(L-R) Lam Truong, Minh Hang, Luong Manh Hai, and Thuy Tien are set to star in Ngoi nha hanh phuc (Full House), based on a popular Korean TV series

Young directing talent Vu Ngoc Dang will work with Viet Film and casting agency BHD to make a 23-episode Vietnamese version of the wildly successful Korean television series Full House.

Several popular vocalists have been signed up for the leading roles, most notably Lam Truong, Minh Hang and Thuy Tien.

Director Dang was the man behind the Tet blockbuster Dep tung centimet (Beautiful by the centimeter) and 2008’s most-watched television series, Bong dung muon khoc (Suddenly I want to cry).

“I’m a fan of Full House because the script is so good. Scriptwriting requires much more effort and energy than directing so having a good script in hand is a big advantage for any director,” Dang says.

“The characters are also very interesting. In fact, these characters would make any TV series work. There are many reasons why Full House is so successful.”

Dang says he’s dedicating the Vietnamese version to his parents.

Minh Thuan, the managing director of BHD and a singer in his own right, says it will be a “coming back to the art house” for Lam Truong after his success in the 2004 feature film Nu tuong cuop (Bandits).

“This will be Lam Truong’s first appearance in a TV series. He will play a handsome corporate chieftain who is dating a fashion designer,” says Thuan.

Truong admits to a slight case of the butterflies but says he is excited to be back in a film studio after an absence of five years.

“This is an important role so I will be working really hard with the film crew. I’m so happy to get the part but I’m a bit nervous since I haven’t acted in any film since my first in 2004,” Truong says.

“My character is a successful businessman with a unique personality. I’ve been singing and looking after my business interests for years so I’m quite confident about my role.

“One more thing, it’s interesting that my character and I seem to have a lot in common. For instance, we both love to dress formally with suit and tie!” he says.

Former teen queen Thuy Tien will play the fashion designer girlfriend Bao Yen.

“I’ve been tossing and turning all night thinking about this character and how to adapt the role for a Vietnamese audience,” the 24-yearold says.

“I don’t expect an ambiguous character in most Vietnamese dramas. I want to show a clear distinction between love and hatred in my character’s personality,” says Tien, who has had lightweight support roles in several TV series.

Up-and-coming actor Luong Manh Hai is optimistic about his part despite remarks by critics and the viewing public that he doesn’t look or act like Bi Rain, the Full House star who has become a household name across Asia.

“I think our differences will make the Vietnamese series distinguished. After all, if we only copied the original exactly, it wouldn’t be worth watching,” Hai says.

“But I do agree that it’s better to adapt a successful series than make a boring one from scratch. Let’s wait to hear what viewers have to say after the Vietnamese series is shown on TV.”

Minh Hang, who starred in the 2008 Tet holiday blockbuster Giai cuu than chet (Hot Kiss 2), thinks her role will be challenging.

“I have watched Full House three times and will have do it again twice more to really understand my character,” says Hang, who was named Best Leading Actress at the 2007 Ho Chi Minh City Television Awards for her role in the TV series Goi giac mo ve (Recalling a dream).

“I recently traveled to Thailand and Hong Kong and brought home three suitcases of costumes to get ready for this role. This is a good chance for me and the first time I will be free to show off my beauty as well as my acting ability,” she says.

A leaked photo of Hang in lingerie created a minor scandal last week but director Dang says it won’t stop her from taking the role played by Korean film star Song Hye Kyo in Full House.

“It was a minor incident and everything’s been cleared up. Hang wasn’t to blame; it was someone else,” Dang said on The Gioi Dien Anh Online (Cinematography world online).

Reported by M. Anh