Norwegian- Vietnamese Veronica Ngo is almost unknown in Norway, but in Vietnam, she is a well-known model, singer, and actor under the name Ngô Thanh Vân. In recent years, the 42-year-old has also been discovered by Hollywood but it is in Norway that she feels most at home.
In an interview with local media Dagbladet, Veronica Ngo says that Oslo is so clean, calm, and quiet. “Here I can unwind and recharge after big projects. It’s really nice to come home,” she says.
Besides being a famous face in Vietnam, Veronica Ngo also runs her own film studio, is a director, has won several Asian film awards, and was the first to win the Vietnamese version of “Dancing with the stars ‘. After she caught the eye of Hollywood, she appeared in the American-Chinese wuxia film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. In 2017, she played Paige Tico in The Last Jedi and she appeared in the Netflix film Bright with Will Smith. In 2019, she starred in the Vietnamese action film Furie (Hai Phượng), which later became the highest-grossing domestic film of all time in Vietnam, and last year she appeared in The Old Guard beside Charlize Theron and in Spike Lee‘s film Da 5 Bloods with Chadwick Boseman.
Veronica Ngo is predicted by many to have a brilliant career in Hollywood, but is almost unknown in Norway, even though she has Norwegian citizenship and considers herself Norwegian. Her own life story is also worthy of a Hollywood movie. She left her own family as a ten-year-old, came to Norway as a boat refugee with an aunt, and then grew up in a foster home in Lillehammer. Her biological mother eventually also came to Norway and married a Norwegian man.
As a 20-year-old, Veronica Ngo returned to Vietnam and started her career. As an adult, she has become passionate about giving young girls more opportunities, something she mentions in the autobiographical self-help book “Alpha Woman” which became a local bestseller. Both in the book and to Dagbladet, she has emphasized that growing up in Norway gave her enough self-confidence to pursue her dreams.
In her interview, Veronica Ngo says that she got the apartment in Oslo in November, but due to covid-19 she was only able to come now. “But I love staying here! Especially now in the summer when you can see people outside enjoying themselves, she says
Norway has a special place in her heart but Veronica Ngo can not stay in the country for long because the 42-year-old is currently starring in a Disney project in Bulgaria, and has a new film in Thailand this fall.
Veronica Ngo believes that the Norwegian mentality has helped her advance in Hollywood. “I became very independent from that background, and have built up more self-confidence than many other women in Vietnam, ” she says.
Although she is very private about her personal life, Veronica Ngo says that if she and her partner have children, they will grow up in Norway. “It is a must that my children grow up here. I grew up here myself, and want my children to learn Norwegian values, she says.
She only thrives partially in the glamorous limelight that accompanies her in Vietnam and Hollywood. “I am really Norwegian at heart, and enjoy the comfy style here at home, with jeans and sneakers. When I’m home and have Norway as my base, I can sit on the floor at the train station while I wait for the train. And no one cares. I am very Norwegian, down to earth,” she says.
Read the full interview here
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