Skipping school to sing, salary is only enough to buy a bowl of pho
Meritorious Artist (NSUT) Kim Tu Long Real name is Hoang Kim Long, born in 1966 in Ho Chi Minh City. He came to the art of Cai Luong at the age of 12, when he often went to the house of his younger brother, People’s Artist Minh Vuong, to play and listen to vọng cổ singing. After listening many times, he fell in love with Cai Luong without realizing it.
In the program Knock on the Stars’ Door, Kim Tu Long confessed that he started learning to sing the first vọng cổ verses and his teacher was none other than the younger brother of People’s Artist Minh Vuong. The more he learned to sing, the more addicted Kim Tu Long became, to the point that he often skipped school to sing. He confessed that his salary at that time was only enough to buy a bowl of pho, but it made him incredibly happy.
Meritorious Artist Kim Tu Long is a famous face in the folk singing village.
To earn money to study cải lương, Kim Tử Long had to sell rice cakes to save money for tuition. The business failed, but in return, his parents allowed him to pursue his passion.
In 1981, Kim Tu Long enrolled with nearly 1,000 other candidates to take the entrance exam for the second course of Tran Huu Trang Theater Actor Training School and passed with the highest score. Also here, he was trained by People’s Artist Phung Ha and given the stage name Kim Tu Long with the wish that his talent would fly high and far in the future.
After 4 years of hard training, Kim Tu Long joined the Tran Huu Trang Theater Group 3, then the Huynh Long Group, the Minh To Group, and the Song Be Group. In the early days of joining the troupe, Kim Tu Long always sat in the wings to learn from the senior artists about singing and acting. Kim Tu Long’s acting ability gradually improved with characters that required psychological separation in acting. Thanks to the roles of Y May (Y Ban and the fairy), Phan Luong (The beauty of Tien Chau wharf), Gia Dong (The fairy Mau Don), Lu Bu (Phung Nghi Dinh), My den (Living in love), Du Nhuong (Du Nhuong da long bao), Dong Thua (Ma Sieu avenging his wife)… he was once known as the “king of reformed opera”.
Meritorious Artist Kim Tu Long was once known as the “King of Cai Luong”. (Photo: FBNV)
1994 was considered the golden age of the cai luong video genre. Artist Kim Tu Long revealed that his filming schedule was so packed that he had to take time to sleep. His fans were so enthusiastic that they gave him flowers and then money at every stage.
During the 1990s and 2000s, Kim Tu Long achieved many achievements in his career with awards: Tran Huu Trang Award (1992), Most Favorite Actor Couple Award (1994, with artist Ngoc Huyen), National Professional Stage Festival Gold Medal (1995), Talented Artist Face (2000), Mai Vang Award (2003 and 2005).
In addition to reformed opera, Kim Tu Long is also known as a talented director in the plays Trang Meo Marries His Wife, Turip and the Magic Lamp, Em Oi Dung Khoc Nua, Vo La Tat Cay… and has contributed to modern Vietnamese music with Chinese songs with Vietnamese lyrics.
A rich and fulfilling life at the age of U60
In addition to his illustrious career in cải lương, Kim Tử Long is very good at business. Thanks to his real estate business around the year 2000, he has a large fortune. The male artist owns a restaurant, a spa and a cafe, so his life is very comfortable.
However, in love, Artist Kim Tu Long He had a rather rough life. He had gone through two failed marriages and had three children before marrying his third wife, artist Trinh Trinh, niece of People’s Artist Thanh Tong.
Kim Tu Long is happy with his wife and 2 sons. (Photo: FBNV)
At first, their relationship was met with criticism because the male artist had been married twice and the couple had an 11-year age gap. However, the couple has proven their love is strong after 14 years together and having 2 children.
Currently, the “king of cải lương” and his wife and children live in a luxurious villa in Ho Chi Minh City. The detached villa has 3 floors with a private swimming pool and spacious garden. The male artist revealed that he is also passionate about cars, having changed 30 cars and is currently using a luxury car brand.
At the age of U60, Kim Tu Long’s name still creates a special attraction. He is also considered one of the few cai luong artists who persevere in his career, constantly creating in music projects and participating in many television game shows.