For Thai actress Lingling Kwong, the past year unfolded quickly, marked by milestones she never expected to reach so soon: the launch of her business, Always Wonder, a pop-up store at Siam Paragon; fan meets that reaffirmed her bond with supporters; and moments on stage that pushed her beyond her comfort zone. Yet amid the professional achievements, it is the deeply personal victories that linger most—chief among them, being able to buy a home for her parents—a goal she speaks about with warmth.
This period of intense activity has also reshaped her understanding of self-care. Once driven to fill every spare moment, she now embraces stillness, learning to rest without guilt and to protect her energy just as carefully as she nurtures her ambition. Whether challenging herself to dance, confronting feedback with openness or redefining success on her own terms, she approaches each obstacle as an opportunity to grow.
Looking forward, Kwong is entering the next chapter with a commitment to learning, embracing the simple joys in life and becoming the best version of herself—both in and out of the spotlight.
After a year away from the public eye, what has the past year taught you?
There’s so much to reflect on because I feel I’ve accomplished a great deal and everything happened so quickly. Each day brought something new to the point where there were moments I barely had time to prepare or fully process it all. Last year, I launched my business, Always Wonder. I opened a pop-up store at Siam Paragon and received amazing feedback. My most recent fan meet was another major highlight. These were all achievements I never expected to come to fruition so soon. The greatest personal goal I achieved last year was to buy a house for my parents.
Which of last year’s milestones would you like to build on in 2026?
I want to meet my fans more often and I want to take better care of my health. So many things happened last year and when I look back, I realise I was able to handle everything well because I looked after myself. One thing I hope to keep doing is to remain as someone who is always ready to learn, no matter what.
What does self-care look like for you these days?
When it comes to external physical care, I’m a fan of exercising, eating nutritious meals and getting sufficient sleep. While these things may sound basic, I initially found them hard to achieve because my schedule is packed with work. I do my best to make time to exercise and if you follow me on Instagram you’ll see that I often share stories of my workouts. As for internal mental care, I try to strike a balance. When there are lull periods or cancellations, I no longer feel the need to fill my schedule with work or meetings. In the past, whenever I had free time, I would try to keep myself busy as quickly as possible. Now, when I’m free, I feel at peace. I sit by myself, listen to music, read letters from my fans and simply relax. I focus on things that restore my energy and steer clear of activities that demand too much physically because that already happens on a day-to-day basis. I prioritise rest and treasure my personal time.
What habits are you hoping to leave behind?
At the moment, I’m trying to cut back on fizzy drinks. Another thing I’m focusing on is becoming a better texter, which means getting rid of my bad texting habits (laughs). Once I’m done with work, I tend to put my phone down. I get too lazy to be on social media and just want to shut down after the day ends, which often results in a lot of unanswered messages. Moving forward, I want to be more responsive and reply to texts more promptly.
When you’re on stage and look out at your fans, what goes through your mind? Are there any thoughts that stay with you in those moments?
During the show, I have so much fun with my fans. Seeing them happy makes me happy—hearing their screams, hearing them sing, all of it moves me. By the time the show ends, I feel a deep sense of pride. There is a special connection and bond formed in those moments and I’m very grateful for my fans. I appreciate that they came to the concert because I know it wasn’t easy for some of them. Some may have saved up money to be there, while others may have flown in from all over the country or overseas. When the concert ends, I feel overwhelmed yet happy because I’ve never been very confident in my ability to sing or dance.
Singing and dancing must push your boundaries, especially since you’re often seen as quiet and reserved. How do you motivate yourself to take on challenges like these?
Usually, when there are fan meets where singing and dancing are involved, I’d be okay with singing but would shy away from dancing. But this concert was an opportunity for me to change my perspective. It became something that I wanted to make happen. I really wanted to make my fans happy, so I pushed myself to achieve this—ultimately stepping outside my comfort zone.
“I’ve learnt that the most important thing is to live our lives happily and prove to ourselves how good our lives can get.”
Which personal goal are you most proud to have achieved?
This is something I’m really proud of—my ability to take care of my parents without worrying about anything else because everything else is secondary. I think this is a goal every child sets for themselves, including me, and I feel at peace now that I’ve achieved it.
What challenges tested you the most over the past year?
Probably dancing. It’s really difficult for me.
How do you approach obstacles and push yourself to grow?
I try to learn as much as possible because I don’t want to halt my personal growth. For example, no matter how much I disliked dancing, I tried my best to improve. Someone asked me earlier if I had learnt anything new this year and that made me realise I had yet to develop a new skill. I wanted to either become really good at singing or improve my dancing. I don’t avoid it as much as I used to. I’m starting to see my progress. I couldn’t even rotate my waist at first, but now I’m able to pick up choreography much faster.
What are some important lessons you’ve learnt this year?
I’m continuously learning, but if there’s one thing I’ve realised this year, it’s this: no matter what we do, there will always be people who like us and people who don’t. We just have to keep being the best version of ourselves because when we try to please people who don’t like us, we lose ourselves. I’ve learnt that the most important thing is to live our lives happily and prove to ourselves how good our lives can get (laughs). This might be the best answer I’ve given today.
Have you come across negative comments online yourself or do people bring them to your attention since you don’t use social media?
Both. I don’t go looking for them on purpose, but sometimes I happen to see them or someone sends them to me. If it’s a comment about my physical appearance, I don’t really care. But if it’s a comment about my work, I’m always ready to improve. Or if it’s feedback that could benefit me and those around me, I’m always open to hearing it.
What are you looking forward to most in 2026?
I want to be able to produce good work, whether in acting or in my business. I want to challenge myself. For example, opening a new branch or additional pop-up stores for my business. In the entertainment industry, I’d love to make films. I’m looking forward to trying new things.
This year, you were at Paris Fashion Week. What insights or perspectives did you gain from being part of it?
It felt like I made my mark in the history of fashion, especially because Dior had just appointed Jonathan Anderson as creative director. Sitting there, watching the show, I felt like I was witnessing history being made in real time. It was wonderful to see people from around the world coming together to celebrate fashion. I gathered so much inspiration from seeing the new works. On my free days, I took walks around the city, which was a rare opportunity. Normally, we don’t have much free time, but this felt like a little vacation. Everyone was enjoying their personal time, and whenever the sun came out, I would go for a walk and just enjoy life. It was so relaxing. I think it’s important to enjoy the time we have because it passes by quickly. Last year went by incredibly fast for me. I learnt that we should be happy in every present moment. If we spend all our time worrying, we’ll only regret it later. Seeing people enjoying dinner with loved ones reminded me that sometimes we need to put our phones down, which was easy for me, as I was never really addicted to it anyway (laughs).
Do you have a message for your fans and readers?
I’m wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Congratulations if 2025 was an amazing year for you, and if it wasn’t, don’t worry because it’s passed us by. I hope this year will be a good year for everyone. For myself, whether it’s a good year or not depends on how we perceive it. If we view the world positively, it can make us luckier and attract good things into our lives through our intentions. We become luckier when we see the world through a positive lens.
Photography Tada Varich
Styling Jirat Subpisankul
Words Thadinee Rucharasevee and Nurul Firdousee
Translation Verity Cheng
Hair Keng Harit
Make-up Meen Chanidapa
Set design Chaiyo Lohomrapaksin
Stylist’s assistant Nuch Thitaporn
Vogue Singapore’s January/February ‘Art’ issue is out on newsstands and available to order online.
