Mr Le was born in Central Vietnam in 1954, where he attended school before studying Economics at the Dalat University in the Highlands.
Mr Le, and his wife, Lan, arrived in Australia in 1977 and settled in Adelaide, starting with three months at the Pennington Migrant Hostel.
Mr Le returned to study at the University of Adelaide, where he earned a degree in Economics and Accounting. 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 accreditation, and from 1991 worked at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, where he led many high-profile matters. Upon his retirement from the Commission in March 2009, he held the position of Senior Manager – Financial Services Regulation.
Mr Le has 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 SA Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission, and was appointed Deputy Chairman in 2001. When Mr Le became Chairman in 2007, he was the first person of Asian background to be Chairman 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 many organisations.
On 1 September 2014, Mr Le was sworn in as Governor of South Australia. He concluded his term on 31 August 2021.
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 Australian Securities and Investment Commission, and has been 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 service to the community in South Australia. He has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from both Adelaide University and Flinders University.
Mr Le is married to Mrs Lan Le, with whom he has two adult sons, Don and Kim.