[1] Tran was director of a law firm in Ho Chi Minh City, where he specialized in defending farmers whose land had been confiscated by the government.
[2] On 10 January 2007, Tran became the spokesman of the United Workers-Farmers Organization (UWFO) after four other leaders (Tran Thi Le Hang, Nguyen Tan Hoanh, Doan Van Dien, and Doan Huy Chuong) were arrested in advance of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit held in Vietnam.
[1] In Spring 2011, Boston's American Repertory Theater and System of a Down's Serj Tankian dedicated their production of Prometheus Bound to Tran Quoc Hien, Doan Van Dien, Doan Huy Chuong, and seven other Amnesty International cases, stating in program notes that "by singing the story of Prometheus, the God who defied the tyrant Zeus by giving the human race both fire and art, this production hopes to give a voice to those currently being silenced or endangered by modern-day oppressors.
[8] He alleged that following his release, he was kept under constant surveillance, and in February, was deliberately driven off the road by Vietnamese secret police (MPS) agents.
In August 2012, he escaped the country to Thailand, applying for political asylum through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, stating, "my defection will help me to continue the struggle for democracy and human rights in Vietnam".