Meritorious Artist My Chau: "The Queen of Swordsmanship" Cai Luong in the South, lonely in the afternoon

Artist My Chau was born in 1950 in Long An, famous at the same time as Le Thuy, Phuong Lien, Minh Canh, Minh Vuong, Minh Phung... She is known as the "queen of sword fighting" of the Southern Cai Luong theater art.

Artist My Chau's real name is Nguyen Thi My Chau, born in 1950 in Long An, is the youngest child in a family of 4 children. Because her father died early, My Chau's mother had to rush early to have money to support her children to study. From an early age, My Chau understood her mother's hardships, so she never bothered her. That's why My Chau chose to work as a cai luong even though her desire was to become a doctor. Because her mother loves Cai Luong and likes her daughter to follow the singing profession, My Chau is ready to put aside her dream of becoming a life-saving doctor to please her mother.

At the age of 7, My Chau was elected Ba Cang of the Bell Troupe and at the age of 11, she officially joined the troupe throughout the southern provinces. From the first time she stood on stage, My Chau surprised many people because she was very bold and knew how to juggle with other characters.

For a little girl like My Chau, having to live far from her mother, brothers and sisters, and her beloved home is not easy. In the troupe, My Chau was assigned to help a famous artist, having to do laundry, carry water, iron clothes, cook rice... busy from early morning to evening. She said that it was an unforgettable time in her life because she was so bitter and embarrassed. There were times when she had to eat a bowl of rice full of her own tears. However, no matter how hard it was, My Chau still tried to learn the profession and waited for the opportunity because she didn't want to upset her mother.

After a series of tearful days, My Chau picked sweet fruits at the age of 14 as the main peach Thuy Duong in the play Two Appointments. The role of Thuy Duong has brought the life of little My Chau to a new page, from her maid to the chief peach of the Capital stage with a remuneration of 80,000 VND.

One of the factors that makes the name My Chau attractive is her unique voice. She has an earthy voice, a deep voice and because of her deep voice, the lower she goes, the clearer the lyrics sound, the sadder she becomes. Therefore, every time she sings, My Chau seems to be telling a story, the lyrics seem to pour honey into her ears, making people more and more fascinated.

Besides a rare bass voice, My Chau is also a woman with a beautiful face, sexy physique and youthful and vibrant acting. Because of this, the public called her Lolita (the charming character in the French film of the same name played by actress Brigitte Bardot). In addition to Lolita, the press that day also gave her many other titles such as Queen of Colors, Queen of Sword Fighting to show admiration for her talent and beauty.

At the age of 15, My Chau signed a contract of 150,000 VND with Bau Long Kim Chung. As soon as she entered Kim Chung's troupe, My Chau affirmed her position and after the role of Mai Thao in The Virgin of the Blue Chamber, Bau Long decided to raise the contract price to keep My Chau. She received several million VND for a two-year contract. This is the same amount of remuneration as Ut Bach Lan and a record amount for a young peach. At that time, My Chau became a well-known name in the Cai Luong world.

With that resounding success, My Chau became the economic pillar of the family. She bought a house, a car for her mother and helped her brothers and sisters. At this time, My Chau is extremely satisfied, because now, her family is not only out of poverty but also has an abundant life. For a filial son like My Chau, it is a great happiness and pride.

My Chau joined the troupe because she wanted to help her family and let her mother save her hardship, so she only focused on singing and performing on stage, not caring about love. Therefore, love came to My Chau later than the famous people of Saigon at that time. It was not until the age of 40 that My Chau married her co-star Duc Minh.

My Chau said that her love story with artist Duc Minh was predestined. In the early days of meeting, My Chau hated Duc Minh bitterly. Although My Chau is a gentle and simple person, she is very serious and meticulous at work and that is why she cannot like Duc Minh, who always comes to practice late because she is engrossed in watching football. My Chau said, once, because he was busy watching football, Duc Minh arrived late, making the audience wait. My Chau was so angry that even when performing on stage, she still didn't bother to look at her colleagues for a second.

However, the true god of love knows how to tease the world, the couple Duc Minh - My Chau from unjust family to lovers is always not good. Their love lasted all the time in collaboration with the Saigon 1 Youth Union, Huong Thu Thu, Saigon 3, Minh Phung Golden Bell... and by 1990, they were married. The unfortunate thing in the marriage of the 2 artists is that they got married when My Chau was 40 years old, so she couldn't have children. This made My Chau torment herself for a long time.

The lack of children's crying and laughter makes My Chau always carry a heavy burden of grief, but it is the love of artist Duc Minh that helps her feel at ease. He did not have acne, but he did not reject My Chau because of that, on the contrary, he was always by his side to take care of, love and cherish his wife. It is also thanks to that wonderful sincerity of her husband that My Chau has regained joy in life. In return, although My Chau does not like football, every time her husband goes to play, she also prepares clothes for him as well as supports the home team. Going to perform abroad, she takes advantage of shopping to choose sportswear as gifts for her husband.

Although fate came a little late, she felt lucky in her life to have such a rare partner. But, happiness did not last long when in 2013, artist Duc Minh suffered from a tumor in his liver, My Chau hurriedly brought her husband to the US for treatment and extended his life for more than 8 months before he died. Artist My Chau brought the remains of the late artist Duc Minh back to the country according to his wishes (in Ben Tre).

In recent years, carrying out her husband's will, My Chau has moved to many states in the US to visit artists who have had many memories with her and her husband. Those meetings are to preserve and promote the art of Cai Luong.

Many people feel sorry when Artist My Chau is beautiful and famous in her young years, but in the afternoon she suffers from the loss of her husband and no children.