Before her health and memory declined, Hong Nga had many years of hard work under the stage lights. In the period 2018-2022, she continuously participated in cải lương programs, organized liveshows, toured abroad and filmed MVs.
Making a liveshow at age 73
In 2018, when she was 73 years old, Hong Nga organized the liveshow "Neu co yeu toi" at Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theater, Ho Chi Minh City. In the program, she recreated roles associated with her name through "Nguoi me thoi dai", "Duyen kiep", "Nua doi huong phan".
Notably, all remaining revenue after deducting organizational expenses is used by Hong Nga to support artists in difficult circumstances. For the female artist, the liveshow is not only an opportunity to meet the audience but also to show affection for colleagues.
In 2019, Hong Nga continued to reunite with People's Artist Le Thuy, People's Artist Minh Vuong and People's Artist Ngoc Giau in the musical scene "Vong trang xua", belonging to a series of activities to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Cai Luong stage at Nguyen Hue pedestrian street. During Tet, she also participated in the play "Long phung ky duyen".
In early 2020, the female artist still ran shows and toured in the US, France, and Australia. Before Tet, she visited colleagues at the Artists' Nursing Home in Ho Chi Minh City, and at the same time, on behalf of overseas Vietnamese, transferred lucky money to elderly artists.
After taking her daughter to the US, Hong Nga was trapped here due to the COVID-19 epidemic. In 2021, she returned to Vietnam and quickly practiced to reappear. The program expected to have her participation had to be delayed for about 7 months due to the impact of the epidemic.
In January 2022, Hong Nga organized the minishow "Kiep cam ca", meeting many artists such as People's Artist Minh Vuong, Meritorious Artist Vu Linh, Thanh Hang, Tu Suong, Huu Quoc, Binh Tinh. In the program lasting about 3 hours, she took on 3 roles with different personalities and sang live.
At that time, Hong Nga showed signs of forgetting the lyrics, and needed artist Gia Bao to stand nearby to remind her of the play. However, her voice was still strong, her breath was long, and her acting was emotional.
In September 2022, the female artist continued to appear in the MV "Life - Being kind meets goodness" by singer An Thien Vy. She played the role of a poor mother who loves her children. Hong Nga said that she still practices singing every day to maintain her voice and avoid losing breath.
Without a stable pension, Hong Nga's income during her years of operation mainly came from performance fees and family support. However, many times she stood on stage not only for livelihood but also to satisfy her nostalgia for the profession, meet the audience again and help colleagues.
Gradually moving away from the limelight
Since the beginning of 2023, Hong Nga has almost stopped artistic activities. Her memory has declined, sometimes she does not recognize acquaintances or sings a sentence repeatedly many times.
In March 2023, the family reflected that some YouTubers came to her house, informing her about the passing of artist Diep Lang and Vu Linh. The sad news caused Hong Nga's spirit to collapse, and at times she skipped meals.
By 2024, Hong Nga's health and memory have clearly declined. She did not recognize some colleagues visiting, but when listening to familiar melodies, the female artist could still sing in the right tempo.
In the years 2025-2026, many artists such as Le Thien, Bao Quoc, Phuong Lien, Phi Phung and Phuong Dung visited Hong Nga. The family also denied the information that she was abandoned and in critical condition, affirming that the children still supported her, relatives in Vietnam regularly came and went, and there was someone directly taking care of her.
