Tang Guozhang is famous for his role as Zhuge Liang in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" (1994) or emperors. On screen, he is always a character with a sky-high temperament, superior ability and overwhelming demeanor.
But in real life, Duong Quoc Cuong's life is completely different from the script in the movie.
At the beginning of 2026, when many veteran artists have rested and enjoyed their old age, Duong Quoc Cuong, at the age of 73, is still often caught filming short films at Hengdian, or filming variety shows. Some people even photographed him on a plane, holding a script and reading it in a tired state.
Many viewers compare Duong Quoc Cuong to a "model laborer of the entertainment industry". Some others ask, why is he still working hard at the age of 73?
In fact, Duong Quoc Cuong is not for fame and fortune, but "does not dare to retire". The two sons behind him are the heaviest "debt", and also something he cannot give up in his life.
Duong Quoc Cuong went through many ups and downs in his love life. The affairs between him and his first wife Ton Dao became unforgettable pain. It was not until 1993, when he remarried actress Trang Le, that life gradually stabilized.
In 1997, the eldest son Duong Anh Ham was born, making Duong Quoc Cuong extremely happy. But the joy was not complete when the doctor announced that the child had congenital vision impairment, and his natural vision was only about 0.1.
The couple carried their child and ran around hospitals at home and abroad. After many efforts, the boy's vision could only be adjusted up to about 0.3.
But the tragedy did not stop. In 2005, when Duong Quoc Cuong was 53 years old, his second son Duong Anh Tap was born. Fate continued to tease him, the boy suffered from scoliosis, and also had difficulty hearing and language.
The media described the illness of the two sons as two "money-burning machines" for Duong Quoc Cuong.
The condition of youngest son Duong Anh Tap is the most complicated. He has to wear a spinal orthopedic frame, this type is not available domestically, and must be ordered from Germany for about 800,000 yuan per set.
Because children grow quickly, they have to be replaced once every two years. In addition, hearing recovery classes cannot be stopped, each session is about 3,000 yuan and must be long-term.
His eldest son is now 28 years old, currently working as a film post-production worker in the US and can take care of his daily life. However, vision problems still require import drugs to maintain. According to sources, the weekly injection drug costs 87,000 yuan, equivalent to costing about 4.5 million yuan per year in drug costs alone.
In addition, there are the living expenses of the two children in Los Angeles (USA), tuition fees at specialized schools, monthly rent of about 120,000 yuan, and annual tuition fees of about 300,000 yuan.
The media estimates that the total cost of Tang Quoc Cuong's whole family is about 6 million yuan per year. On average, every day he opens his eyes, he has to earn at least 16,000 yuan (about 60 million VND) to maintain the family's life.
To give her child the best treatment conditions, Mr. Trang Le's wife soon gave up her acting career, living in Los Angeles for many years to take care of her two children.
And Duong Quoc Cuong stayed alone in China. To earn money, he did many jobs from acting in movies, participating in shows, running events; even accepting to act in short films on his phone - a job that he probably would not accept before.
There are dissenting opinions that Duong Quoc Cuong "lost his reputation in old age", "received any advertising", but he did not respond.
Last winter, someone spotted him at the hospital: wearing a normal cotton jacket, carrying his youngest son struggling to climb the stairs.
The audience expressed their sorrow, while Duong Quoc Cuong himself was quite calm. Occasionally, when mentioning his son in television programs, he just gently said: "The youngest son has a little problem," with a calm tone facing the difficulties of life.
