From Tour Guide to Golden Bell Best Actor — Vietnamese Actor Liên Bỉnh Phát Makes Taiwan TV History
Vietnamese actor Liên Bỉnh Phát won Best Actor at Taiwan's Golden Bell Awards, the first Vietnamese recipient in the ceremony's 60-year history. A former tour guide who started acting at 26, he donated half his prize money to migrant worker organizations.
[From Tour Guide to Golden Bell Best Actor — Vietnamese Actor Liên Bỉnh Phát Makes Taiwan TV History]
First Vietnamese Best Actor in 60 Years
On Golden Bell Awards night this October, 35-year-old Vietnamese actor Liên Bỉnh Phát took the stage in a traditional áo dài from his homeland to accept the Best Actor in a Drama Series award. It was the first time a Vietnamese actor had won the prize since the Golden Bell Awards began in 1965.
He switched between Mandarin, English, and Vietnamese in his acceptance speech, closing with an emotional declaration of love for Taiwan and the warmth it had given him.
'The Outlaw Doctor': A Medical Crime Drama That Tests Moral Boundaries
Liên Bỉnh Phát starred as Phạm Văn Ninh, a Vietnamese plastic surgeon, in the PTS series "The Outlaw Doctor." The 11-episode drama debuted in March and quickly topped streaming charts for Taiwanese dramas.
The story opens with a gas explosion. Phạm Văn Ninh came to Taiwan to pay for his mother's mounting medical bills but could not practice medicine legally due to his immigration status. He worked as a janitor in a hospital morgue while secretly treating undocumented migrant workers on the side. At the explosion site, he teamed up with neurosurgeon Zhèng Wǎnpíng (played by Chang Chen-ning) to save victims — only to have his identity exposed and be reported as an unlicensed doctor.
The two moved from confrontation to collaboration, getting pulled into the gray zone of labor brokers and the dark corners of organ trafficking, caught between the law and human life at every turn.
In the finale, Phạm Văn Ninh tried to smuggle himself back to Vietnam to reunite with his mother but was shot three times and fell into the sea. Zhèng Wǎnpíng, on the other end of a phone call, heard the gunshots — their final connection.
The character's struggle between legality and compassion mirrored the real circumstances of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese migrant workers in Taiwan. The production team spent six years conducting fieldwork, weaving real cases into the plot. The Taiwan-Vietnam co-production sparked widespread discussion after it aired.
Once a Tour Guide, He Started Acting at 26
Liên Bỉnh Phát did not train at an acting school. Born in 1990 in southern Vietnam, he worked in tourism leading tour groups but could never let go of his dream to perform. He quit and gave himself two years.
During that period he auditioned everywhere and was rejected countless times. At 26 he finally debuted in the film "Song Lang," playing a debt collector. The role won him Best Actor at Vietnam's Golden Kite Awards on his first try.
He once shared: Starting late is not the problem. What matters is how long you can keep going.
Learning Mandarin From Scratch
For the role, Liên Bỉnh Phát — who spoke no Mandarin — spent two months in intensive language training. He also studied suturing techniques with professional surgeons to make the on-screen procedures look authentic.
Judges noted that he conveyed the character's inner conflict and survival instinct with exceptional nuance.
Half the Prize Money Donated to Migrant Worker Groups
On the night he won, Liên Bỉnh Phát announced he would split his prize money in two: half donated to foundations supporting migrant workers in Taiwan, and half shared with the cast and crew for a celebration.
He said the honor belonged not only to him but to everyone fighting hard in a foreign land.
Taiwan Gave Him a Stage
Liên Bỉnh Phát's story reads like a modern parable: a dreamer from abroad who found his chance to shine on this island.
And he chose to give back — sharing the applause with those still fighting to be seen.
