Leading lady: Van Trang won the Best Actress award at the 18th Viet Nam National Film Festival last year. The festival is organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism every two years. — Photo soha.vn

HCM CITY (VNS)— Though the film industry is a notoriously difficult one to break into, some young actresses in HCM City have proven their ability to moviegoers as well as their male counterparts.

Young talent Van Trang, a native of Tien Giang Province, began acting while she was a student at the HCM City University of Theatre & Cinematography majoring in drama. After graduation, she spent several years in television.

Her role in Dam Me (Passion), a TV work by director Dinh Duc Lien of Ho Chi Minh Television (HTV) in 2009, showed off her beauty and acting skills.

One year later, she performed in the TV series Loi Song Sai Lam (Wrong Life), a production by M&T Pictures, which led to her winning the annual Golden Apricot Award for favourite TV movie actress presented by HTV in 2011.

The TV movie featured urban youth and their problems in modern life. More than 30,000 viewers voted for her.

She continued to show her ability in dozens of TV series but her dream was to be in a feature film.

Her leading role in Co Dau Dai Chien (Brides' War), a blockbuster produced by Thien Ngan, catapulted her into the spotlight.

She played a young and beautiful woman who had difficulty finding her real love.

In 2012, she acted in two commercial films, Thien Menh Anh Hung (Blood Letter) and Scandal, both by Vietnamese-American director Victor Vu. The films were successful at the box office.

By playing a singer in Scandal, Trang won the best actress award at the 18th Viet Nam National Film Festival organised every two years by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2013.

"It's my passion for work that has helped me overcome difficulties in this industry," she said. "I started feeling confident when I signed contracts with film agencies."

Another actress, Mi Du, 25, became famous in online film forums after playing a supporting role in veteran director Le Hoang's Nhung Thien Than Ao Trang (Angles in White) film in 2009. Her acting was met with wide acclaim.

She was one of only a few amateur actors asked to be cast in films by directors like Ngo Quang Hai and Victor Vu.

She performed in Hai's Mua He Lanh (Cold Summer) when she was a student at HCM City University of Architecture in 2012.

"I invited Mi Du to act in my film because of her unique beauty and performance," said Hai, explaining why he did not use professional actresses for his first independent film project.

Although working with Golden Apricot winner Trang in Victor's Thien Menh Anh Hung, Du performed confidently and won over both fans and critics.

Many fans commented that Du looked like a great warrior during her kung fu fight scenes in the film.

"For me, movies are not a game. I will continue to be involved because I still have the ability and passion," she said.

Both Trang and Du say they take their work seriously, recognising that youth and beauty are not permanent. They say they select their roles and films based on talent and suitability rather than potential profit. — VNS