Eleanor Clapham back in Vietnam: Awake Again After a Long Sleep

Eleanor Clapham back in Vietnam: Awake Again After a Long Sleep

Being the first foreigner to master the Vietnamese performing arts of tuong and cheo, Eleanor Clapham is among the most celebrated artists in the country. On December of 2006, millions of people across Vietnam sat in front of their televisions, captivated by the sight of a blonde haired, blue-eyed Australian woman performing the ancient performing arts of tuong (classical opera) and cheo (popular opera) on stage at the Hanoi Opera House.

Even for the Vietnamese drama students themselves, tuong and cheo isn’t that easy to learn. But Clapham, apart from being the first foreigner who ventured to study the arts, her growing attachment to the beautiful country, its people and its wonderful culture allowed her to amazingly perfect the techniques.

On top of her growing popularity, her fascination for the charming land made her develop close relationships with the wonderful Vietnamese people. She may have her western name, but her Vietnamese friends prefer to call her Hoang Lan.

Looking Back

Clapham was born in Canberra. Inspired by her musician father and theatre-loving mother, her interest for performing began at a very young age. At 10, she created her own puppet show and made performances in local schools.

Perhaps among the most painful moments of any aspiring artist is being turned away and never appreciated. Clapham had her own taste of downfall as well. In 2005, while completing her Bachelor of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong, she was dropped from the opera class and was told that she didn’t have what it takes to be an Opera singer. That left her wondering how to realize her dream of performing believing there are far more talented performers out there.

Beating the Odds

On her search as to how far she can take her creative career to, fate led Ta Duy Binh to her university - a Vietnamese Australian who came to demonstrate the traditional Vietnamese art of tuong. Clapham was immediately taken by the delicate, beautiful and completely unique nature of the singing and dancing - she never expected such a captivating art ever existed.

Her acquaintance with the interesting art made her see a career opportunity which could definitely make her stand out. She approached Ta Duy Binh with the idea of coming to Vietnam and learn the art of tuong. But she was told about the immense challenge of having to learn Vietnamese first. Perhaps she could learn the dance easily, but learning how to sing is a different story since it is considered incredibly complex even for Vietnamese performers.

Did that stop her? Clapham took all that as a challenge and in 2005, she first set foot in the soil of Vietnam, armed with the determination that she could and would master the country’s ancient theatrical arts. With very little Vietnamese language skills, she moved in with a family of performance artists, Thanh Tuyet and Luu Tich Duc, who doesn’t speak English as well. But the language barrier never stopped the learning and the wonderful relationship to grow. Over time, Thanh Tuyet became a mother figure for the young Australian and later on, became her teacher.

Clapham began her daily tuong lessons with several teachers, none of whom spoke any English. At some point, she finds her spirit broken when she feels dissatisfied of her learning progress, along with the overwhelming task of learning the dialect. But everytime that happens, she picks herself up again and strives to beat the odds. After an intensive year of studying and training, she became capable of performing classic extracts of tuong and cheo such as Xuy Van Gia Dai (Xuy Van Feigns Madness) and Ho Nguyet Co hoa Cao (Ho Nguyet Co becomes a Fox). By the end of 2006, Clapham performed in a solo show at the historic Hanoi Opera House, captivating the entire crowd.

An Unexpected Turn of Events

Clapham, at the very peak of her career, performing on nationwide-broadcasted VTV4, high profile events for APEC and Tet, and even after the success of her solo show, made an unexpected move nobody clearly understood - - - she left the spotlight with no explanation, returned to her home country, worked in a coffee shop in Sydney, and became an ordinary face. Back in Vietnam, she kept everyone wondering, “Hoang Lan dau roi?” (Where is Hoang Lan?).

No one realized how beneath the strong personality seen from outside the determined performer, everything became too overwhelming for Clapham. The mix of physical stress and emotional pressures made her feel she is losing control of everything within her grasp, and even with no definite understanding of her own reasons herself, she suddenly decided to give up everything and leave Vietnam.

She assumed a normal life and worked like everyone else, but with every endeavor, she felt none was giving her the drive or joy she was constantly seeking. Desperate for a big move, Clapham decided to go back to university and pursue a new career. But just before the academic year began, she received an unexpected invitation, out of the blue, to perform tuong and cheo in Singapore.

Granting the invitation, she flew to Singapore, performed and felt a part of her spirit so renewed by the experience. She decided to stop by Vietnam on the way back to Australia, and it was there when she found the answer to her lifelong search. Recalling how she always wanted to be a song writer even when she was little, she decided to go for it.

Picking Up the Pieces

From where she had left off, it was also from Vietnam itself where she started picking up the pieces of the puzzle of her perhaps shattered dreams. Returning to Australia, she gave herself a year and a half of hard work and dedication, and soon, Clapham’s dream became a reality.


She returned to her second home, Vietnam, to record the music she has created, of which she named her album The Awakening. But upon her return this time, the emotional support of her fiancé, Cat Tran Tung, a Vietnamese actor and businessman living in Australia, armed her with stronger determination and inspiration.

With every song written straight from her emotions, the album somehow translates the important moments of her entire journey - - - in life, love and career. Though her music is written in English, each song has Vietnamese verses so everyone can relate the very message she wants to impart in her music. The album is set for release in August, and Clapham is once again busy preparing for a performance at the Hanoi Opera House on June 26. The proceeds from her concert goes to KOTO hospitality training school for poor, disadvantaged and street children.

Tickets for Eleanor Clapham’s performance at KOTO Restaurant, 59 Van Mieu, Hanoi, are now available (for VND400,000 or VND500,000). Currently, she is still looking for additional sponsors. If you want to be part of this wonderful event, you can call 012 2909 8900 or email [email protected].