One-time Lunar New Year beauty: One day's salary can buy a tree of gold

The two beauties Viet Trinh and Thanh Mai both said they could not remember how many calendars they appeared on in the 1980s and 1990s. Notably, the salaries they received back then were also very high.

Viet Trinh calendar photo - Photo: Provided by Viet Trinh

Viet Trinh started taking calendar photos at the age of 18. After that, when she became famous with a series of roles in famous movies: Jade in the Stone, Black Cactus, Taxi Driver, Western Beauty... , she was in more demand for calendar photoshoots.

2 memorable places

Viet Trinh said that the two tourist sites Van Thanh (HCMC) and Binh An Lake ( Binh Duong ) have left their mark on dozens of calendar models. “Every calendar season, from early morning we, including: Diem Huong, Thanh Xuan, Ly Thu Thao, Y Phung, Kim Khanh, Thanh Mai, Minh Anh, Ha Kieu Anh... gathered at these two locations to take pictures with Nguyen A, Doan Minh Tuan, Dang Khoi, To Thanh Nghiep... In charge of makeup were Le Dung and Cindy Thai Tai. We took pictures together from morning to afternoon, very affectionate and happy. Each person had their own style and way of posing. Diem Huong often put her hand on her cheek, so she became a familiar model. Y Phung pulled her shirt down on one shoulder... I often put my hand on my hat, on my face... Now when mentioning each person, the photographers immediately imitated the model's pose, very happy", Viet Trinh recalled.

Regarding the salary, she said that the salary for taking photos for Tet calendars was very high at that time. The highest was Diem My, then her group. “For me, the salary during the golden age of taking photos for a day or a session could buy a tael of gold. Taking photos for calendars made as much money as acting in movies. At that time, I took photos all the time without getting tired. The first amount of money I received in my life was 20,000 VND for a calendar photo.”

Actress and MC Thanh Mai, who took calendar photos when she was 17, added: “We weren’t as lucky as we are now. Sometimes we did our own makeup, so we looked… rustic. Sometimes, the photographer had to use a pencil to redraw our eyebrows and add some lipstick. There was no Photoshop back then, so the models just looked the way they were in the photos.”

Besides the joys, the model and photographer also encountered many problems. Thanh Mai recalled: “Once I followed Hoang Truong all the way to Hue to take pictures. But when we got there, it was raining all the time, the pictures were dark and ugly, so I felt sorry for him. At that time, we shared the salary with each other and I refused to accept the salary. At that time, photographers often invested money to pay the models, then they sold those calendar photos. The most memorable memory was the memory of going with Hoang Truong to find a sand hill with no human footprints far away in Mui Ne ( Binh Thuan ). In the middle of the afternoon, the sun was so hot, but I don't know why I still bravely walked on the hot sand hill to take pictures, and when I got home in the afternoon, I was as black as a piece of coal... Looking back at the results on the calendar, I feel so happy. The salary during the golden age also helped me save up to buy a small house.”

One-time Lunar New Year beauty: One-day salary can buy a tree of gold

Thanh Mai calendar photo - Photo: TL

Photographers are afraid of "sticking"

Photographer Nguyen A was the one who took photos of most of the most famous beauties of that time. He said he remembered Ly Thu Thao the most. At that time, Thao had just been crowned Miss Ho Chi Minh City in 1989, but she and her family were very simple and gentle. “Thao did not ask for anything and lived very emotionally and sincerely. Most of my award-winning photo collections were of Thao, so we became close friends. The other beauties each had their own personality. Y Phung was very individual and strong. Diem Huong looked gentle but was actually very strong. Then Viet Trinh from Binh Duong had just come to Saigon to start a career, she was innocent and cute...”.

During the golden age of calendar photos, people often said that if beauties wanted to be promoted, wanted to appear beautiful... sparkling in calendar photos, they often had "something" with the photographer. Photographer Nguyen A laughed out loud: "No, I didn't "stick" with any of them because I was shy. I used to take them here and there to take photos, but it was all for work. I know I shouldn't be associated with any of them." However, Nguyen A also did not hesitate to praise the beauties of calendar photos in the past: "To be honest, the beauties of that time were extremely cute. They didn't ask for anything, especially the salary. Because they trusted me, I had to do something to be worthy of their trust. But back then, there were no stylists, everything was decided and... handled by the photographer, so it was quite difficult."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-nhan-lich-tet-mot-thoi-cat-se-mot-ngay-sam-duoc-cay-vang-185537109.htm