Half-Korean singer and her affinity with Vietnam

Hari Won, who was born to a South Korean mother and a Vietnamese father, first visited the Southeast Asian country when she was 10.

Two years later, Hari came back to Vietnam and stayed here for four years.

“Honestly, at that time I loved living in Korea,” she admitted.

The young girl came back to her motherland at the age of 16, facing a lot of difficulties and moves due to her parents’ careers.

“I do not remember how many times we have moved. I counted 30 times and then stopped counting because I was too dispirited,” Hari said, adding that her study was affected and that she had no real friends.

In 2007, her parents decided to came back to Vietnam and the then 22-year-old convinced them to let her stay in Korea.

“That was the first time I could make my own decision. I was happy for being able to do whatever I wanted to,” Hari said.

A short time later, her father became seriously ill, forcing Hari to put aside her personal plans and fly back to Vietnam.

“My parents said they wanted me to stay with the family here and work as a translator,” the Korean singer recalled, saying she gave up the job due to the language barrier.

Living in Vietnam gave Hari Won the chance to enter the entertainment industry, which she always dreamt about.

She was among the finalists of “Buoc Nhay Xi Tin,” a local dance contest for youngsters in 2007.

Three years later, she started learning Vietnamese at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

As a foreign student, Hari said she made a lot of mistakes but still enjoyed her study.

Hari has been a household name to many young Vietnamese thanks to her regular appearances in reality shows, such as “The Amazing Race Vietnam” and the Vietnamese version of “Thank God You're Here,” an Australian improvised comedy.

Since then, she has become an emerging artist in the entertainment industry.

Besides singing, Hari also takes part in several films and shows as an actress and emcee, winning local audiences’ affection thanks to her good looks, boisterous, outgoing personality, and adequate command of Vietnamese and English.

Hari Won’s real name is Luu Esther. She was born in 1985 in Korea.

In 2012, she was among the members of Kiss, a girl band based in that East Asian country.

In early 2015, the singer released her maiden music video “Huong Dem Bay Xa” (The Night Scent Wafts Far Away).

The video features the 31-year-old singer dancing boisterously to a catchy tune and singing in perfect Vietnamese.

The song was warmly embraced and secured top spots on local online music billboards.