Hieu Van Le, ( vi, Lê Văn Hiếu; born 1 January 1954) was the 35th governor of South Australia, in office from 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2021. He served as the state's

lieutenant-governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

from 2007 to 2014. He also served as chair of the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission (SAMEAC) from 2006 to 2009. Le is the first person of Asian heritage to be appointed a state governor in Australia, and first person of Vietnamese background to be appointed to a vice-regal position anywhere in the world.

Early life

Le was born in Quảng Trị, South Vietnam, on 1 January 1954. He was raised and educated in Đà Nẵng, and attended Dalat University. In November 1977, he fled the new communist regime in Vietnam and arrived by boat in

Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin ( ; Larrakia: ) is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory. It is the small ...

, as a refugee, with his wife Lan and about 40 other people. Their two sons were born in Australia and are named after Australian cricketers Sir Donald Bradman and Kim Hughes.

Career

After arriving in Australia, Le attended the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on ...

, receiving a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accou ...

and an Economics degree. He was a senior investigator and manager with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission from the early 1990s until his retirement in 2009. He is also a member of the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants (CPA) and a Fellow Member of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (Finsia).

Governor

Le's appointment as Governor of South Australia to replace Kevin Scarce was announced on 26 June 2014; he took office on 1 September, with Scarce's term expiring on 7 August. Le is a Catholic and credits his experiences as a refugee for strengthening his religious convictions. In June 2019, Premier Steven Marshall announced that Le's original term as governor had been extended by two years, to 31 August 2021.

Honours

;Orders * 2010:

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

(AO) * 2014:

Knight of Grace of the Order of St John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

* 2016:

Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

(AC) ;Medals * 2001: Centenary Medal "for service to the advancement of multiculturalism in Australia", ;Appointments * 2014: Colonel of the Royal South Australia Regiment. * 2014: Deputy Prior of the Order of St John.

References

External links

His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AO
at Government House SA

at the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission (SAMEAC)
From refugee to Lieutenant Governor

at ABC {{DEFAULTSORT:Le, Hieu Van 1954 births Living people Australian accountants Australian economists Australian Roman Catholics Lieutenant-Governors of South Australia Governors of South Australia People from Quảng Trị province Recipients of the Centenary Medal University of Adelaide alumni Vietnamese emigrants to Australia Vietnamese refugees Companions of the Order of Australia