Vietnamese-American songtress Lệ Thu, who was well-known in southern Viet Nam in the 1970s, died of COVID-19 in the US on January 15. She was 78. — File photo from vietnamnet.vn

HCM CITY — Vietnamese-American songtress Lệ Thu, who was well-known in southern Việt Nam in the 1970s, died of COVID-19 in the US on January 15. She was 78.

Lệ Thu, whose real name was Bùi Thị Oanh, was born in Hải Phòng City in 1943.

She moved to Sài Gòn, now HCM City, with her family when she was 10 years old.

She began her singing career in 1959, and became famous for love songs by well-known composers Trịnh Công Sơn, Phạm Duy, Trường Sa,  Vũ Đức Sao Biển and others from 1968 to 1971.

Her career is associated with many songs by Trường Sa, such as Rồi Mai Tôi Đưa Em (Tomorrow I Send You Away), Xin Còn Gọi Tên Nhau (Please Call Out Our Names), and Mùa Thu Trong Mưa (Autumn Rain).

After 1975, Lệ Thu emigrated to the US with her family and continued her music career in the Vietnamese community.

She worked with Thúy Nga Paris By Night, a music show produced by US-based Thúy Nga Productions.

She recorded 24 solo albums and numerous albums with famous overseas Vietnamese singers like Khánh Ly, Hương Lan and Tuấn Ngọc.

She also performed at music concerts for overseas Vietnamese in the US and other countries.

In 2007, she returned to Việt Nam to take part in concert memorialising late composer Trịnh Công Sơn.

After that, she took part in many concerts and became a judge for several TV music shows.

In 2014, Lệ Thu hosted her first live show in Việt Nam, receiving a very warm welcome from local audiences. — VNS