People's Artist Pham Thi Thanh has passed away.

According to information from Youth TheatrePeople's Artist Pham Thi Thanh - former Director of the Youth Theatre, former Deputy Director of the Department of Performing Arts, passed away on September 4th. She was 85 years old.

People's Artist Pham Thi Thanh was born in 1941, the youngest daughter of Pham Khac Hoe, from Duc Tho (Ha Tinh province) - a renowned intellectual who drafted the abdication decree for Emperor Bao Dai in 1945 and was trusted by President Ho Chi Minh. Her mother was from Hue, the younger sister of the poet Ung Binh Thuc Da Thi, the niece of Mien Tham, and the great-granddaughter of Emperor Minh Mang.

From a young age, Pham Thi Thanh showed early artistic talent, inheriting both her father's love of literature and her mother's sweet singing voice.

At the age of 14, encouraged by musicians Luu Huu Phuoc, Nguyen Xuan Khoat, and Dang Dinh Hung, she joined the Central Performing Arts Troupe, officially embarking on her artistic career.

In 1970, she was sent by the State to the former Soviet Union to study stage directing. After 7 years, upon returning to Vietnam, she and director Ha Nhan developed a plan to establish the Youth Theatre.

In 1987, the Youth Theatre was established. Director Ha Nhan served as Director, while Pham Thi Thanh was Deputy Director, and later Director (1991 - 1996).

Throughout her directing career, she has staged over 200 plays, nearly 20 of which won Gold Medals, and many more won Silver Medals. She played a particularly significant role in bringing Luu Quang Vu's scripts closer to the public, contributing to the "golden age" of Vietnamese theater in the 1980s and 1990s.

Beyond her contributions to the national theater scene, People's Artist Pham Thi Thanh is also actively involved internationally. She is a member of the Executive Board of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Youth (ASSITEJ), President of ASSITEJ Vietnam, and participates in numerous collaborative projects to bring traditional arts to schools.

In addition, she was formerly the Vice President of the UNESCO Association of Vietnam, a member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations, a representative of the Hanoi City People's Council, and also taught at the Hanoi University of Theatre and Film.

Even after retirement, she continued to direct many major events such as the 990th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi, the 330th anniversary of Khanh Hoa, the 100th anniversary of Da Lat, and the Hue Festival…

For her enduring contributions, she was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist (1988), People's Artist (1997) and received the State Prize for Literature and Arts (2012).