Lien Truong was born in Saigon, Vietnam. She received her BFA from Humboldt State University and her MFA from Mills College in Oakland. The artist’s work considers society’s political, social, and historical perspectives as they pertain to culture, humanity, and morality. Her work is influenced from her experience as a first generation Vietnamese American, and expands to an inclusive dialogue of common experience. She seeks not to portray a translation of society, but to entice viewers to invest in personal interpretations.

Humboldt State University sets aside money every year to award the artist with a purchase prize and add the piece to its permanent collection. In 1999, Lien had the honor of winning the "President's Purchase Award" for her painting titled, "The Privilege of Knowledge" .

Lien has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions throughout California. She is also the recipient of several awards, including the Jack and Gertrude Murphy Fine Arts Fellowship and the Sarah Lewis Fellowship. In 2003, she was the Artist in Residence at the Oakland Museum of California, and the Sweeney Granite Mountains Research Center in Kelso, CA. In 2004, Lien will be featured in the Pacific Coast Edition of New American Paintings, and a solo exhibition at Southern Exposure in San Francisco.