Nguyen Sanh: From tycoon to bankrupt, once spoiled son, now settled in the US

Nguyen Sanh is a famous actor with many villainous roles from stage to film. Currently, the male artist has settled in the US and he still follows the life of his son Trinh Tuan Vy.

Love affair with wife met since 13, became a billionaire

Nguyen Sanh is a veteran actor in the Vietnamese film industry. He used to be the drummer of the band Dong Song Xanh, then became an actor. Nguyen Sanh is loved for his roles in the films Hai Chi Em, Ngon Co Gio Gioc, Bi Mat Tam Giac Vang, Ranh Bien Tinh...

Being both an artist and a businessman, a car dealer, Nguyen Sanh was also a real estate tycoon during his golden age. Although he had a comfortable life, his life also experienced many painful losses when his first son died in a traffic accident, his second son, singer Trinh Tuan Vy, was a playboy, his wife fell ill and passed away...

Recently in the program Nha co khach, the actor had a conversation with Thuy Nga. The female MC commented that the senior was still very stylish and had the same demeanor as many years ago. Talking about his life, he said that there were many changes, touching but not "shocking". At the age of nearly 80, he still shed tears when talking about his wife and current companion.

The veteran actor currently resides in the US. He said that he came to the US because of his parents, and in Vietnam he already has a job. The artist said that every time his parents returned to Vietnam, they would send a whole procession of cars to pick them up. Later, his old mother suffered from diabetes and had to undergo dialysis, and he went to take care of her for more than 3 years without seeing some relatives. Nguyen Sanh said: "We have many siblings, but I believe that in a group of ten children, some owe their parents, some their parents owe them. One's fate is not something to be looked at by others, if you can take care of it, then take care of it."

The actor said he grew up in a poor civil servant family, with 14 children but 12 of them remained. He was the eldest son. He studied hard and was very good at it, surprising everyone because he didn't study at home. His father had 1 bag of rice and 1 barrel of oil each month, and the mother and children struggled together. He worked hard with his mother, working as a restaurant owner, serving, washing dishes, going to the market, doing laundry, carrying water...

It was also because of carrying water that he met his first wife. The male artist said: "My first wife and I studied together. During the day, we often carried water past each other's houses, and at night we went to school and learned martial arts together. Her family was well-off, while mine was a poor civil servant's family. I carried water but had no sandals, so I had to ask for them. Sometimes we made an appointment to sit and talk at a relative's house, sitting on a chair, and later lost our sandals. Only after a long time could we buy a pair of 18-dong leather sandals.

We met when we were 13 years old. After we got married, I really appreciated that feeling. She refused many prestigious families. Her salary was very high, she made 50,000 VND, but at that time gold was 3,000 VND/tael, and she was also given clothes, shoes, and makeup. I also got to enjoy it. After getting married, when I got off the car, she asked, "Where do you want to live now?", I said, "I'll stay here." So I lived with my wife for 21 years.

She passed away 15 years ago. She was 57 when she passed away. My wife had a stroke and I took care of her for nearly 4 years. The press once wrote that Nguyen Sanh was '4 in 1' because I ran a restaurant at home, I was in the kitchen, took care of my youngest son's singing career, took care of my sick wife, took care of her stage and television career, and even ran a car business. I took care of everything. I was very energetic at that time. At that time, I had a lot of land. So, the artist community called me a tycoon."

Nguyen Sanh used to be a drummer, he earned gold from this profession. Later, he sold his motorbike and humorously said: "Until now, I still love cars, girls don't even look at them but they do. Back then, I had a villa in Thu Duc as a garden restaurant, with 5-6 vintage cars. My garden villa was very large, beautifully designed. I opened a coffee shop, then I had a talent for cooking so I switched to a restaurant."

Choking up talking about the woman who came later and Trinh Tuan Vy's son

The actor said that in the past he was a playboy but considered family as the most important thing. After living with his wife for 21 years, he moved out and had a 200m2 villa, but now he has nothing left. Talking about the reason for his poverty, he said: "My wife also loves her children so she did things that I don't know. When she returned to Thu Duc, she destroyed the villa too. Now I only have one house left. If there is anything at home, I will arrange it. But she told her mother and went out to borrow another 400-500 million. The interest on those loans is very high.

I just think that if a couple got married with nothing, then losing everything now is okay, the problem is losing someone. It's sad, but also relieved because I have done my duty. Before she died, she said: 'In this life, if I die first, I will be happy, if you die later, you will suffer. I am very satisfied because I have you'.

Sharing his feelings about going from a billionaire to bankruptcy, the actor said: "I regret it because I can no longer help those who deserve it. Now I drive a simple car, wear simple clothes, and even simpler in America. Now I'm older, I eat less. Now I'm 71 years old, I live a more carefree life. I've worked a lot, everything has its own karma, so I just happily accept it. After I've taken care of everyone, I leave some money to protect myself so I don't tell anyone. Honestly, I lost a lot in total, hundreds of billions! Back then, I had a stack of red books."

Talking about his deceased eldest son, the male artist shared: "I was also unlucky that my eldest son died before his mother. He died at the age of 22. My son was in a car accident. At that time, I was a very famous car dealer right on Ly Tu Trong street. So, when my son was 22, I promised to give him a car. But before I could give him one, he died!

He got hit and fell. He was carrying his girlfriend, and she lived, but he died. It was fate. That one was very obedient. The next one is a girl, born in 1974, 50 years old this year. My granddaughter also followed the profession, graduated from film school."

The second son, Trinh Tuan Vy, used to be a playboy. Nguyen Sanh said: "He was a very filial child, but his stubborn nature and environment spoiled him. He used to be a star in the West. I took him to act in plays with Mrs. Kim Ngoc when he was very young. After that, he went into the music industry, which was very expensive. The singers' world is very demanding, so they always compete with each other."

In his old age, Nguyen Sang also had a woman by his side, but he said: "My wife and I were not destined to go there. She was my first love. Since then, I have not officially dated anyone. Many people have come but it is difficult. Those who come to me, when they are far away, all have my blessings. When I come here, there are women who say I am the owner of this or that nail salon, I always say: 'Sorry, I don't use women's money'. There are also good people who want to find a man to comfort them at the end of their lives, but they are rare. There are women who ask for their pants back without wearing them.

The person who came to me later, my children were jealous and said this and that to others, I was heartbroken. They passed a test. Second, they knew how to respect the deceased, my eldest wife. There was a person who came to my wife's grave to ask for permission, it was very pitiful. I am an actor so I know who is pretending, but I can feel the real heart and emotions. I hope that when I am old, I will ask that person." Speaking of this, he shed tears and said he really appreciated that gesture.

Nguyen Sanh said he took care of his daughter when she moved out. He still kept his youngest son's share. Later, when he passed away, someone would give it to Tuan Vy. As a parent, he could not be away from his son. He said: "He listens to people, he can say things that are very offensive to me, but I am still calm. Because the audience, the public, and the people understand me, I am still at peace."

Thanh Van returns from Australia: The whole family has to relearn Vietnamese, was her biological mother deceived? Minh Lợi10:52:05 17/03/2025After returning to Vietnam from Australia, Oc Thanh Van started working again. First, she returned to the game show. Notably, the female MC also discussed the issue of filial piety, she said that it is difficult for anyone to be truly perfect in being a child or a parent.