Phương Thanh (October 14, 1956 – February 13, 2009) was a Vietnamese film and television actress. Her real name is Phương Thị Thanh. She was born in Hà Tây. Phương thanh graduated from the second class of the Vietnam Film School, alongside many peers who later became famous actors of Vietnamese cinema such as Như Quỳnh, Diệu Thuần, and Thanh Quý. At the age of 20, Phương Thanh had her first role in the film "Đứa con nuôi" ("The Adopted") by director Nguyễn Khánh Dư. In 1978, Phương Thanh was chosen by director Trần Phương to play the main role, the robber Hiền "cá sấu," in the film "Tội lỗi cuối cùng" ("The Last Sin"). With this role, Phương Thanh won the Golden Lotus Award for Best Actress at the 5th Vietnam Film Festival, at the age of 23.
For more than 30 years in her acting career, Phương Thanh has participated in over 50 feature films and nearly 100 TV series. In addition to the role of Hiền "cá sấu," other roles bearing her mark include "Thảo" in "Ai giận ai thương," Sùng Trinh in "Lưu lạc và trở về Sam Sao," Liễu in "Rừng lạnh," Kiều Trinh in "Bãi biển đời người," Yến in "Ông Hai cũ," Kiều Oanh in "Kỷ niệm đồi trăng," Mai in "Nửa chừng xuân"... Along with Như Quỳnh, Phương Thanh is one of the first two actresses from the North to impress the public in the South after the country's reunification in 1975, a name guaranteeing both critical and commercial success for her participation in any project. Since she got married, Phương Thanh was less involved in acting than before. Her last role was as a mother in the long-running TV series "Mùa cưới" ("Wedding Season") by director Đỗ Minh Tuấn. Phương Thanh passed away in 2009 following a stroke.