Lamoon

Nguyễn Lê Diễm Hằng (born August 18, 2003), commonly known by her stage name Lamoon (stylized as LAMOON), or Diễm Hằng Lamoon, is a Vietnamese singer-songwriter and actress. After gaining recognition as a contestant on Vietnam Idol in 2023, she rose to public prominence through her role as Út Khờ in the feature film Cu Chi Tunnels: Sun in the Dark (2025)—a film that set numerous records and achieved major success for Vietnamese cinema upon its release. In 2025, Lamoon participated in the first season of the TV show Em xinh "say hi" and made it into the top five lineup; alongside this, she released her debut studio album, Là Moon.

Lamoon was born on August 18, 2003, as Nguyễn Lê Diễm Hằng. She is originally from Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh province (now Quy Nhon Ward, Gia Lai province).^[2] During her school years, she attended the specialized Literature class at Nguyen Binh Khiem High School for the Gifted in Quang Nam. In 2022, she passed the entrance exam for the acting major at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Cinema, ranking second in her class.^[3] Additionally, she has performed as a singer at the Trung Vuong Theater in Da Nang.^[4]

In 2023, Lamoon auditioned for the eighth season of the TV show Vietnam Idol. She made an initial impression on the judges by appearing as Sailor Moon and performing her original song, "Nhỏ học chung trường lớn lên chung giường," during the audition round. Initially, the judges only gave her a silver ticket for further consideration, but she eventually received a golden ticket to officially enter the theater round with 30 other contestants. After completing an additional idol music night with the top 15, Lamoon made it into the final group of 10 contestants competing in the live shows.^[5] She was eliminated during the sixth live show, finishing in the top 7 and failing to reach the grand finale.^[6]

Following the program, Lamoon released the song "Sao hiểu được" in collaboration with music producer Ly Anh Khoa on December 10. The entire music video (MV) for this track was filmed in a single take during her performance at the BridgeFest community music festival. In the video, the singer embraces an anime-inspired makeup style, bringing this aesthetic into the real world through five different personas, starting with "Game Moon."^[7] Additionally, she featured on the song "Hẹn em mai sau gặp lại" by Da Lab member Emcee L^[8] and contributed to composing several songs for the show Chị đẹp đạp gió rẽ sóng that same year, including writing the rap lyrics for "Mây và núi" and co-writing "Đầu đội trời chân đạp đất" with the production team DTAP.^[9] In an interview with Thanh Niên, the singer shared that she has taken a break from her studies at the University of Theater and Cinema to focus on developing her singing career.^[10]

In early 2024, Lamoon confirmed her participation in director Bui Thac Chuyen's feature film project Tunnel: Sun in the Dark, marking the first film role of her career.^[11] She played Ut Kho, a member of the guerrilla unit at the Binh An Dong base, known for her innocent, pure personality and her love for singing. Her selection for the role was a coincidence; the director had watched her perform on Vietnam Idol and was drawn to the singer's natural, bright demeanor, which shared many similarities with the character.^[12] The film released in theaters in early April 2025, becoming a nationwide box office phenomenon and setting a revenue record for a Vietnamese historical-war film by surpassing the 150 billion VND milestone.^[13][14] Despite playing a supporting role, she gained widespread public recognition for her performance of a "tan co" (modernized classical opera) piece and for performing the film's theme song, "Sun in the Dark," alongside artist Cao Minh.^[15][16] In addition to this film, she was also given a small role in the movie Friend Zone (2025) and contributed vocals to the soundtrack song "Vietnamese Girl," though it did not leave much of an impression.^[17][18] Alongside her acting career, the singer continued her collaboration with Ly Anh Khoa to release her next single, "Alone," on October 24, 2024. This was considered her official debut in professional music and served as the lead single for a 9-track album scheduled for release in 2025.^[19]

In May 2025, Lamoon was announced as one of the 30 female artists participating in the first season of the reality TV show Em xinh "say hi".^[20] Compared to other contestants on the show, she didn't have much of an advantage in terms of fan base, and her musical achievements were relatively modest. However, after performing "Cầm kỳ thi họa" with teammates Bích Phương, Tiên Tiên, Bảo Anh, and Phương Mỹ Chi in the first performance round, the singer won over the audience with a segment where she performed her own lyrics with a clear voice over a pentatonic melody, which went viral on social media.^[21][22] This piece, which combined Northern Vietnamese folk influences with electronic music, helped all five members win the round with 114 votes from the studio audience.^[23] Throughout the subsequent rounds, despite high expectations, her performances were considered not particularly standout, and she frequently found herself among the last group of contestants to move forward after each performance.^[24][25] Reaching the grand finale, the singer once again showcased her strength in folk music with the song "Dương gian" for her solo performance—a track written based on the theory of yin and yang, the elements that constitute the earthly realm according to Vietnamese beliefs^[26]—and "Morse Code" for the group performance alongside Orange, Phương Mỹ Chi, and Pháo. At the end of the show, Lamoon caused a surprise when she was named as part of the winning group "Best 5" alongside fellow members Bích Phương, Orange, Lyhan, and the winner, Phương Mỹ Chi.^[27]

Right after "Em xinh say hi," Lamoon introduced a new work titled "Synth chúc nâng ly" on August 27, featuring Juky San in the MV version. The song is arranged in a multi-structured pop style combined with EDM, bossa nova, and pentatonic influences, which Lamoon herself shared is the track with the most distinct folk colors in her debut album.^[28] To portray the mixed emotions regarding an ex-lover's happiness on their wedding day, she tweaked the lyrics by mixing English with Sino-Vietnamese words—something that sparked mixed debates among a segment of listeners regarding phrasing deemed illogical and a rhyming scheme that failed to deliver a strong auditory impact.^[29] The digital performance of "Synth chúc nâng ly" was also considered unimpressive, reaching only 435,000 views on YouTube nine days after its release.^[30]

On September 4, 2025, Lamoon announced the release of her debut album Là Moon, collaborating with music producers including JustaTee, BeeBB, CM1X, Lý Anh Khoa, Darrys, and LNK. The album consists of 12 tracks, all composed by her,^[31] and is built around the concept of a complete lunar cycle with eight distinct phases, symbolizing different emotional stages in love.^[32] Outside of her solo projects, she also joined voices with Lâm Bảo Ngọc, Orange, and Muộii for the song "Hò vươn mình" from DTAP's studio album Made in Vietnam,^[33] and collaborated with Juky San to remake the singer's track "Người đầu tiên."^[34] Lamoon also appeared as a guest on the second season of the show Anh trai "say hi" that same year, performing the song "Sớm muộn thì" alongside the team of Nhâm Phương Nam, Hustlang Robber, Mason Nguyễn, Khoi Vu, and Jaysonlei—a performance that won "The Best Hit" award for the most-watched and most-listened-to work on the show.^[35][36]

Lamoon's stage name was inspired by Sailor Moon, as she felt the character shared many similarities with her, especially the desire to spread positive energy and optimism.^[37] The name is also explained as a shortened version of the English phrase "Lady of the Moon," a reference to her real name, Diem Hang.^[38][39]

• Là Moon (2025)