed by Nguyễn Tranh - Lê Hóa which premiered on VTV3 on October 7, 2010. The film was the first to star many famous contemporary Vietnamese singers such as My Tam,^[10] Tuấn Hưng, Quang Dũng, Minh Thuận, Minh Tú, etc. and thus received very high ratings. Just 3 hours after the first episode ended, the film's demo soundtrack was uploaded by My Tam's fans onto various websites which received 50,000 hits overnight. On one movie forum, Cho Một Tình Yêu was the hottest topic with more than 9,000 comments. Never before had any Vietnamese drama created such a stir among audiences.^[11]

The film revolves around Linh Đan (My Tam), a 25-year-old girl who dreamed of becoming a pop singer but encountered various setbacks in love and life. The only daughter of a well-off family, she had almost everything one could dream of until her parents' business collapsed and her sweetheart Hải Đông (Quang Dũng) was unwilling to stand up to his own parents for their engagement. Devastated, she went to Hội An and came across Trần Vũ (Tuấn Hưng) who used to work as a cook at a small restaurant near her old house. The couple struggled to overcome difficulties imposed by Đặng Vịnh (Hồ Thái Huy) - the main antagonist of the film, and eventually learnt to accept each other and fell in love.

Cho Một Tình Yêu is the first musical television drama film of Vietnam and while it received mixed reviews from critics regarding the plot and acting, all the musical scenes were praised for their originality and congruousness.^[12] My Tam was the musical director of the entire movie, composing a number of new songs and remixing previous songs by other artists. She then released a single by the movie's name later on which included 8 tracks featuring different versions of the main theme (ballad, guitar, piano, trombone and trompet).

Reviews[link]

• On one of her trips to Vietnam, Park Jung Ah - member of the Korean girlgroup Jewelry - expressed that she liked My Tam the most among all Vietnamese singers because she has a very impressive style.^[13]
• Singer Hiền Thục believed My Tam deserved the 1st rank thanks to her powerful and emotional voice.^[14]
• Singer Thy Dung admitted she modeled herself on My Tam.^[15]
• Male singer Đăng Khôi said My Tam is the artist he most admires.
• In 2008, according to Vietnamnet, Vietnamese showbiz recognized My Tam as ranking 1st.
• In 2008, Diva Hồng Nhung remarked that she liked listening to My Tam's songs and that My Tam proved her own class with her 2 recent albumns^[16]
• Vietnam Idol 2008 runner-up Thanh Duy said he was a fan of My Tam when she came to give professional advice to the contestants.
• Male singer Ngô Thiên said in an interview that he idolized My Tam for her talent and strong determination and that he would shout in excitement if he met My Tam in real life.^[17]
• Singer Uyên Trang admired Mỹ Tâm's lifestyle, professionalism, and talent, and hoped she would be as successful as My Tam.^[18]
• Diva Trần Thu Hà praised My Tam for her professional and successful live concert tour "Sóng đa tần" ("Multi-frequency Sound Waves")^[19]
• Singer Hồ Ngọc Hà said in 2009 that My Tam deserves all her successes and public recognition for her hard work, outstanding musical abilities and nonstop originality.^[20]
• Singer Lệ Quyên appreciated that no other artist possesses such a substantial repertoire as that of My Tam. In her opinion, My Tam always strives for the best and explores different genres to scale the heights.^[21]
• In the review by ABC News (America) in August 2010, My Tam ranked 6th out of 12 "ABC's Global Pop Sensations You've Never Heard Of".^[22][23]
• Also in 2010, in the "Finger Print" talkshow Diva Mỹ Linh believed My Tam to be the diva of the new generation.^[24]
• Male singer Wanbi Tuấn Anh said he likes listening to My Tam's songs and he is also a fan of her.^[25]
• When interviewed by the Vietnam Post in 2011, singer Vy Oanh said she admired My Tam for having graduated as a top student from Ho Chi Minh Conservatory of Music while being such a famous singer. She also liked My Tam's hospitality and kindness.^[26]

Philanthropy and Other Projects[link]

My Time[link]

In 2007, beside releasing her fifth album Fly, My Tam endorsed her first perfume which was called "My Time". There are 4 kinds of My Tam's perfume "My Time": Passionate, Charming, Manly and Stylish. We can easily figure out that "My Time" wasn't only a meaningful name but also the way to pronounce her name in English: "My Tam" - "My Time". In the same day, My Tam introduced her new company: "MT Entertainment".

The Time and Myself[link]

"The Time and Myself" is currently My Tam's newest musical project. The first product of this project is her 6th album The Return. To The Beat album and the Live Concert Tour are the following and last step of the project in 2008.

MT Foundation[link]

My Tam established a Charity Foundation named My Tam (MT) Foundation on April 4, 2008. The Foundation operates on both contributions from her own fans and from other audiences in and outside the country, and the extracted revenue of My Tam Entertainment itself. "Nâng bước ngày mai" ("Sustain the Steps of Tomorrow") is a prominent, long-term project of the Foundation which has taken place in a number of cities: HCMC, Huế, Đà Nẵng, Nghệ An, Gia Lai, Bình Định, Phú Yên, Cần Thơ, Đăk lăk, An Giang, Hà Tĩnh, etc. and counting.

References[link]

External links[link]

• The official site
• MT Foundation
• My Tam Official Fanpage