As a refugee escaping from Vietnam, Van's childhood dream job was to become a comic book artist because he loves to tell stories.   However, his parents wanted him to pursue a more stable career, so off he went to study psychology and business economics at UCLA. Upon graduating with cum laude honors from UCLA, he went to work for Ernst and Young.   As he was crunching numbers as an accountant, Van yearned to doodle instead.  Fortunately,  a chance screening of the SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater changed his life.   After seeing a fantastic short film created by just one individual, Van was inspired and transformed.   That aha moment was transformative as it motivated him to learn this emerging technology so he could tell his own stories.

Upon passing the CPA exam and receiving a full scholarship to attend USC for his first year. Van took the leap and enrolled at USC cinematic arts program to get his MFA in animation.   While in school he completed two animated shorts "Wild Card" and "Values" which went on to screen at over sixty film festivals.   "Wild Card" and "Values",  screened at the SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater and won numerous awards, including two Student Emmys.    "Values" also won Best Animated Short at SIGGRAPH, which qualified it for the Academy Awards in the best animated short division. 

Van has worked as an animator, previs artist, and designer for films and games produced by Dreamworks, Sony Imageworks, Digital Domain,  2K, Naughty Dog ILM and Blue Sky Studios.  His credits include Harry Potter, Shrek2, Madagascar, Stuart Little 2, Ice Age 3, John Carter, Uncharted, How to Train Your Dragon (pilot), Thor, NBA2K17, Captain America Civil War,  and various other projects including award-winning VR projects screened at the Tribeca, Cannes  and Venice Film Festival.

Van's breadth of experience in feature animation, emerging technology, real-time game engine, films, broadcast, interactive media, academia, and business has given him a unique perspective and teaching philosophy. In addition to production work, Van enjoys teaching as it allows him to help students achieve their own aha moments.  He also volunteers his time at various high schools and organizations in the area.  He also wants to help students create their own "WOW" moments.

His future goals are to continue to create "WOW" moments working on exciting projects that have purpose and also to help others create their own “WOW” moments as a teacher.