My Tam: A-list star, 20 years as a Vietnamese music icon that is hard to surpass

Not only is she seriously active in the arts and has won many important awards, after nearly 25 years of pursuing a music career without controversy, My Tam has become the most successful singer in Vietnamese showbiz.

Difficult times, on the 9th floor with no elevator

My Tam's real name is Phan Thi My Tam, born in 1981 in Da Nang in a large family, none of whom pursued art.

Although her family did not have an artistic tradition, My Tam soon showed her talent and passion for singing. She studied ballet for 3 years and then switched to guitar and organ. Thanks to that, My Tam has a good sense of music, a strong and sensitive sense of rhythm. During her school years, she often participated in artistic activities at school, helping her gain experience and stage presence later on.

My Tam's singing voice was revealed early on, even though she had not received any formal training. While still in secondary school, the female singer won first prize in the school-wide singing contest and won the A prize in the Central and Central Highlands Singing Festival.

After that, she continued to win the Gold Medal of the 1997 Spring Voice Contest for the whole city of Da Nang when she was only 15 years old. Thanks to that, My Tam was admitted directly to the Military University of Culture and Arts in Hanoi.

However, due to difficult circumstances, My Tam could not go to Hanoi to study. In 1997, she went to Saigon to pursue her music career to satisfy her passion. That same year, she began studying at the regular intermediate level of the Vocal Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music.

My Tam's time as a student was quite difficult, but she never stopped trying. Singer Nguyen Vu once shared that he admired My Tam very much. He was once assigned to take My Tam to take pictures and was very surprised when he learned where the female singer lived. It was an old, dilapidated apartment building with no elevator. My Tam lived on the 9th floor and had to climb the stairs every day.

First record live show in stadium

My Tam's career began in 1998 when she became an exclusive singer for the Vafaco center, led and promoted by musician Nguyen Ha. My Tam's first recorded song, "Nhe Anh", immediately became a hit, bringing her name to the public, with her short, individualistic hair image.

In mid-2000, My Tam ended her contract with Vafaco and collaborated with musician Nguyen Quang. The two co-wrote the song Mai Yeu, which My Tam took to the Asian Golden Voice Festival in Shanghai, winning a bronze medal.

In 2001, My Tam released the song "Brown Hair, Deep Lips" in a CD recorded with Thanh Lam, Ha Tran, Thu Phuong and this song quickly became a big hit associated with her name.

Riding on the success, My Tam released her debut album, Forever in Love, that same year. The album had 8 songs, 5 of which became hits, selling 54,000 copies, helping to propel My Tam to stardom. She was also voted by VTV as the Outstanding Person of the Year, along with many other awards.

The following year, My Tam organized a tour across Vietnam. It can be said that she was the youngest female singer at that time to tour across Vietnam and sold out everywhere. Also in 2002, My Tam released the hit song Cay dan sinh vien, which quickly became a national song for students at that time and brought the female singer many awards. A series of other hits such as Ban mai tinh yeu, Tinh lo cach xa, Hat voi dong song were also released and achieved great success. It can be said that My Tam was the female singer with the most hits at that time, every song she released became a hit. She received the award for Most Favorite Singer at the Lan Song Xanh Music Awards 2002.

The following years were a series of resounding successes for My Tam, pushing her name to the top star in the market. The album Yesterday & Now in 2005 sold 68 thousand copies, setting a record in the Vietnamese music market at that time. She was also chosen by Pepsi as an exclusive singer and went to London to meet top stars such as Britney Spears, Beyonce...

The Liveshow Then & Now was also a resounding success with the largest investment in the history of making music nights in Vietnam at that time, 3 billion VND, attracting tens of thousands of spectators to the stadium to watch.

Music icon at 44 years old, no one has surpassed him

After a series of brilliant successes, My Tam had a period of silence but in 2017 she suddenly exploded again with the album Tam 9, gathering many big hits, dominating the market. This push of My Tam made everyone overwhelmed because it was unbelievable that a singer of her age, after nearly 20 years in the profession, could still create trends that surpassed the younger generation of singers. This is something that few singers can do.

Since then, a series of My Tam's music and film projects have been born and always top the market, from views on social networks, product sales to music show ticket sales. My Tam has always been a name that guarantees every box office and has a strong appeal.

Even though she is 44 years old, My Tam is still extremely beautiful and is considered younger than before, with a series of top visuals on social networks, making the audience fascinated.

What is special is that My Tam, even at the age of 44, has never lost her passion for her career, always full of enthusiasm, strength and energy. Every time she performs on stage, My Tam still overwhelms all young singers with her strong, powerful voice, cheerful and positive energy. She even dances very well, with enough energy to animate and stir up a stage of thousands of people. This is something that few singers can do at My Tam's age. Many people are surprised to witness My Tam's reverse aging, as she becomes more and more youthful and energetic on stage.

The greatest feat My Tam has achieved at the age of U45 is organizing a sold-out live show with over 30,000 spectators at My Dinh Stadium. No other singer in Vietnam has ever done this. Even the shows Anh trai vu ngan cong gai and Anh trai say Hi needed over 30 artists to fill the stadium like My Tam needed alone.

Despite her success on stage, My Tam still maintains a private life, not noisy. After the stage's spotlight, My Tam rarely gathers with friends and colleagues, often returning home and choosing to stay with her family, taking care of her mother. My Tam often enjoys a happy single life in her own wealth and peace. She often sits alone chilling with her guitar in her garden.

My Tam responded bitterly to Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang, receiving support for her claim of 1 billion Hoàng Phúc17:06:38 11/06/2025After being accused by her former student of oppressing and favoring Duc Phuc in The Voice, My Tam continues to be involved in a private scandal. The female singer was called out by Ms. Phuong Hang, revealing her private life without verification.