Dieu Hien: 5 children no one called their mother, lived in a nursing home, touched Hong Loan

At the age of 80, "The First Dao Martial Arts Cai Luong" once kept an optimistic spirit, lived happily in old age at the Ho Chi Minh City Artist Nursing Home, avoiding bothering his children and grandchildren. Recently, she was caught up in Vu Linh's family drama.

The first cai luong martial artist Dieu Hien almost burned to death and intends to quit her job

Artist Dieu Hien, real name Lam Thi Hien, was born in 1945 in Bac Lieu in a poor family with many children. Since childhood, she has been orphaned by her father, living with her mother in a small hut along the Saigon River. Her childhood was associated with the times she followed her mother to watch the Cai Luong troupes tour. Once hearing Ut Tra On and Kim Anh sing in the play Vietnamese Mother's Heart, the flame of passion for theater in her began to ignit. Although she was forbidden many times by her mother because of the concept of "singing without species", at the age of 14, she still ran away from home to sing, starting an adventurous life.

In the early years of singing, Dieu Hien faced many difficulties. Joining the Orchid – Xuan Lieu troupe, she was only assigned the role of the masses and female servants. When she entered Hoa Sen, she was discovered by artist Hoang No – singer Hoang Le Nga's father – and taught ancient singing. Once in the play Flowers fade in the desert, because the main duo was absent, she was auditioned for the role of a nun instead of the uncle. The role made a strong impression, the character name "Dieu Hien" was chosen by him as a stage name for her – since then she has followed her all her life.

Dieu Hien's career flourished when she became one of the most prominent martial artists on the Cai Luong stage, famous for roles such as Nhui Kieu in Nhui Kieu General or Bui Thi Xuan in Female Chess General. Her strong singing style, majestic temperament, strong and decisive voice helped her be loved by the audience, and her colleagues called her "The First Dao of Vietnamese Cai Luong Martial Arts".

When Cai Luong gradually declined, she performed less, mainly singing in the province to make a living. In 1979, she had a stage fire accident and suffered severe burns to her hands. After the incident, she wanted to quit her profession, but thanks to the encouragement of her relatives and love for art, she continued to stand on stage despite her declining health. In the following years, Dieu Hien stayed away from the spotlight, lived quietly and rarely appeared in public.

5 children call their mother "sister" due to lack of closeness and love

The artistic path has been cheating, and Dieu Hien's love affair is also full of difficulties. When she was still singing, she married artist Ut Hau in the Thong Nhat troupe of the famous singer Ut Tra On. The marriage ended early because of "the end of fate", as she once said: "It's not suitable, it's enough for anyone to be at peace".

After the divorce, Dieu Hien raised 5 children alone. Despite her hardships, she did not complain because she always had her biological mother to help take care of her grandchildren. "My mother takes care of all the children, and I have to go singing for many days. Thanks to my mother, I am assured to do my job," she said. One of the daughters – Dieu Thanh – later followed her mother's career to sing, her son became a musician, and another daughter went to the monastery from a young age.

Due to being separated for too long, the children are closer to their grandmother than their biological mother. They used to call her "Sister Hien" instead of "mother". When her children are older, she finds a way to change that. "That year, I made 5 children queue up to wish Tet, asking to call by their mother. Some are embarrassed, some cry because it took a long time to get red money from their mother," she said emotionally. Although she has suffered many disadvantages, her children later love and take care of their mother.

Despite the breakup, she and artist Ut Hau still maintain their camaraderie relationship. When he was seriously ill, she and her children came to take care of him until he died. "I'm miserable, my love is not complete. But thanks to my children, I have the energy to overcome all the storms," she confided. According to her, being an artist is easy to have a "big ego", so just one anger can break up a family.

In the late afternoon, she chose to live in a nursing home instead of living with her children

Artist Dieu Hien's old age is a series of days of fighting illness and need, far from the once illustrious image on stage. The sequelae of the fire at the age of 34 caused her left hand to be severely burned, and her health deteriorated. At the age of nearly 80, she carried many diseases: heart, herniated disc, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, rheumatism... She walks slowly, her memory decreases, her eyesight is weak, and the cost of medication is also a burden.

Previously, she lived in a small apartment of less than 60 square meters with 10 relatives – her sister, son, daughter-in-law and grandson. Because she wanted to give up the room to her children and grandchildren, she divided the corner of the balcony into a "private room" about 10m² wide, roofed with plywood. The room only had a small bed, some personal items and old photos that reminded me of the glory days. No property, no amenities, but it was a place where she "sheltered from the sun and rain" for many years.

Later, she decided to "go out separately", applying to live at the Ho Chi Minh City Artist Nursing Home. HCM. The children loved their mother and couldn't bear to let her go, but she was still resolute: "Sister Hien knows that you are filial piety, but I have already made up my mind. This is what I want, so that I can be happy."

Public opinion used to talk when the artist had 5 children and chose to live in a nursing home. But she said it was a voluntary decision, because she wanted her children to make a living with peace of mind. In her new place, she has friends in the same profession, is cared for, and still occasionally participates in art exchanges.

Controversial because of statements about Vu Linh's daughter

Recently, social networks have spread many clips recording Artist Dieu Hien chatting with visitors at the nursing home, in which she mentioned the late Artist Vu Linh and his relatives. The videos posted on TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube have caused a lot of controversy.

According to the content, a businesswoman and her crew visited and gave gifts to Dieu Hien, someone recorded a video and posted it online. In the clip, she said that she was visited by the daughter and adopted son of the late artist Vu Linh, giving money and gifts. She said she had sent that money to someone who was more disadvantaged. Some of her statements were misunderstood by the online community as harsh or "shadowy", causing public opinion to be divided.

The incident made the name of Artist Dieu Hien recalled, but at the same time it also made many people worry about her health and spirit – an artist who has been attached to the stage all her life, now living alone in a nursing home in old age.

Artist Dieu Hien was upset because Vu Linh's younger brother was kicked out of the house, teaching Hong Loan Minh Lợi13:42:37 05/11/2025Artist Dieu Hien, although she is 80 years old, has weak legs, has to move in a wheelchair, but is still lucid. She was extremely happy and excited to meet her junior colleagues in the past.