Travel with “Vietnam’s Lin Chi-ling”! Helen Thanh Đào takes 30 fans on a tour of Ho Chi Minh City

Reported by Chen Tzu-yin / Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Helen Thanh Đào, a Taiwanese-Vietnamese actress dubbed “Vietnam’s Lin Chi-ling,” today (12th) led 30 enthusiastic Taiwanese fans to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for a four-day close-up travel experience. Helen even covered part of the fans’ travel expenses out of her own pocket. Due to the May 13 Vietnam riot incident, Helen’s identity has once again drawn attention from the Taiwanese public. At today’s media meet-and-greet, Helen said that because of her mixed Taiwanese-Vietnamese heritage, she feels a responsibility to promote exchanges between the two countries, whether in tourism or culture.



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Two months ago, Helen Thanh Đào posted on her Facebook fan page about plans to take fans on a trip to Vietnam. Within less than two days, the spots were all filled. However, not long after, the May 13 Vietnam riot incident occurred. Helen was the first to speak out, urging Vietnamese people to clearly distinguish between mainland Chinese and Taiwanese, which led to strong dissatisfaction among some mainland Chinese. Regarding this, Helen said helplessly: “Because of an upcoming movie, my original plans in mainland China have all been affected, and I’m afraid it will be difficult for me to develop there in the future.”

Helen said that in recent years, her career in Taiwan’s entertainment industry has been very challenging. To show her gratitude to her Taiwanese fans who have supported her, she came up with the idea of “taking fans to travel in Vietnam.” She mentioned that both Taiwan and Vietnam are inseparably connected to her, so she hopes to bring Taiwanese people to Vietnam to play and get to know the country, and in the future, she also plans to bring Vietnamese friends to Taiwan. During the press conference, Helen also secured sponsorship from a pineapple cake vendor, hoping to bring a taste of home and warmth to comfort Taiwanese businesspeople who were recently frightened by the riots.


▲ Helen Thanh Đào expressed her helplessness at today’s press conference over the backlash from mainland Chinese after calling on Vietnamese people to distinguish between mainlanders and Taiwanese. (Photo / Reporter Chen Tzu-yin)

The 4-day, 3-night trip with the fans includes Ho Chi Minh City’s century-old church “The Red Cathedral,” the General Post Office, as well as a roughly one-and-a-half-hour rural tour of nearby areas, a Mekong Delta eco-tour, and a cruise on the Saigon River, aiming to give fans an in-depth experience of Vietnamese culture. Fan Ms. Zhou also said: “Traveling with Helen Thanh Đào, you’re sure to see a different side of Vietnam.”

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