He was the twelfth son of Minh Mạng, and his mother was Hồ Thị Tùy.
In 1843, he was granted the title Tương An Công (襄安公, "Duke of Tương An") by Emperor Thiệu Trị, and became the teacher of two princes, Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Bảo and Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Nhậm (later Emperor Tự Đức).
Hồng Bảo disliked studying, so Thiệu Trị did not like him, and lost his succession of the throne.
In 1854, Hồng Bảo plotted a rebellion against Tự Đức and was forced to commit suicide.
Feeling sad for the fate of Hồng Bảo, he died in the same year.