Đỗ Thị Hải Yến

Do Thi Hai Yen (born 1 October 1982) is a Vietnamese actress. She was born in Bac Ninh Province and grew up in Hanoi where she graduated from the Vietnamese Ballet School after seven years of study.

Biography
In 1999, director Tran Anh Hung invited Hai Yen, only 17 at that time, to play a role in the film The Vertical Ray of the Sun (France).

In 2000, Hai Yen appeared again in the film Song of the Stork (Singapore), by Nguyễn Phan Quang Bình (Vietnam) and Jonathan Foo (Singapore). The film received the "Best Feature Film" award at the Milan Film Festival in 2002 and was nominated for Grand Prix award at the Paris Film Festival in 2003.

In 2001, Hai Yen became a leading actress in Vietnam when she was selected in a competition attended by more than 2,000 candidates in Vietnam and overseas to play the main female character next to two world-famous actors, Sir Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser, in The Quiet American directed by Phillip Noyce. It was the first time in Vietnam's history that a Vietnamese actress was selected as a main English-speaking character in a Hollywood film. Hai Yen was nominated for the "Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Drama" at Golden Satellite Award in 2002 for her role in The Quiet American.

In 2005, Hai Yen was the leading actress in Story of Pao (Chuyện của Pao) by Ngo Quang Hai (Vietnam). Story of Pao, Hai Yen's first Vietnamese film, received the Viet Nam Cinematography Association's Golden Kite Awards for "Best Feature Film", "Best Actress", "Best Supporting Actress", and "Best Director of Photography", as well as the "Special Jury Award" at the 51st Asian Pacific Film Festival. Official Selection - First Film World Competition at the 30th Montreal World Film Festival. Official Selection - A Window on Asian Cinema & Curtain Call Stars (actress Do Thi Hai Yen as Pao) at the Pusan International Film Festival in 2006. Official Selection - Maverick Narrative Competition at the 17th Cinequest Film Festival (U.S.). Official Selection - ASEAN Film Competition at the Bangkok International Film Festival in 2007. Story of Pao was also Hai Yen's first movie as a producer, taking care of the film's marketing and distribution. It was Viet Nam's Official Submission to the Academy for Best Foreign Language Film (Oscar 2007).

In 2008, Hai Yen was the leading actress in the film Choi Voi (Adrift), a co-production between Vietnam and France. It was released at the Venice Film Festival in September 2009. It is directed by Bui Thac Chuyen (Course de Nuit, Living in Fear), one of the most famous film directors in Vietnam and also the first Vietnamese to have won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival, in 2000 (Cinefondation).

In 2010, Hai Yen recent film Canh Dong Bat Tan (Floating Lives), directed by Nguyen Phan Quang Binh (Song of the Stork). Based on Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tu's best selling short story "Boundless Rice Field", winner of the best short story prize from the Vietnam Writer's Association in 2007 and the Asean Literature Award recently. The film was premiered in the 15th Pusan International Film Festival in the New Currents category. The film won the Critics' Prize at the Viet Nam Cinematography Association's Golden Kite for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress at the Vietnam International Film Festival in 2010.

Viet Nam Film Festival - Golden Lotus for Best Actress in 2007 for her role in Story of Pao. Curtain Call – the summit of emerging Asian stars at Pusan International Film Festival in 2006. Vietnam International Film Festival – Best Actress Award for her role in Floating Lives, 2010.

Hai Yen is a brand ambassador for several luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Motorola V8Luxury, and Escada.

Awards

 * Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture in 2002 for her role in The Quiet American.
 * Viet Nam Cinematography Association's Golden Kite for Best Actress in 2006 for her role in Story of Pao.
 * Curtain Call – the summit of emerging Asian stars at Pusan International Film Festival in 2006.
 * Vietnam Film Festival - Golden Lotus for Best Actress in 2007 for her role in Story of Pao.
 * Vietnam International Film Festival – Best Actress Award for her role in Floating Lives, 2010.
 * Member of the International Jury for the Featured film Competition "EurAsia" in Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
 * Member of the International Jury for the Featured Film Competition at Meridian Film Festival.
 * Member of the Jury for the Featured Film Competition at Vietnam Cinematography Association's Golden Kite.