Phongchi was born in 1990 in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa to Vietnamese immigrant parents[REF] who came from Saigon, South Vietnam [REF].
She began to be known as the "protégé" of Sayuri Kokusho, a seasoned actress known formerly as "Onyanko No. 8", and began appearing on numerous non-Idoling television shows in late 2007 [REF].