Biography

Đức Hoàn (1937 - 2003) was a Vietnamese film director and actress. Her acting career was not expansive, but she became widely known nationally with memorable roles, especially as Mỵ in "Vợ chồng A Phủ" (1961). She also worked as the director and screenwriter of many films. Born on January 2, 1937 in Hanoi, Đức Hoàn left her family at the age of 12, joined the revolution and became a student of literature professor Hoàng Như Mai at Interzone III. After majoring in education studies in China, she returned to Vietnam and volunteered for the army, working in the Artillery Division. In 1954, during a trip in which she worked as a translator for a group of Chinese experts, she was discovered by cinematographer Phạm Trọng Quỳ and was advised by him to go for a career in cinema. Đức Hoàn later applied for a job at the Vietnam Feature Film Studio and attended a training course for drama actors at the Central Drama Theater. In 1957 - 1958, when Soviet expert Vasiliep Vietnam to teach drama, she quickly became an excellent student. She returned to Vietnam Feature Film Studio as a voice actor for foreign films. In 1961, she was chosen by director Mai Lộc to play the role of Mỵ in the film "Vợ chồng A Phủ", screenplay adapted by the renowned Vietnamese novelist Tô Hoài. This was the first and also the most remembered role of Đức Hoàn's entire film career. For her perfomance as Mỵ, she received the Silver Lotus Award at the second Vietnam Film Festival in 1973. She continued to impress with other roles such as Hoan ("Đi bước nữa", 1964), Kiều Trinh ("Sao tháng Tám", 1976), etc. From 1967 to 1972, Đức Hoàn studied film directing at Moscow State University. She then began working as a director and screenwriter for many films such as "Từ một cánh rừng", "Hà Nội mùa chim làm tổ", "Tình yêu và khoảng cách", etc. She was conferred the title of Distinguished Artist by the State. She died on April 2, 2003 in Hanoi, at the age of 66.