Model Anh Thu, seen here with her husband Thanh Long and their child Tieu Long

Top model Anh Thu steps out of the spotlight to run her own modeling classes… for kids.

And the students are young – aged 4-14 – as Thu’s Viet Model training center aims to teach Vietnam’s youngest talent how to talk the talk, walk the walk, and exude confidence on the runway and in every day life.

Thu says she could never have opened Viet Model if it weren’t for the encouragement from her loving husband Thanh Long, one of Vietnam’s top male models and also director of Professional Look Modeling Company, one of the country’s leading modeling agencies and training centers.

Truly a “model” couple, Thu and Long’s busy entertainment-industry schedules never prevent them from supporting each other in all things – family, work and play.

Viet Model was a joint idea by the energetic couple.

Thu and Long were inspired while in China at a fashion show for kids. Impressed by the young models they saw walking confidently, the couple decided they would help young Vietnamese do the same.

After returning from the trip, Thu began teaching youth modeling classes at cultural centers in Ho Chi Minh City.

Child’s play and more

Thu says, “In the beginning, I focused on the basics: teaching the kids how to walk with straight legs, stand with straight spines and how not to turn their backs when they turned on stage.”

But she gradually saw that the aspiring models needed more than just basic information.

Seeing how many kids were showing up for Thu’s classes, Long encouraged her to go the full nine yards and open a modeling school.

He said her big name was clearly a draw card, inspiring parents and kids to seek the classes because she already had such a huge name in the industry.

Long said the time was right in 2006 as Thu was only becoming more famous thanks to her switchover into TV acting in the series Tuyet nhiet doi (Tropical snow). He said her popularity meant there would be no shortage of excitement surrounding her classes.

With that advice, Thu soon opened Viet Model and began teaching youngsters to strut on the catwalk, while also helping them gain fashion and make-up expertise.

After the first few classes, Thu put aside her more rigid curricula and opted for a more fun and entertaining environment.

She invited dance teachers to help her models become more flexible and move naturally on the catwalk.

“The most important thing was to make the pre-teen classes a healthy place for kids to learn and have fun at the same time,” says Thu.

Thu says she believes that modeling is an art, not just a business and that all models must be able to communicate with their observers from the catwalk. She says this requires models to be confident, sensitive to music, and know how to control their body precisely.

Life skills

Thu’s training center now boasts some 300 students, but the classes are not just filled with kids shooting for stardom. Many parents without dreams of runway stardom have enrolled their children only hoping they’ll become more confident and effective people. Only 100 of Viet Model’s registered students say they plan on becoming models.

“Some parents simply bring their kids to class to stop bad habits or develop good ones for everyday life,” says Thu.

Recently, Thu’s been training a young girl suffering from a crooked spine. The girl’s parents thought the classes in standing and walking straight would help. Thu agreed and since the classes began, her spine has improved and the girl is more confident than ever, says Thu.

Although she is busy with her classes, Thu has kept up with her lively film career and has acted in several recent features.

“She is very strong when she works,” says Long. “Her job is extremely stressful, but she never complains.”

Hot hubby

Thu says her husband has been the most understanding and helpful person in her life and career. His long and successful career has provided him with experience he uses to support his wife’s work.

Long graduated from Foreign Trade University, where he studied international economics. Already a working model on his way out of school, a passion for business had been sparked by his studies and it inspired him to launch Professional Look Company in 2003.

There was no better time to get in on the ground floor as the fashion industry in Vietnam was new and burgeoning.

Professional Look has had foreign trainers helping its professional models since 2004.

Since then, the company has launched the careers of some of the country’s most successful models: Ngoc Thuy, Uyen Lan and Kim Hong.

With the economic downturn slowing consumption and retail in the country, Long says he’s thinking of expanding training to include PR work, English and tourism as well as sales and marketing to help his models make the best of whatever situation they find themselves in.

He says the company expects to cooperate on model training programs with international entrainment industry trainer and talent-finder John Robert Powers.

Reported by Lan Anh