There is a woman who plays an important role in Nicholas Tse's career and life that is rarely mentioned, not his girlfriend Faye Wong or ex-wife Cecilia Cheung.
That is Ta Dinh Phong's long-time female manager - Hoac Van Hy - who is also a senior leader at the male singer's management company Anh Hoang Entertainment.
Just 3 days before Ta Hien (Ta Dinh Phong's father) passed away, Huo Van Hy held a birthday party. Anh Hoang Group owner Duong Thu Thanh and his wife, along with many big names in the entertainment industry such as Ta Dinh Phong, Dung To Nhi, Twins, Quan Tri Ban, On Bich Ha... were all present.
Nicholas Tse joined the entertainment industry in 1995, when he just turned 16. But he faced a lot of pressure and the public's unfavorable looks because he is the son of a star.
Wallace Huo is 8 years older than Nicholas Tse and was assigned by the company to manage this "difficult to handle" rookie. In their first meeting, Nicholas Tse bluntly said: "I have been in contact with the entertainment industry longer than you", making the atmosphere very awkward.
But Wallace Huo did not respond. She made an unusual decision: not trying to correct or pamper Nicholas Tse, but to let his arrogance be fully revealed, building a rebellious rock idol image.
The result proved her choice was correct. In 1997, Ta Dinh Phong's song "Bad Habits" became the champion song on all 4 major music charts of Hong Kong (China), he was the youngest person to achieve this achievement.
In 1999, he won the Best New Actor award at the Golden Statue Film Awards. Music and cinema simultaneously achieved success. The guy who was thrown a water bottle on stage, in less than 4 years, became a top star of the Hong Kong (China) entertainment industry.
But what really connected Wallace Huo and Nicholas Tse was not just that favorable period.
In 2002, Ta Dinh Phong caused a car accident and left the scene, then it was exposed that he asked the driver to confess on his behalf. He was convicted of obstructing justice, endured 240 hours of community service and suffered a wave of criticism, losing advertising contracts.
During the period when Nicholas Tse faced crisis, Wallace Huo stood at the forefront, bowed 90 degrees and suffered negative public opinion. At the same time, she secretly planned a big "gamble", which was to turn Nicholas Tse from an idol into a real actor.
After 8 years of changing direction, Nicholas Tse consecutively won the Best Supporting Actor award in 2010 and Best Actor in 2011 at the Golden Statue Awards, completing a "hat-trick" in 3 acting categories, from New Actor to Best Actor.
In 2014, Wallace Huo continued to help him exploit the image of a man who is good at cooking through the "12 Dao Phong Vi" program, thereby building the Phong Vi brand and expanding to culinary business, making an important contribution to Nicholas Tse's business empire.
The three career changes of Nicholas Tse - from rebellious idols, talented actors to the image of a chef - all originated from the decisions of Wallace Huo and were proven to be true by time.
According to media reports, the woman Ta Dinh Phong loves most can change stage by stage, from Truong Ba Chi to Vuong Phi, but the indispensable companion in his career for the past 31 years has always been Huo Van Hy.
By 2026, Hoắc Vấn Hy became CEO of Anh Hoàng Entertainment. She is not the woman mentioned most next to Tạ Đình Phong, but is someone who has never been absent in his career journey.
