Joseph Trần Xuân Tiếu was born on 20 August 1944 in the Lộc Hòa district (then called Phú Ốc) of the city of Nam Dinh.

After his ordination, he served as secretary to Bishop Nguyễn Khắc Ngư until 1995, when he was appointed pastor of the Long Xuyên Cathedral, professor of moral theology at the Thánh Quý Major Seminary in Cần Thơ, and vicar general of the diocese.

[1] On 3 June 1999, Pope John Paul II appointed him Coadjutor Bishop of Long Xuyên.

[2] He served as the president of the Commission for the Laity of the Vietnamese Episcopal Conference for two consecutive terms from 2010 to 2016.

[3][4] Over the years, he advocated for the return of the old St. Thomas Seminary, seized in 1976 following the country's reunification, to resume educational activities, a request that was eventually granted in September 2018.