Born in South Vietnam, Cuong Hung Van began his studies at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory. Before coming to the United States he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Moscow State Conservatory where he worked with Victor Merzhanov. His record of performance in Russia is extensive.

Currently, he resides in Cleveland, Ohio, and is pursuing his postgraduate studies under Paul Schenly and Daniel Shapiro at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In March of this year Cuong Hung Van completed a concert tour in Korea with performances in Seoul, Pusan and Daegu.

Recent concert engagements in the United States include Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and the Phillips Collection and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. He has also made orchestral appearances with the World Festival Symphony Orchestra in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Ho Chi Minh City Symphony Orchestra, Vietnam.

In addition to winning the gold medal at Ohio's Cincinnati World Piano Competition, Cuong Hung Van was also honored with the first prize at the Frina Awerbuch International Piano Competition in New York City and the second prize at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition.

Critics have been effusive in their praise for this artist's interpretive powers and technical skill. Donald Rosenberg of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said, "Cuong Hung Van puts his searching musicality to splendid use in all of his fare...[his] taste was impeccable; his command of musical elements complete." Of his Hilton Head performance the reviewer said, "He displayed carefully developed musical ideas...distinguished by multicolored cascades of sound, translucent sections of stillness and supple, tastefully proportioned phrasing." Live recordings have been broadcast on WQXR, New York, WGMS, Washington D.C., WCLV, Cleveland, and the Vietnam National Television