Professor NghiemPhu Phi was born on July 9, 1930 in Saigon, Vietnam. His family then moved to Ba Ria, Vietnam, where he attended Elementary School. At age 12, he was accepted to Petrus Ky High School in Saigon, and also started his music education with various professors, including Nguyen Van An, Tran Anh Tuan, Tran Van Trach and Vo Duc Thu. In 1949, he traveled to France and studied music with Marguerite Chastel, George Schwart, Delausnay, and Challan at the Conservatoire National Superieur De Musique De Paris. In 1955, he graduated with Honor in Piano Performance and Harmony from the Conservatoire. He returned to Vietnam in 1955 and was a Professor of Music, then in 1970, the Director of the National Conservatory of Music and Theater in Saigon, Vietnam, until the fall of Saigon in 1975. For 20 years, he conducted and arranged music performances for several recording studios, movie studios, Saigon Radio Station, Freedom Radio Saigon, and Saigon Television. He performed in many countries throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. Since his immigration to the United States in 1984, he opened the NghiemPhuPhi Music Class in Little Saigon, Westminster, CA. While training young musicians and pianists, he continued to compose and arrange music until his death on January 16, 2008.