Truong Nam Thanh: A talented model arises from the twist of fate
Everyone, at some point in their lifetime, will probably encounter an incident that greatly changes their destiny. For Truong Nam Thanh, a rising star in the modeling world, such a moment arrived as soon as he turned 18.
On a summer day three years ago, while relaxing at home after the end of the high school final exam period, the young talent received the fateful call from one of his friends who worked as an event planner for a fashion show. “She said that I had a good figure and urged me to fill in the spot of a sick model that could not make it to the show,” Thanh recalled. “To be honest, I hesitated at first since I had not had any modeling experience before. But seeing her so determined and enthusiastic I knew it would be hard to say no.”
Shortly afterwards, Thanh began to take an interest in the job and went on accompanying his friend to all the fashion events that she organized. His passion kept growing over time and even led him to abandon the overseas study plan that Thanh had nurtured for a long while in order to pursue becoming a professional model. When asked about how his family reacted to his big decision, Thanh responded in a thankful manner: “Initially, my parents did strongly oppose because they was afraid that I might get hurt in the cruel world of showbiz. However, after truly understanding that catwalk was where I was meant to be, they finally gave me a nod. Well, every parent wants their child to be happy I guess.”
Thanh’s journey of finding a place in the modeling industry officially started off by entering the Vietnam Supermodel Contest 2010 in which he ended up winning the “Best Body Award”. “I did not expect anything like this since I was a newcomer after all,” Thanh modestly said. “This very first achievement meant a lot to me. It was a good base for my career and motivates me to work even harder indeed.”
2011 was a fruitful year for Thanh. Earlier in the year, he outshone hundreds of contestants to become the winner of the Model Star Competition 2011, and subsequently received a contract from Elite Model Management - home to Vietnam’s top acts such as Tien Doan and Ha Anh. Thanh was then selected by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to be a Vietnamese representative at the Manhunt International Contest 2011, which took place in Seoul, South Korea. To everyone's surprise, Thanh successfully took home not one but two honors namely the “Third Runner-up” and “Mister Popularity”. Following these achievements, his new era began to open. Thanh had the chance to get in contact with famous designers like Quynh Paris and Tuan Hai, and walk the runway for high-class fashion brands like Givenchy and Kenzo. Just as importantly, this year marked his foray into acting, starring in a number of TV serials and movies like “The almond flavor” and “Perfect inspiration” as supporting characters; as well as his enrollment in College of Stage Arts and Film with the wish to polish his acting skills so as to advance the field in the future.
2012 promises to be another busy year for Thanh with many projects planned ahead. But for the moment, Thanh gives all his attention to the “Dancing with the stars” reality show in which he has practiced really hard to deliver splendid performances for the audiences.
Now taking a break from his hectic schedule to enjoy the peaceful space of a coffee shop, Thanh reflects on the incident that brought him into the showbiz world. “Sometimes I wonder what I would have become if my friend had not called me on that day or the model that I replaced had not been sick. That twist of fate is surely the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Everyone, at some point in their lifetime, will probably encounter an incident that greatly changes their destiny. For Truong Nam Thanh, a rising star in the modeling world, such a moment arrived as soon as he turned 18.
On a summer day three years ago, while relaxing at home after the end of the high school final exam period, the young talent received the fateful call from one of his friends who worked as an event planner for a fashion show. “She said that I had a good figure and urged me to fill in the spot of a sick model that could not make it to the show,” Thanh recalled. “To be honest, I hesitated at first since I had not had any modeling experience before. But seeing her so determined and enthusiastic I knew it would be hard to say no.”
Shortly afterwards, Thanh began to take an interest in the job and went on accompanying his friend to all the fashion events that she organized. His passion kept growing over time and even led him to abandon the overseas study plan that Thanh had nurtured for a long while in order to pursue becoming a professional model. When asked about how his family reacted to his big decision, Thanh responded in a thankful manner: “Initially, my parents did strongly oppose because they was afraid that I might get hurt in the cruel world of showbiz. However, after truly understanding that catwalk was where I was meant to be, they finally gave me a nod. Well, every parent wants their child to be happy I guess.”
Thanh’s journey of finding a place in the modeling industry officially started off by entering the Vietnam Supermodel Contest 2010 in which he ended up winning the “Best Body Award”. “I did not expect anything like this since I was a newcomer after all,” Thanh modestly said. “This very first achievement meant a lot to me. It was a good base for my career and motivates me to work even harder indeed.”
2011 was a fruitful year for Thanh. Earlier in the year, he outshone hundreds of contestants to become the winner of the Model Star Competition 2011, and subsequently received a contract from Elite Model Management - home to Vietnam’s top acts such as Tien Doan and Ha Anh. Thanh was then selected by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to be a Vietnamese representative at the Manhunt International Contest 2011, which took place in Seoul, South Korea. To everyone's surprise, Thanh successfully took home not one but two honors namely the “Third Runner-up” and “Mister Popularity”. Following these achievements, his new era began to open. Thanh had the chance to get in contact with famous designers like Quynh Paris and Tuan Hai, and walk the runway for high-class fashion brands like Givenchy and Kenzo. Just as importantly, this year marked his foray into acting, starring in a number of TV serials and movies like “The almond flavor” and “Perfect inspiration” as supporting characters; as well as his enrollment in College of Stage Arts and Film with the wish to polish his acting skills so as to advance the field in the future.
2012 promises to be another busy year for Thanh with many projects planned ahead. But for the moment, Thanh gives all his attention to the “Dancing with the stars” reality show in which he has practiced really hard to deliver splendid performances for the audiences.
Now taking a break from his hectic schedule to enjoy the peaceful space of a coffee shop, Thanh reflects on the incident that brought him into the showbiz world. “Sometimes I wonder what I would have become if my friend had not called me on that day or the model that I replaced had not been sick. That twist of fate is surely the best thing that ever happened to me.”