Husband of jailed Van Thinh Phat CEO professes undying love for wife

Musician Thanh Bui (R) and his wife Truong Hue Van. Photo obtained by VnExpress

"My love for my wife is always there, demonstrated by actions, not just words," he said in an interview with VnExpress recently.

He praised his wife for her strong personality, describing her as calm, thoughtful, firm, and affectionate.

Van, the niece of Van Thinh Phat chairwoman Truong My Lan, was arrested in 2022 and subsequently sentenced to 17 years in prison earlier this year for her role in a fraudulent scheme that resulted in a loss of VND677 trillion ($27 billion) to Saigon Commercial Bank.

Discussing the impact of her arrest, he admitted it badly affected him at times, but he strives to minimize negative influences and seeks to confront challenges gently and find hope. The difficult times have helped him and his family recognize their limitations and reassess everything more accurately, he said.

"Every family faces challenges," Thanh Bui said. "In recent times my friends have experienced the death of a spouse or child, or have been unable to reconnect with their loved ones."

He thus accepts challenges as part of destiny, believing they have helped him mature and become a better person. For him, what matters is understanding his own actions, regardless of others’ opinions, he said.

Thanh Bui noted that he has been striving to remain healthy so that his wife does not have to worry about the household, and he is currently focusing on raising his twin sons with Van to become contributing members of society. The children also motivate him to be stronger following the ordeal, he said.

"The kids were curious about their mother’s absence," he said. "I have meticulously explained each event to them so they understand, sympathize and feel secure."

The twins have seen their mother a few times since her arrest, according to Thanh Bui, and he could now talk to them "like grown men." He added that they are surrounded by wonderful women role models like their grandmother, sister and aunts, which helps mitigate the emotional impact of their mother’s absence.

"Facing tough situations in life will make my children stronger," he said. Things are now stable."

In raising his children, Thanh Bui listens and respects their opinions, but also teaches them that they cannot say anything they want, a stance that some relatives view as strict, but he believes it provides a solid foundation for life.

Simultaneously, he avoids imposing his expectations on them in order not to pressure them.

Currently, the musician plans to focus on education after achieving success in music, having set up Little Em’s kindergarten, the Soul Music and Performing Arts Academy, the Vietnam International Institute of Sport, the Vietnam Contemporary Visual Arts Academy, and the Vietnam Quintessence Elementary School modeled after North London Collegiate School–NLCS HCMC.

This shift partly stemmed from his realization that he would not have enough time to share important moments with his children if he focused solely on music.

For him, spending time with his children is crucial, especially since they were diagnosed with delayed development and autistic spectrum disorder at the age of two after being born prematurely. Thanks to timely and appropriate intervention with the help of some top experts, they had returned to neurotypical development by the age of five.

"After that, I shifted direction, wishing to contribute to training and promoting the comprehensive development of young individuals," Thanh Bui said.

"Looking back over the past 11 years I think I have been a good husband and father."

Born Bui Vu Thanh in Australia to Vietnamese-Australian parents, the 41-year-old began professional music training and piano classes at age 10.

He reached the top eight in the 2008 Australia Idol contest and moved to Vietnam in 2010, where he established his own music label. He began a professional music education career in 2012, founding the Soul Music & Performing Arts Academy in HCMC.

In 2013 he married Van, now 36.

Lan, already sentenced to death, faces a new trial starting last month on additional financial fraud charges. She is facing charges of obtaining property by fraud, money laundering and illegal cross-border money transfers.