Yến was born in 1936. Yến's father was Sảng and his mother was Kim-Cúc Phạm quang. His paternal grandparents were Tại and Yên Nguyễn. He has a brother and six sisters, named Tuấn, Oanh, Loan, Nga, Thúy, Hồng and Nhạn. He is the oldest of the eight children.