In 1954 when Việt Nam was divided, artificial differences between the North (where Minh Hiền’s father's family lived for generations) and the South (where her mother was born) were created. Shortly the differences escalated to a full scale war.

Minh Hiền was born in central Việt Nam and grew up in Sài Gòn. Soon after her birth, the war intensified involving many countries, and continued for many years. The war left a deep scar between the people and demanded more sacrifices. She left her country in 1981 to seek peace, freedom and education.

In Australia she has lived an energetic life, working as an engineer, an accountant and an IT developer and manager, and has been in contact with people of many diverse cultures. Articles commenting on her experiences and achievements appeared in the Mercury in January and February 1983, the Examiner in February 1983, the Sunday Tasmania in April 1987, On Your Mark in March 1990, the Newsprint Log in May and August 1990, Fair Go in March 1993, the Bay-City Star in September 1995 and the North of the Latte Line in September 2004:

'Viet refugee carves a new life in Hobart... Hugh Jones met this remarkable girl this week... ' The Examiner, February 1983.

'Refugee triumphs, ... It is a long, hard road from the perils of the South China Sea in an open, leaky boat, to the student's place of honour on university graduation day.' Rod Boucher, The Sunday Tasmania, April 1987.

'A story of achievement ... a staggering achievement in not only academic excellence but also in courage and persistence. Hien beats all the odds ... ' Newsprint Log, May 1990.

'"Be strong daughter, leave, you must leave" paints a view of loss and new life from the perspective of a migrant coming to Australia, and the lasting impression for me is the enduring value for this poet of familial connectedness. This poem uses the English language in a rhythm that is lyrical in a sing-song but quite fresh and compelling way, a rhythm that lends weight to the compelling, delicately told story.' Anne Kellas, Poetry Editor, The Write Stuff.

In 2006 she was awarded the 2006-07 Australian Society of Authors Mentorship to work with editor Judith Lukin-Amundsen, who then commended her book: 'Hiền! I think what you’ve done is marvellous! Such a lovely book … the way it retains its beautiful delicacy, even through the worst and saddest times.'

Minh Hiền holds a Master of Arts in Writing and seven other university qualifications; she has more than twenty years of work experience in various industries. Her scientific and engineering publications appeared in the International Federation of Automatic Control paper in 1988, the International Journal of Information and Education Technology in 2013, the International Conference on Information Systems Management and Evaluation in 2013, the European Conference on IS Management and Evaluation in 2014, the International Journal of Information and Electronics Engineering in 2016, the European Alliance for Innovation (EAI) International Conference on Nature of Computation and Communication (ICTCC) and International Conference on Context-Aware Systems and Applications (ICCASA) conference in 2017.

Minh Hiền is featured in the University of Tasmania Alumni Magazine in 2017 and in the Who’s Who in Tasmania 2008, Inaugural Print Edition by Crown Content, the century-old publisher of Who’s Who.