'Calendar girl queen' Hien Mai talks about the haunting role she played in her youth
Mar 01, 2026
Hanoi [Vietnam], March 1: Hien Mai is one of the idols of the 80s and 90s generation of viewers thanks to her elegant appearance and natural acting style. Although she started out as a model, Hien Mai found her calling on the small screen, and her first role was as teacher Mai in the series " Tuoi Than Tien" (The Age of Innocence) , which aired in 1995.
The film's script is based on the short story " Happiness is as Salty as Tears" by author Tieu Nhat. In the film, Hien Mai plays a newly graduated teacher who is kind and loves children. She devotes herself to guiding her student, Ti, which leads to pressure from his parents to quit her job.
During the filming process, "calendar girl queen" Hien Mai admitted that she felt a lot of pressure. "Honestly, when filming that movie, I felt tired and had no joy at all because of the immense pressure. At one point, I wanted to withdraw from the film, I didn't want to continue filming, but when I met with the television station's management, they advised and encouraged me, so I returned to continue filming. Back then, I considered giving up because filming was too exhausting and I wanted to go back to being a model," Hien Mai confided.
However, Hien Mai was surprised that when the film was released, it was highly praised by critics and loved by the audience. From that film, the 60s-born beauty understood the hardships of the acting profession and strived harder in her art. After this work, Hien Mai continued to make her mark in fairy tale films such as " The Legend of the Mosquito," "The Legend of the Watermelon," "The Legend of the Monkey," etc.
It seemed as though the 1997 on-set accident had put an end to Hien Mai's career, but she was fortunate enough to recover quickly and return to acting. At nearly 60 years old, the "calendar girl queen" has a happy family with her businessman husband and son. She doesn't proactively tell her son about the incident because she doesn't want to bring negative energy. The actress from the film " Age of Innocence" is also proud when she talks about her son.
She confided: "Since he was little, Tony has been used to frequently appearing with his mother at events, magazine covers, and interviews, so he feels it's very normal. He doesn't feel out of place or act arrogant or conceited towards people. He's gentle, well-behaved, sociable, and affectionate, so all my friends like him. I'm even worried that my son is too gentle and might be bullied."
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper