People's Artist Nguyễn Thị Trà Giang (born 11 December 1942 in Phan Thiết) is a Vietnamese actress, politician and painter. She is often regarded as one of the greatest figures of early Vietnamese cinema, and was the first film star to be named a People’s Artist of Vietnam. Daughter of prestigious stage director Nguyễn Văn Khánh, Trà Giang immigrated to Hai Phong with her father’s troupe following the 1954 partition of Vietnam. In 1959, she passed a selective audition and joined the newly inaugurated Vietnamese Academy of Performing Arts in Hanoi, where she made her debut in stage and occasionally took on background acting roles at Hanoi Film Studio. After her graduation from the Academy, Trà Giang made her debut as Mrs. Kien in "A First Day in Autumn" (Một ngày đầu thu, d. Huy Vân & Hải Ninh, 1962). In 1963, Trà Giang rose to prominence with the career-defining role as the titular ch…
