Oanh was born in 1937. Oanh's father was Sảng and her mother was Kim-Cúc Phạm quang. Her paternal grandparents were Tại and Yên Nguyễn. She has two brothers and five sisters, named Yến, Tuấn, Loan, Nga, Thúy, Hồng and Nhạn. She is the second oldest of the eight children.