Nguyễn Tư studied western Philosophy (in French) and Vietnamese and Chinese literature at the University of Saigon from 1963 to 1968 and then became a secondary school teacher in Philosophy and Literature. Having joined the army of South Vietnam in 1970 as a lieutenant, he spent five years on the front. He was wounded three times, then captured by the North Vietnamese and placed for four years in 're-education' camps. He began writing while a student. In Australia he has worked as a dressmaker and a casual teacher of Vietnamese at a community languages centre. Nguyen Tu has also had work published in the United States and Canada. As a self-taught artist, Nguyen Tu has exhibited at Sunny Brook Convention Centre, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Liverpool Hospital Art Gallery.
