Ngô Phương Ly

Ly was born in Hanoi,^[1] the third child of People's Artist and animation director Ngô Mạnh Lân [vi] and actress Phan Thị Ngọc Lan [vi].^[2] Coming from a family active in the arts, she and her three siblings were encouraged by their father to pursue artistic careers from an early age. Her eldest sister, Ngô Thị Phương Lan, later became director of the Vietnam Film Department, while Ly studied to become a professional painter. She eventually chose not to continue painting and instead became a host on Vietnam Television.

Ly has served as head of the Culture and Arts Department at VTV.^[3] She was one of the developers of the talk show Người xây tổ ấm (Who Builds the Family) on the VTV3 channel.^[4] She is also credited with designing the logo for the Golden Kite Awards.^[5]

She is the second wife of Tô Lâm, who has served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam—the highest political position in the country—since late 2024. Before marrying Ly, Lâm had been married to another woman, from whom he later divorced.^[6]