'The Stork' Phung Ngoc reunites with 'Uncle Ba Phi' Mac Can

Ho Chi Minh City Phung Ngoc - the "Southern Land" stork - visited artist Mac Can, reminiscing after nearly 30 years of filming together.

The former actor said that on April 17, he and a few friends visited the 79-year-old artist's new residence at Thi Nghe Nursing Home (Binh Thanh District). At first, when Phung Ngoc first entered Mac Can's room, he thought he was an employee there. Hearing the introduction "I'm Co", he recognized him and smiled, complimenting him "he's grown up so much".

Phung Ngoc was surprised when Mac Can still kept souvenir photos of the 1997 Southern Land TV series crew, including a photo with him and Hung Thuan - the role of little An. He also told Mac Can that he had stopped acting for a long time and was currently living mainly in Binh Duong . Before leaving, Phung Ngoc gave the artist a sum of money, knowing that the artist's situation was still difficult.

From right to left: Mac Can, Phung Ngoc, Hung Thuan when filming Southern Land 1997. Photo: Character provided — From right to left: Mac Can, Phung Ngoc, Hung Thuan when filming "Southern Land" in 1997. Photo: *Character provided*

Phung Ngoc has recently been working in digital content creation, livestreaming to sell highland specialties. Occasionally, he makes short videos and posts them on social media to satisfy his passion for acting. Famous for his role as Co in director Nguyen Vinh Son's works, he participated in a few films when he was young but was not successful. The actor gradually withdrew because he felt he had lost his charm and was no longer suited to art.

"Thang Co" used to wander around many provinces and cities, doing jobs such as looking after rubber plantations, driving motorbike taxis, barbering, and selling clothes on the sidewalk. The actor got married in 2004 but soon divorced because he didn't want his wife to suffer.

In October 2023, Phung Ngoc met Hung Thuan again when his colleagues visited his boarding house. At that time, "Co" worked as a security guard with an income of 7 million VND per month, paying about 1.5 million VND for rent. Feeling sorry for his friend's poor life, Hung Thuan advised him to pursue a career in livestreaming to sell products to have more new opportunities and rebuild his life.

Hung Thuan reunites with — Hung Thuan visited "Broker" Phung Ngoc's boarding house in October 2023. Video: *Hung Thuan Official*

Artist Mac Can moved to Thi Nghe Nursing Center at the end of February. Here, he and six other veteran celebrities receive daily health care, monitored by medical staff. Before that, he lived alone in a rented house of a few square meters, with a monthly rent of 2.4 million VND, and his daughter came over every day to help him cook and clean. Away from the screen, mainly writing books and scripts, Mac Can covers his living expenses thanks to support from benefactors.

The TV series Southern Land was released in 1997, 11 episodes long, about a boy named An who lost his mother and went to look for his father. Wandering to the South, An encountered miserable lives under the oppression of landlords and colonialists. Despite the hardship, An always lived in the care of his loved ones - the source of motivation that helped him overcome hardships. After being broadcast, the work became a hit, becoming one of the classic TV series of the 1990s. Characters such as little An, little Co, Mr. Ba the snake catcher (Manh Dung), Uncle Ba Phi, Vo Tong (Le Quang) touched the hearts of many generations of audiences.

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