Lê Hoàng Hoa (1933–2012) was one of the famous directors of South Vietnam's cinema before 1975. His birth name was Đoàn Lê Hoa. He was born in 1933 in Nha Trang. During his career, he also had the stage name Khoi Nguyen.[2] Some of his famous films before 1975 include: Gác chuông nhà thờ, Điệu ru nước mắt, Vết thù trên lưng ngựa hoang, Con ma nhà họ Hứa... and after 1975 are: Ván bài lật ngửa, Đằng sau một số phận, Vĩnh biệt mùa hè, Tình nhỏ làm sao quên, Vĩnh biệt Cali, Lệnh truy nã, Tây Sơn hiệp khách... In particular, Ván bài lật ngửa is considered one of the classics of Vietnamese cinema. His name and the associated actor Nguyễn Chánh Tín, who plays the protagonist of the film, have conquered the hearts of generations of Vietnamese audiences. The screenplay was adapted by him from a draft of the novel Giữa biển giáo rừng gươm by writer Trần Bạch Đằng. The film was so successful that the writer later took its tile for the officially published novel. Ván bài lật ngửa (Cards on the Table) won the Special Prize in the 6th Vietnam Film Festival in 1983 and the Silver Lotus award in the 7th Vietnam Film Festival in 1985. Lê Hoàng Hoa died on the morning of July 31, 2012 in Ho Chi Minh City, aged 79.