[1] She rose to international fame for her role in Academy Award-nominated film The Quiet American (2002) by Phillip Noyce, which made her the first Asian actress to be nominated for a Satellite Award.
She grew up in Hanoi where she graduated from the Vietnamese Ballet School (now Vietnam Academy of Dance) after 7 years of study.
[3] In 1999, director Tran Anh Hung invited Hai Yen, only 17 at that time, to play a role in the film The Vertical Ray of the Sun (Vietnam/France).
[3][5] It was the first time in Vietnam's history that a Vietnamese actress was selected as a main English-speaking character in a Hollywood film.
Story of Pao was also Hai Yen's first movie as a producer, taking care of the film's marketing and distribution.
[11] In 2008, Hai Yen was the leading actress in the film Adrift (Chơi vơi), a co-production between Vietnam and France, directed by Bùi Thạc Chuyên.
[16][17] In 2010, Hai Yen starred in film The Floating Lives (Cánh đồng bất tận),[18] directed by Nguyen Phan Quang Binh.