He attended and graduated from the French established Law School in Sàigòn (in Saigon, Viet Nam), and began his legal practice with two senior and prominent Attorney-at-Law Nguyễn Hữu Thọ and Nguyễn Lâm Sanh - former House Speaker of South Vietnam government- Chủ Tịch Hạ Nghị Viện cũa Đệ Nhất Cộng Hòa.

His mother was Lê Thị Thơm, eldest daughter of wealthy Village Chief in the Mekong Delta area in the city of Vũng Liêm.

Trần was married to a well-educated lady - daughter of an aristocrat French trained Engineer- her parents are known as Mr. & Ms. Tửu from Vĩnh Long.

He gained national international recognition for defending the poor, the wrongful accused victims, and became a political icon against the corrupted South Vietnam First Republic of Ngo Dinh Diem.

In addition, Minister of Finance and Economy Au Truong Thanh has threatened to resign if the situation surrounding the arrest by Brigadier General Nguyen Ngoc Loan of the Directeur de Cabinet of the Ministry of Health is not satisfactorily resolved.

He died at 13:30 on 9 October 2011 at Thường Chiếu Zen Monastery, Province 1, Phước Thái village, Long Thành district, Đồng Nai, at the age of 90 years.