She enrolled at the University of California, Irvine to study civil engineering, but switched her focus to acting after a talent scout spotted her.

Trang was chosen for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, her first major role, after participating in an audition process that included about 500 actresses.

[9] Trang went long periods of time without eating and fell ill, with her mother having to force food down her throat while she was unconscious to keep her alive.

At one point, the other passengers wrongly believed Trang to be dead and wanted to throw her body overboard to make more room for the other refugees, but her mother prevented them from doing so.

[14] Trang said of studying kung fu:[13] It's really good because it builds a lot of character and it makes me stronger as a person, especially going through all the stuff I went through, coming over here to America.

She graduated from Banning High School in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles,[1] and enrolled at the University of California, Irvine to study civil engineering, planning to follow her father and siblings into the field.

[18] Casting director Katy Wallin said the day of Trang's screen test, "Thuy was so nervous that she almost couldn't complete her final callback.

"[19] She was paired with Jason David Frank, the martial arts instructor and actor who went on to portray the Green Ranger Tommy Oliver, during the audition.

[17][22][23] After securing the role, Trang moved from Fountain Valley to Los Angeles to be closer to the set of the show, which she found to be a major adjustment.

[32] She jogged and exercised regularly during her time on the show to stay in shape, and received training from martial arts experts on the set,[3] including Jason David Frank.

They were together when the 1994 Northridge earthquake struck, which badly frightened both women, but they were forced to go to the studio for filming that day anyway; no scenes were ultimately shot because the crew did not arrive.

"[20][21] Trang left Power Rangers in the middle of the second season, along with fellow cast members Austin St. John and Walter Emanuel Jones,[5] due to contractual and payment disputes.

[24][31][34][40] Trang, St. John, and Jones released a joint statement about their departure:[41][42][43] After two seasons as the Power Rangers, we would now like to move forward to the many new opportunities that have been presented to us.

Trang was replaced as the Yellow Ranger by Karan Ashley,[36][42][44] who was chosen from an audition process that included 4,000 actors in five cities seeking the three vacated roles.

[35] Margaret Loesch, president of Fox Children's Network, released a statement about Trang and the other departing actors: "We will always consider them part of the Power Rangers family.

"[29][31] Trang said of her departure: "The show was great, it gave me a lot of experience; but it's time to move on, and I'm focusing on doing feature films and becoming more serious of an actress.

[49][50][51][52] She made a guest appearance at the Little Saigon Tet Festival, an event honoring Vietnamese culture, in Westminster, California, on February 4, 1995.

[58] Other reviewers were more negative about Trang's performance: The Advocate writer John Wirt called her "a flop",[60] and Jon Bowman of The Santa Fe New Mexican said her "sneer is her most pronounced feature".

[34] Trang had planned to appear in several films in the mid-1990s along with her Power Rangers co-stars St. John and Jones, including Cyberstrike,[24][36][41][62] Act of Courage, and Children of Merlin,[29][36][62][63] the latter of which was to be developed by Landmark Entertainment Group.

Additionally, Trang was expected to appear in a TV show called The Adventures of Tracie Z, which also never came to fruition, though a pilot was apparently filmed.

[20][65] The driver, another bridesmaid named Steffiana de la Cruz, struck some loose gravel in a groove along the side of the road, and lost control of the vehicle.

[66] Trang's body was cremated a week later on September 10, and her ashes were either scattered or interred at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California, though there is no headstone for her.

[67][68] Fellow co-star Jason David Frank could not attend due to the death of his older brother, but he sent his condolences to Trang's family.

Several fans responded on the social media platforms Facebook and Twitter that the message was offensive because Trang died in a car crash,[71][72][73] with some users replying with the hashtag "#JusticeforThuy".

[73] The film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, which was produced to celebrate the franchise's 30th anniversary, is dedicated to the memory of Trang and Jason David Frank.

The special was written and filmed with Trang's legacy in mind and focuses on the aftermath of the 1993 series' in-universe death of Trini Kwan.