In 1999, at the age of 20, Vân returned to Vietnam where she participated in a beauty pageant organized by the magazine Women's World, and finished as second runner-up.

She recorded a duet album called Vườn tình nhân (Lovers' Garden) with established singer Tuấn Hưng.

The next year, again with the help of producer Quốc Bảo, Vân released her debut solo album, Thế giới trò chơi (Playworld), on 26 February.

Two music videos were filmed for the album: "Thế giới trò chơi" and "Ngày tươi sáng", a cover version of jtL's "A Better Day", which was directed by Jackie Chen.

Three videos were released from this album: "Bí ẩn vầng trăng", the cheerleader-themed "Vươn đến tầm cao" ("Reach for the Sky"), and the ballad "Khi nào em buồn" ("Whenever I'm Sad"), which was later covered by many artists including Mắt Ngọc, Minh Thuận, and Thanh Thảo.

In October 2006, Vân premiered one of her new songs "I Won't Stop Loving You," a new collaboration with Quốc Bảo, on the final episode of 21st Century Woman on VTV.

[citation needed] For the remainder of the year, Ngo was busy with the promotional campaign for Rouge throughout Asia and the recording of her third album.

[8] Vân's performance was highly praised by both critics and the public,[citation needed] and earned her the Best Actress Award at the 15th Vietnam Film Festival.

[citation needed] In the spring of 2007, Vân also starred in a new thriller called Ngôi nhà bí ẩn, which premiered in Vietnamese cinemas in November 2007.

[14] Later in 2017, she played Tien, an Inferni elf enforcer working for Leilah, the main antagonist in the Netflix film Bright.

[17] After the success of The Rebel, Vân publicly revealed her relationship with co-star Johnny Trí Nguyễn, which was rumored to have ended his marriage with Cathy Viet Thi, a singer on Van Son.