Hoài Linh
Võ Nguyễn Hoài Linh (born December 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Hoài Linh, is a Vietnamese and American comedian and actor. A frequent collaborator of Thúy Nga center, he is known for his comedy performances alongside other artists such as Vân Sơn and Chí Tài. BiographyHoài Linh was born on December 18, 1969, in Cam Ranh, Khánh Hòa in a Catholic family with 6 children (3 boys, 3 girls). He is the third child and the eldest son in the family. His parents are from Đại Lộc, Quảng Nam. With the exception of his eldest sister - who were married and remained in Vietnam, his family moved to the United States under the HO status in 1995 - due to the fact that his father previously served in the Republic of Vietnam's Special Forces as a captain. His mother, Nguyễn Thị Lệ Phương,[1] ran a private maternity home in Cam Ranh. Hoài Linh lived in Cam Ranh up until 1975. He then moved with his family to Dầu Giây. In 1988, his family returned to Cam Ranh. Later, they moved to Ho Chi Minh City in 1992 and migrated to the United States at the end of 1993. During this time, Hoài Linh joined the Ponaga music and dance troupe. He studied at a specialized dance school up until 1994, when he returned to the dance group. In 1991, he participated in a singing contest in Nha Trang. Here, he met Thanh Lộc - an actor from Khánh Hòa's recently disbanded theater department. Thanh Lộc proposed that they formed a comedy duo in the Ponaga group's performances. Hoài Linh happily accepted the invitation. Since then, he officially entered the comedy industry. His first performance took place at Diên Khánh. Hoài Linh is known for his ability to speak various Vietnamese dialects. Upon moving to Long Khánh, he had the opportunity to talk to people from different regions, this allowed him to learn how to imitate their accents. After migrating to the United States, his family stayed in Orlando, Florida. Here, he was invited to host a wedding at Saigon restaurant. After that, he was regularly invited to perform at many shows. Around October 1994, Hoài Linh returned to California. He lived at his 10th uncle's house in Los Angeles. Two weeks later, he had the opportunity to visit Little Saigon and was taken by Nhật Tùng to Tao Nhân cafe. Here, he performed a comedy of Chuyện tình Karaoke. His acting captured the attention of scriptwriter Ngô Tấn Triển. One week later, Hoài Linh met comedian Vân Sơn and was invited to cooperate with him after comedian Bảo Liêm suddenly stopped collaborating with Vân Sơn. In October 1994, the duo Vân Sơn - Hoài Linh officially performed together in an event held in Orange County. In 1999, after his return to Vietnam, Hoài Linh established his own business called "Hoài Linh Comedy Music". Later, he started collaborating with Thúy Nga Center and New Smile Company. He and comedian Chí Tài remained friends up until the latter passed away on December 9, 2020. On January 10, 2016, Hoài Linh was honored with the title of Meritorious Artist.[2] He was the first overseas Vietnamese artist to receive this recognition.[3] ControversyAllegations of Construction on Agricultural LandIn September 2015, Võ Nguyễn Hoài Linh (the comedian Hoài Linh's real name) began construction on several parts of his ancestral worship temple on a plot of land measuring over 7,000 square meters in Long Phước Ward, District 9 (now Thủ Đức City).[4] At that time, the land was still designated as agricultural land and had not been converted for construction purposes. Consequently, the construction projects underway were also determined by District 9's functional units to lack permits.[5] On February 16, 2016, regarding Hoài Linh's ancestral temple, which was alleged to have been built illegally on agricultural land, the leaders of District 9's People's Committee stated that the illegally constructed portion of the temple was approximately 500 square meters, resulting in an administrative fine of 6.2 million VND.[6][7][8] Sources from Ho Chi Minh City Law confirmed that construction was temporarily suspended due to Hoài Linh's illegal construction on agricultural land.[9][10] Accusations of 'Holding' Charity Fundsfter calling for donations to support people affected by the 2020 Central Vietnam floods, Hoài Linh received a total of over 14 billion VND transferred to his account.[11] However, by the end of May 2021, following a controversial incident with Nguyễn Phương Hằng, it was discovered that Hoài Linh had not yet transferred these funds to the local areas in need of charitable assistance.[12][13] On the morning of May 24th, artist Hoài Linh officially admitted that, up to that point, the amount of money donated to support Central Vietnam from October 2020 was not over 13 billion VND, but rather over 14.67 billion VND. He stated that the reason for the delay in delivering the funds to the people of Central Vietnam was due to the impact of the escalating pandemic situation.[14] This further fueled public skepticism, as during the preceding period, specifically on January 19th and April 8th, 2021, Hoài Linh still participated in charitable programs with Vina Acecook Company, the Mì Hảo Hảo brand, and the Vietnam Children's Fund, donating over 1,000 gifts to disadvantaged children in the two provinces of Điện Biên and Lai Châu.[15] Amidst a consumer boycott in Vietnam against products featuring Hoài Linh, following scandals related to charity funds, Shopee and Nutifood simultaneously removed all images of Hoài Linh from their advertising campaigns, stating that it was 'to avoid any unwanted situations.[16] On June 5, 2021, Hoài Linh posted a video explaining his charitable fundraising activities to support the Central Vietnam flood victims in 2020. He acknowledged that his actions had caused public outrage and issued an apology.[17] Previously, on May 24th, in a video explaining the delay in delivering over 13 billion VND in aid to Central Vietnam, Hoài Linh asserted that he would not trade his 30-year career and the public's affection for that amount of money.[18] On September 22nd, the Investigative Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police announced that they had received complaints from Hoài Linh, Đàm Vĩnh Hưng, Vy Oanh, and several other artists against Nguyễn Phương Hằng, concerning issues related to the defamation of public figures.[19] On December 22nd, the Investigative Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police concluded that Hoài Linh did not show any signs of embezzling charity funds and decided not to initiate a criminal case.[20] Personal lifeIn August 1996, Hoài Linh returned to Vietnam to visit Lê Thanh Hương, his girlfriend whom he had met before leaving the country.[21] Lê Thanh Hương worked at a karaoke bar he frequented. This connection inspired him to name his latest CD "Tình Karaoke" (Karaoke Love). His trip to Vietnam was to officially marry Lê Thanh Hương and sponsor her to live with him in the United States, starting in April 1997. However, they separated in 2010 and have remained apart since.[22] Hoài Linh has two biological children: Võ Lê Thành Vinh (born in 1990) and a younger daughter (born in 2012).[23] Additionally, he has numerous adopted children, among whom Hoài Lâm[24] and Cao Hữu Thiên are widely recognized. Recently, Hoài Linh adopted Nguyệt Cát, the beloved daughter of comedian Thúy Nga.[25] Hoài Linh is the biological brother of singer Phương Trang and singer Dương Triệu Vũ (whose real name is Võ Nguyễn Tuấn Linh).[26] Although his parents were Catholics, Hoài Linh has converted to Đạo Mẫu.[27] Acting work
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