Chi Pu: The Life Story Behind Vietnam's Bright Star

Chi Pu is one of the most talked-about stars in Vietnam, and she has earned that attention by doing something very few people manage: she has reinvented herself, again and again, in front of the whole country. She began as a teenage model in Hanoi, became an actress, then became a singer, then became a star in China, and at every stage, people doubted her, criticised her, and waited for her to fail. She did not fail. She kept working, kept learning, and kept proving her critics wrong, until the doubts turned into respect.

She was born Nguyễn Thùy Chi on 14 June 1993 in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. She was a pretty, confident teenager with a strong presence on camera, and she first became known as a model for teen magazines, one of the so-called “hot girls” of Hanoi, young women whose photos were shared widely online. From there, she moved into acting, and then into music, and each move brought new challenges and new criticism. But Chi Pu has a quality that is hard to teach: persistence. She does not give up, and that persistence has carried her further than talent alone ever could.

Her story is about ambition, about criticism, and about the courage to keep going when everyone is watching and waiting for you to stop. It is a story that many young Vietnamese people recognise, because they too have been told that they cannot do something, and they too have had to decide whether to listen or to keep going.

A Hanoi Teenager With a Camera-Ready Face

Hanoi in the late 2000s was a city where the internet was changing what it meant to be famous. Young people shared photos online, followed teen magazines, and admired the “hot girls”, beautiful young women whose pictures were everywhere. Chi Pu was one of them. She was a teenager in Hanoi with a pretty face, a confident smile and a natural ease in front of a camera, and her photos were shared widely by young Vietnamese internet users. She became known, not through television or film, but through the new world of online fame.

That kind of fame is both exciting and fragile. It brings attention quickly, but it does not bring respect automatically, and many “hot girls” disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Chi Pu understood that, and she did not want to be only a pretty face in a photograph. She wanted a real career, and she began to look for ways to turn her online fame into something lasting. She tried modelling, she tried acting, and she worked hard to learn the skills she would need.

Her family supported her ambitions, and she moved to Ho Chi Minh City to pursue her career, a move that many young Vietnamese performers make when they are ready for bigger opportunities. Ho Chi Minh City was the centre of entertainment in Vietnam, with more films, more television shows and more music than Hanoi, and Chi Pu knew that she needed to be there if she wanted to grow. She arrived as a young woman with a famous face and an uncertain future, and she set out to prove that she was more than a photograph.

Those early years were a time of learning. She took acting lessons, she appeared in small roles, and she studied how the entertainment business worked. She was not an overnight success. She was a young woman building a career step by step, and she was willing to start at the bottom and work her way up. That willingness, to learn and to work, would become the foundation of everything she achieved later.

Acting First: Sitcoms and Small Roles

Chi Pu’s first real career was in acting. She appeared in the popular sitcom “5S Online”, a comedy series about young people living and working together, and her role in the show made her a familiar face to Vietnamese television audiences. Sitcoms are a good training ground for a young actor, because they require timing, energy and the ability to work with other actors, and Chi Pu learned those skills on the job. She was not a trained actress, but she was a quick learner, and her natural charm made her popular with viewers.

She took on more acting work, appearing in television dramas and in films, and she began to build a reputation as a serious actress, not only as a model. Acting taught her discipline: how to learn lines, how to take direction, how to work long hours on a set, and how to keep going when a scene is difficult. Those lessons would help her later, when she became a singer and had to learn a whole new craft in public.

In 2015, she starred in the film “Yêu”, which means “Love”, a romantic drama about young people and their relationships. The film was a success, and it showed that Chi Pu could carry a leading role in a film, not only a supporting role in a sitcom. Her performance was praised, and the film’s success gave her confidence that she could be a real actress, not only a famous face. She had proven herself in one field, and she was ready to try another.

Acting also taught her about criticism. As a public figure, she was judged constantly, and not always kindly. People criticised her acting, her looks, her choices, and she learned to handle that criticism without letting it stop her. That toughness, learned on film sets and in the press, would be essential in the years that followed, when she faced even harsher criticism as a singer. She had already learned that the public can be cruel, and that the only answer is to keep working and to let the work speak for itself.

Yeu, Chi Chi Em Em and Film Stardom

As her acting career grew, Chi Pu took on bigger and more challenging roles. In 2019, she starred in “Chị Chị Em Em”, a thriller about two sisters, which became a major box office success in Vietnam. The film was dark, stylish and dramatic, and it showed a new side of Chi Pu as an actress, capable of handling a complex, emotional role. Audiences were impressed, and the film’s success confirmed her status as a leading actress in Vietnamese cinema.

She also appeared in other films, including the horror sequel “Mười: Lời Nguyền Trở Lại” in 2022, which continued her work in Vietnamese cinema and showed her range as an actress. Her film career, built over a decade, proved that she was not a passing fashion. She was a working actress with a real body of work, and she had earned her place in the industry through persistence and hard work.

Her acting success also gave her the confidence to try music. By the late 2010s, she was a well-known actress, and she had a large fan base who followed her work. She could have stayed with acting, and she would have had a good career. But she wanted more. She wanted to sing, and she was willing to risk her reputation as an actress to try. That decision, to become a singer, was the boldest of her career, and it would bring her both her greatest success and her harshest criticism.

Film had taught her how to perform, how to express emotion and how to connect with an audience, and those skills would help her as a singer. But singing is a different craft, and she knew that she would have to learn it from the beginning, in front of millions of people who were ready to judge her. She did it anyway, because she believed in herself, and because she was not afraid to fail in public.

Becoming a Singer: Tu Hom Nay and the Critics

In 2017, Chi Pu released her debut single as a singer, “Từ Hôm Nay (Feel Like Ooh)”, a bright, catchy pop song with a colourful music video. The song was a hit, and it introduced her as a pop singer, but it also brought a wave of criticism. Many people in Vietnam questioned whether she could sing, and some critics were harsh, saying that she was a model and an actress, not a real singer, and that she should stick to acting. The criticism was public, loud and painful, and it could have ended her music career before it had really begun.

Chi Pu did not quit. She kept releasing music, kept performing and kept working on her voice, and she answered her critics not with arguments, but with more songs. She released “Cho Ta Gần Hơn” and other singles, and she performed at concerts and on television, showing that she was serious about music and that she was willing to learn. Her persistence won her respect, even from some of the people who had doubted her, because it is hard not to respect someone who keeps working in the face of public criticism.

Her music videos were stylish and well produced, and her performances were energetic and confident. She understood that a pop star is not only a voice. A pop star is a whole performance, with dancing, fashion and stage presence, and Chi Pu had those qualities in abundance. She worked with good producers, she chose catchy songs, and she built a music career that, whatever the critics said, found a large and loyal audience.

The criticism never fully went away, but it changed. As she released more music and performed more, people began to judge her on her work rather than on her background, and many of them admitted that her songs were catchy, her videos were beautiful and her performances were entertaining. She had not silenced her critics, but she had outlasted them, and that is a victory in itself. She had proven that a person can learn a new craft in public, can be criticised for it, and can still succeed.

Anh Oi O Lai and a Song That Won Everyone Over

In 2019, Chi Pu released “Anh Ơi Ở Lại”, which means “Please Stay”, and it became one of the biggest hits of her career. The song is a beautiful, emotional ballad, with a stunning music video inspired by Vietnamese folklore, and it was played everywhere in Vietnam. It showed a new side of Chi Pu as a singer, tender, emotional and capable of carrying a serious song, and it won over many listeners who had doubted her. The song’s success was a turning point, because it proved that she could do more than catchy pop. She could sing a ballad that moved people.

“Anh Ơi Ở Lại” became a phenomenon, with millions of views online, covers by other singers and a place in the soundtrack of Vietnamese life. Its music video, with its beautiful costumes and its story drawn from Vietnamese tradition, was praised for its artistry, and it showed that Chi Pu and her team were capable of making work that was both popular and beautiful. The song’s success silenced many of her critics, at least for a time, and it gave her the confidence to keep pushing herself as a singer.

The years after “Anh Ơi Ở Lại” were a high point in her music career. She released more songs, performed at large concerts and became one of the most discussed pop stars in Vietnam. She had achieved what she set out to do: she had become a singer, not only an actress who sang, but a real pop star with hit songs and a loyal audience. Her journey, from model to actress to singer, was complete, and it had taken her a decade of hard work.

But she was not finished. She had one more reinvention ahead of her, and it would take her beyond Vietnam, to a stage she had never imagined, in front of an audience that had never heard of her, in a country where she did not speak the language. That reinvention would be her boldest yet, and it would change her career again.

Ride the Wind in China and a New Audience

In 2023, Chi Pu took part in “Ride the Wind”, the Chinese version of the show known as “Sisters Who Make Waves”, a competition that brings together female stars from different countries to perform, compete and form a new group. It was a bold move. She would be performing in China, in front of a Chinese audience, in a language she did not speak fluently, against experienced singers and performers from across Asia. Many people in Vietnam wondered if she could do it, and some doubted her again, just as they had when she became a singer.

She did it. She performed with energy, with charm and with a professionalism that impressed the Chinese audience and the other contestants. She sang, she danced, she learned quickly, and she won the affection of viewers who had never heard of her before. She reached the final stages of the competition and earned a place among the show’s winning group, a remarkable achievement for a Vietnamese star in a Chinese show. Her success in China made headlines in Vietnam, and it turned her into a source of national pride.

The experience in China changed her career. She gained a new audience, millions of Chinese viewers who now knew her name, and she opened the door for other Vietnamese artists to work in China. She also proved, once again, that she could learn a new craft, in a new country, in a new language, and succeed. Her time on “Ride the Wind” was not only a personal victory. It was a victory for Vietnamese entertainment, showing that Vietnamese stars could compete on an international stage and win.

After the show, she continued to work in China, performing, appearing on television and building her career there, while remaining a star in Vietnam. She had become an international artist, and her story, from a Hanoi teenager to a star in two countries, was one of the most remarkable in Vietnamese pop. She had done what few Vietnamese stars had done: she had crossed a border, learned a new world and made it her own.

What Chi Pu Means Today

Today, Chi Pu is in her thirties, a star in Vietnam and in China, an actress, a singer and a businesswoman, and she shows no sign of slowing down. She continues to release music, to act and to perform, and she remains one of the most discussed and most admired stars in Vietnam. Her career has lasted for more than a decade, through criticism, through reinvention and through a move to a new country, and she has survived it all by working hard and by refusing to give up.

Her legacy is still being written, but it is already clear. She showed that a person can start as a model, become an actress, become a singer and become an international star, if they are willing to learn, to work and to face criticism without quitting. She showed that Vietnamese stars can succeed abroad, and she opened a path for others to follow. And she showed that persistence, more than talent, more than beauty, more than luck, is what carries a career through hard times.

For young Vietnamese people, she is an example of what is possible when you refuse to accept the limits that others place on you. She was told she could not act, and she acted. She was told she could not sing, and she sang. She was told she could not succeed in China, and she succeeded. Each time, the answer was the same: keep working, keep learning and keep going. That is Chi Pu’s story, and it is a story that will inspire young Vietnamese artists for years to come.

Business, Fashion and Life Beyond the Stage

Beyond singing and acting, Chi Pu has built a career as a businesswoman, working in fashion and in other ventures that reflect her sense of style and her understanding of her audience. She has been involved in fashion brands and in projects that allow her to express her creativity off the stage, and those ventures have shown a business sense that many people did not expect from a young star. She understands her fans, she understands what they want, and she has used that understanding to build a career that is not dependent on a single hit song or a single film.

Her fashion is a central part of her public image. She is known for her stylish, modern clothes, both on stage and off, and her choices are followed by millions of young Vietnamese women who admire her taste. She dresses boldly, confidently and always with a sense of occasion, and her fashion has become part of her art, a way for her to express who she is and what she stands for. Young women in Vietnam look to her as an example of how to be confident, how to be stylish and how to be unafraid to stand out.

Her presence on social media is also a major part of her career. She has millions of followers, and she shares photos, videos and moments of her life with them, staying connected with an audience that spans Vietnam and China. In a fast-changing industry, where stars rise and fall quickly, staying connected is essential, and Chi Pu has done it well, without losing her privacy or her dignity. She shares enough to make her fans feel close to her, but not so much that she loses herself, and that balance is a sign of a mature, thoughtful star.

Her work in China has also opened new business opportunities, and she has used her fame there to build a career that spans two countries. That is a rare achievement for a Vietnamese star, and it shows her ambition, her adaptability and her willingness to learn a new language, a new culture and a new market. She did not stay in Vietnam and wait for opportunities to come to her. She went to China, she learned, and she built a new audience, and that initiative is one of the reasons her career has lasted and grown.

Her influence on young Vietnamese people goes beyond entertainment. She is an example of what is possible when you refuse to accept the limits that others place on you, when you keep learning, keep working and keep going, even when everyone tells you to stop. Young Vietnamese artists look to her as a model of persistence, and young women look to her as a model of independence and confidence. That influence, on the culture as a whole, is one of her most important achievements, and it will last long after her current hits are forgotten.

Her journey also shows the importance of the internet in modern Vietnamese fame. She became known online as a teenager, she built her acting career through television and film, she built her music career through online videos, and she built her Chinese career through a television show that was watched by millions online. At every stage, the internet was part of her story, and she used it wisely, sharing her work, connecting with fans and building an audience that spans two countries. That understanding of the modern media world is one of her greatest strengths, and it is one reason she has stayed relevant while other stars have faded.

She has also become a symbol of Vietnamese ambition on the international stage. When she succeeded in China, she did not only succeed for herself. She succeeded for Vietnam, showing that Vietnamese artists can compete with the best in Asia and win. That national pride, felt by millions of Vietnamese people who watched her on “Ride the Wind”, is part of her legacy, and it is one that will last. She opened a door, and other Vietnamese artists will walk through it, because she proved that it could be done.

My Take:

When I think about Chi Pu, the first thing I feel is respect for her persistence. She has been doubted at every stage of her career, and she has kept going at every stage. When she was a model, people said she was only a pretty face. When she became an actress, people said she could not act. When she became a singer, people said she could not sing. When she went to China, people said she could not succeed there. And each time, she proved them wrong, not by arguing, but by working. I find that deeply admirable, because it is easy to quit when everyone is criticising you, and it is very hard to keep going. She kept going, and that is why she is still here, still famous, still successful, while many of her critics have been forgotten.

What I admire most is that she was willing to learn in public. Most people learn in private, where their mistakes are not seen. Chi Pu learned to sing in front of millions of people, and every mistake was noticed, discussed and criticised. That takes a kind of bravery that is hard to understand unless you have experienced it. I think about how it must have felt to release “Từ Hôm Nay” and to read the criticism, to hear people say that you cannot sing, and to decide to release another song anyway. That is not arrogance. That is courage, and it is the courage of a person who believes in herself more than she believes in her critics. I respect that enormously.

I also think about “Anh Ơi Ở Lại”, and about what that song meant. It was a beautiful song, with a beautiful video, and it won over people who had doubted her for years. I think that song is proof that hard work pays off, not immediately, but eventually. She did not become a great singer overnight. She worked at it for years, song by song, performance by performance, and then one day, she released a song that was undeniably good, and the whole country had to admit it. That is how careers are built, not in a single moment, but through years of patient work that finally produces a moment everyone can see. I find that hopeful, because it means that if you keep working, your moment will come, even if it takes years.

Her time in China, on “Ride the Wind”, is the part of her story that impresses me most. To go to another country, to perform in a language you do not speak well, in front of an audience that does not know you, against experienced performers, takes a level of confidence that is rare. She did it, and she succeeded, and she earned a place in the show’s final group. I think that is a remarkable achievement, not only for her, but for Vietnam. She showed that Vietnamese artists can compete internationally, that they can learn quickly, and that they can win the hearts of foreign audiences. She opened a door, and I hope other Vietnamese artists walk through it, because her success proves that it is possible.

I want to be honest about the criticism, too, because it is a big part of her story and because it raises an important question. Was the criticism fair? Some of it was, in the sense that she was not a trained singer when she started, and her early performances were not perfect. But much of it was unfair, because it judged her for who she was, a model and an actress, rather than for what she was doing, learning to sing. I think we should be kinder to people who are learning a new skill in public. It is easy to criticise. It is hard to learn, and it is harder still to learn while everyone is watching. Chi Pu did that, and she deserves credit for it, not only for the result, but for the courage to try.

There is a lesson here for young people, and I think it is an important one. People will tell you that you cannot do something, and sometimes they will be right, but often they will be wrong, and the only way to find out is to try. Chi Pu tried, again and again, and she succeeded, again and again, not because she was the most talented person in the room, but because she was the most persistent. Talent matters, but persistence matters more, and her career is proof of that. If you want something, and you are willing to work for it, and you are willing to face criticism and keep going, you can achieve it, even if everyone tells you that you cannot.

If I could ask her one question, I would ask her what kept her going during the hardest times, when the criticism was loudest and the doubts were strongest. I imagine she would say that she believed in herself, that she loved performing, and that she knew her fans were waiting for her next song. I imagine she would say that giving up was never an option, because she had worked too hard to stop. I do not know her answer, but I know what her life says, and her life says this: do not let other people decide what you can do. Decide for yourself, work hard, learn constantly, and keep going, even when it is hard, even when it hurts, even when everyone is watching. That is Chi Pu, and that is why I admire her, not only as a singer or an actress, but as a person who refused to quit.

I also think about her early fame as a “hot girl” in Hanoi, and about how hard it must have been to move beyond that label. When you become famous for your looks as a teenager, people assume that is all you are, and they do not take you seriously as an artist. Chi Pu had to fight that assumption for years, proving herself first as an actress, then as a singer, and then as an international star. Each time, she had to start again, to learn a new craft, to face new critics, and to prove herself all over again. That takes a kind of determination that is rare, and I admire it deeply, because most people would have given up after the first round of criticism, and she kept going through three.

I think about the language barrier in China, and about what it means to perform in a country where you do not speak the language well. She had to learn songs in Chinese, to communicate with other contestants, to understand the judges, and to win over an audience that had never heard of her. That is an enormous challenge, and she met it with the same persistence she had shown throughout her career. She learned, she practised, and she performed, and her success in China is a testament to her ability to adapt, to learn quickly and to connect with people even when words fail. Music and performance are universal languages, and Chi Pu proved that by winning over a Chinese audience with her energy, her charm and her talent.

There is a lesson here about the value of being underestimated. Chi Pu has been underestimated at every stage of her career, and each time, being underestimated worked in her favour, because it meant that people expected little from her, and she could surprise them. When you are underestimated, you have nothing to lose, and you can take risks that others cannot. Chi Pu took those risks, again and again, and she turned being underestimated into a strength. I think that is a powerful lesson for anyone who feels that people do not take them seriously: let them underestimate you, and then prove them wrong, not with words, but with work.

I also reflect on her acting career, and on how it prepared her for music. Acting taught her how to perform, how to express emotion, how to work with a camera and how to handle the pressure of being watched. Those skills transferred directly to her music career, where she had to perform on stage, in music videos and on television, all while being judged by millions of people. She was not starting from zero when she became a singer. She was starting with a decade of experience as a performer, and that experience gave her a foundation that many new singers do not have. It is a reminder that skills are transferable, and that what you learn in one field can help you in another, if you are willing to apply it.

I think about the future, and about what Chi Pu will do next. She is in her thirties, a star in two countries, and she shows no sign of slowing down. She may release more music, she may act in more films, she may build her business further, and whatever she does, her fans will be watching, because they have learned that with Chi Pu, the next chapter is always worth waiting for. She has already had three careers, as a model, as an actress and as a singer, and a fourth in China, and I would not be surprised if she has a fifth, because she is a person who is always growing, always learning and always changing. That is a hopeful thought, and it is a reminder that a career is not a straight line. It is a journey, with turns, with surprises, and with second chances, if you are brave enough to take them.

One last thought, and it is about the word “persistence”, because it is the word that best describes Chi Pu. She is not the most talented singer in Vietnam, and she is not the most talented actress, and she would probably admit that herself. But she is one of the most persistent, and persistence, in the end, matters more than talent, because talent without persistence fades, while persistence without talent can still build a career, if the person is willing to learn and to work. Chi Pu learned, she worked, and she persisted, and that is why she is still here, still famous, still successful, while many more talented people have been forgotten. That is a lesson I will carry with me, and I hope young people who read her story will carry it too.

I also want to say something about the song “Anh Ơi Ở Lại” once more, because it deserves a second mention. It is a beautiful song, with a beautiful video inspired by Vietnamese folklore, and it showed a side of Chi Pu that many people had not seen: tender, emotional and capable of carrying a serious ballad. The song’s success was a turning point, because it proved that she could do more than catchy pop, and that she could sing a song that moved people deeply. It silenced many of her critics, at least for a time, and it gave her the confidence to keep pushing herself as a singer. That is the power of a single great song: it can change how the world sees you, and it can change how you see yourself, and “Anh Ơi Ở Lại” did both for Chi Pu.

I think about her business ventures, and about what they reveal about her intelligence. Many stars rely only on their fame, and when the fame fades, they have nothing. Chi Pu has built businesses, in fashion and beyond, that give her independence and security, and that show she understands that a career in entertainment is not forever, and that a smart person plans for the future. That business sense, combined with her talent and her persistence, makes her a complete professional, and it is one reason I respect her. She is not only a star. She is a businesswoman, and she is building a life that will last long after the spotlight moves on.

I also want to reflect on the idea of reinvention, because Chi Pu has reinvented herself more times than almost any star in Vietnam, and each reinvention has been a risk. She went from model to actress, from actress to singer, from singer to international star, and each time, she had to learn a new craft, face new critics and prove herself all over again. That takes a kind of courage that is rare, and it is a lesson for anyone who feels trapped by an old version of themselves. You are allowed to change. You are allowed to start again. And if you work hard and you believe in yourself, the new version of you can be even better than the old one.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Chi Pu born?

Chi Pu, whose real name is Nguyễn Thùy Chi, was born on 14 June 1993 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

How did Chi Pu become famous?

She first became known as a teenage model in Hanoi, then became an actress in sitcoms and films, and later became a singer with hit songs such as “Anh Ơi Ở Lại”.

What is Chi Pu’s most famous song?

Her most famous song is “Anh Ơi Ở Lại” from 2019, a beautiful ballad with a music video inspired by Vietnamese folklore, along with her debut single “Từ Hôm Nay”.

Was Chi Pu criticised as a singer?

Yes, when she became a singer in 2017 many critics questioned her singing ability, but she kept releasing music and improving, and her later hits won over many listeners.

What did Chi Pu do in China?

In 2023 she took part in the Chinese show “Ride the Wind”, reached the final stages and earned a place among the show’s winning group, gaining a large new audience in China.

What films has Chi Pu acted in?

She has acted in the film “Yêu” in 2015, “Chị Chị Em Em” in 2019 and the horror film “Mười: Lời Nguyền Trở Lại” in 2022.

Is Chi Pu still performing today?

Yes, she continues to work as a singer and actress in both Vietnam and China, and she remains one of Vietnam’s most popular stars.