Thiên was born on May 13th, 1950 in Hà-nội. Thiên's father was Đĩnh and his mother was Lai Phạm. His paternal grandparents were Tiên and Tuất Nghiêm phú. He had three brothers and three sisters, named Đắc, Bắc, Tài, Tố-Lan, Lai-Hà and Lê-Cư. He is the fourth oldest of the seven children.