Taipei: Actor Liªn Bnh Ph¡t became the first Vietnamese to win Taiwan’s Golden Bell Award for Best Male Lead in a Television Series on Saturday, marking a historic moment as he also became the first nominee from the Southeast Asian nation since the awards were established in 1965.
According to Focus Taiwan, in his acceptance speech on Saturday night, Liªn, who wore the traditional Vietnamese men’s tunic o d i, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to act in Taiwan. “Oh my God!” he exclaimed in English. “This moment seems so unreal to me now. I can’t believe that now I can stand on the Golden Bell Awards stage.” The 34-year-old actor also expressed his hope to return to Taiwan for future projects, saying in Vietnamese, “I love Taiwan. Thank you for the kindness and gentleness shown to us.”
Liªn earned the top male acting honor for his role as Dr. Fan Wen-ning in the multilingual medical drama “The Outlaw Doctor.” In the series, Fan is a licensed cosmetic surgeon in Vietnam who resorts to working illegally in Taiwan, performing unlicensed procedures for migrant workers to cover his injured mother’s medical expenses. Coincidentally, Liªn revealed in his post-victory interview that his own mother has been unwell recently, stating, “I hope that my award could encourage my mom, get her some positive energy to let her feel better both emotionally and physically.”
Liªn’s onscreen career began in Vietnam in 2017 as a contestant on a reality TV show. His first acting role followed in 2018 when he was cast as Dung in the Vietnamese musical drama “Song Lang.”
On Sunday, Premier Cho Jung-tai released a statement celebrating the diversity observed in Taiwan’s entertainment industry and personally congratulated Liªn for his win. Cho praised the Vietnamese actor’s performance, noting that it skillfully captured the struggles of maintaining dignity while fighting to survive in a foreign land.
Angie Chai, chair of the judging panel for the 60th Golden Bell Awards for Drama Series, commented on Liªn’s performance, highlighting his portrayal of a migrant worker’s relentless determination in the face of hardship. Throughout the series, Fan’s secret work brings him into contact with Weber Yang’s character, Liu Tien-cheng, a migrant workers’ agent, and Ning Chang’s character, Dr. Cheng Wan-ping, a neurosurgeon. Both Yang and Chang were nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Leading Actress, respectively, with Yang winning the award on Saturday night.
