Mr Le was born in Central Vietnam, where he attended school before studying Economics and Management at the Da Lat University in the Highlands.
Mr Le, and his wife, Lan, arrived in Darwin in 1977 as two of the Boat people refugees from Vietnam. They settled in Adelaide.
Mr Le returned to study at the University of Adelaide, where he earned a degree in Economics and Accounting (BEc) in 1989. In 2001, Mr Le’s further study earned him a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the same university.
Mr Le gained Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) accreditation, and from 1991 worked at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). He retired from ASIC in March 2009.
During this time, Mr Le also served on many community boards and committees, in particular, those relating to cultural and linguistic diversity, the arts and education.
In 1995, Mr Le was appointed a member of the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission (SAMEAC), and was appointed Deputy Chairman in 2004. When Mr Le became Chair of SAMEAC in 2007, he was the first person of Asian background to be Chair of this organisation in South Australia.
In August 2007, Mr Le was sworn in as the Lieutenant Governor of South Australia. Over the next seven years in this role, Mr Le served as the Patron or Honorary member of over 30 community-based, cultural, charitable and veterans organisations.
On 1st September 2014, Mr Le was sworn in as the 35th Governor of South Australia. He concluded his term on 31st August 2021. During 7 years in this role, Mr Le served as the Patron of over 230 organisations.
It is understood that Mr Le is the first Vietnamese-born person who has ever been appointed to a Vice-Regal position in the world.
Mr Le was awarded the Australia Day Medal in 1996 for outstanding service to ASIC, and in 2001 he was awarded the Centenary of Federation Medal for service to the advancement of multiculturalism.
In 2010, Mr Le was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for outstanding service to community, social inclusion and international engagements. In June 2016, Mr Le was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for outstanding service to the community and to the State of South Australia. He has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Adelaide University in 2008, Flinders University in 2011 and University of South Australia in 2023.
In December 2021, Mr Le was awarded by the Italian Government the title Cavalieri (Knight) of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for his outstanding service and support to the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities in South Australia, and in particular, the Italian Community.
Currently, Mr Le is the Chairperson of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and the Australian National Maritime Museum Council.
He is also the Patron, Life member, Honorary Member, Director and Ambassador for over 20 community based, not-for-profit organisations.