Born in 1927 in Hanoi, Thinh gained an interest in cinematography at an early age. He used to go to Hang Da and Hang Quat cinemas with his friends whenever a new film was released.
In 1956, he gained a position as a dubbing artist for a Soviet film export firm. He also succeeded in the casting for ‘Chung Mot Dong Song’ (Sharing the Same River) by directors Pham Hieu Dan and Nguyen Hong Nghi, the first feature film of Vietnamese revolutionary cinema. The film won the Golden Lotus prize, the highest accolade, at the second Vietnam Film Festival in 1973.
He was then invited to act in many films, in which he left memorable impressions on viewers’ hearts with his natural performance and pleasant face. Prominent among the films was ‘Vo Chong A Phu’ (A Phu couple), in which he played a communist solider in the northwest region. Although it was not a leading role of the film, he spent much time studying the script and went on a field trip to see the real life of people in the mountainous region. Together with his colleagues in the film crew, Thinh made significant contributions to the work’s success.
He was often cast in the role of a simple-hearted character in Vietnam’s rural areas, which can be seen in a series of films such as ‘Thi Tran Yen Tinh’ (The Quiet Town), ‘Vo Chong Anh Luc’ (Luc Couple), ‘Chi Dau’ (Ms Dau) and ‘Khong Noi An Nap’ (Nowhere for Shelter). No matter whether it was a leading or support role, he always invested time and effort to satisfy audiences.
He also gained achievements while acting as a comedy artist. According to director Tran Luc, Thinh did his acting in a very natural and serious way, but he always knew how to make audiences burst into laughter.
He was named the Best Actor at the eighth Vietnam Film Festival in 1988 for his performances in ‘The Quiet Town’ and ‘Bom’.
In 1990, he inspired audiences’ emotions through his excellent acting as an old fisherman in the film 'Loi Nguyen Cua Dong Song’ (The Spell of the River), by director Khai Hung. Embracing hatred from the past, the fisherman, living on a boat on the river, unintentionally became a cruel father to his only daughter and excluded her from life on the mainland. When she left him to follow the call of love and left him, he was so depressed that he killed himself and put an end to his unpleasant life. The cinematic work was honored with the grand prize at the Brussels Film Festival in Belgium in 1992.
Thinh also took part in a number of films by Overseas Vietnamese and foreign directors, such as ‘Xich Lo’ (Cyclo) by Tran Anh Hung and ‘Indochina’ by Régis Wargnier.
His last film with the leading role was ‘Tet Nay Ai Den Xong Nha’ (Who is the first-footer on the Lunar New Year Festival) by director Tran Luc.
He retired in 1989 and he was conferred with the ‘People’s Artist’ title in 1997.
Establishing himself with a serious working manner, brilliant acting and devotion to the “seventh art”, Thinh set an example for younger actors to follow.
Cinema lovers can pay their last respects to the veteran artist at his funeral ceremony, scheduled at 14:45 on April 15 at the National Morgue at 5 Tran Thanh Tong, Hanoi.
