In 1954 when Vietnam was divided into North and South Vietnam Thinh's family chose to leave the North and settle in Saigon in the South. Her years at primary school were difficult as she was treated with suspicion and hostility. She graduated from university as a secondary teacher in 1971. Her first appointment was to the rural area of Moc Hua. This area was subjected to action by the Republican Army during the day and the Communist troops at night. Thirty years of civil war ended in 1975 but her parents decided not to evacuate. However, in 1981, Thinh escaped from Vietnam on a boat built by former students from Moc Hua. Once at sea they were picked up by USS Roark and taken to a refugee camp in Malaysia where Thinh remained for some six weeks until she was accepted by Australia. Her first job was in a shoe factory but in 1984 she secured her first teaching job and in 1985 married Tien.Thinh continues to live in Footscray, Melbourne where she was Footscray Citizen of the Year in 1994. She has conducted a large number of workshops and conferences on the Vietnamese language. She also has authored books on Vietnamese language, poetry, teacher references, classroom support materials, and regularly contributes to magazines both in Australia and overseas. She is a Vietnamese teacher and was named LOTE (Language Other than English) Teacher of the Year in 1997.
