Cuong began playing the trumpet at the age of 11, five years after emigrating to Seattle, WA from Vietnam. His intense dedication and love for music led him to a full scholarship at the New England Conservatory of Music where he received his Bachelor of Music in Jazz studies with a distinction in performance. While at NEC, Cuong was greatly influenced by saxophonist Joe Maneri who led him to search for his own sound that not only emphasized originality but also pushed the established sonority and role of the trumpet into areas that he hadn’t explored. In addition to Maneri, Cuong was also influenced by the contemporary classical music he encountered at NEC from which he found new forms and textures to apply to his playing and writing.

Since his arrival in New York, Cuong has toured internationally and in the states as well as performing regularly as a leader and a side-man in the "downtown creative music" scene. He has performed and/or recorded with David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, Mitchell Froom, Cibo Matto, Chris Speed, Dave Douglas, Gerry Hemingway, Myra Melford, Dougie Bowne, Laurent Brondel and Holly Palmer. In addition to his many collaborations, Cuong released two recordings as a leader in 2000, "Bound" (OmniTone) and "Pure" (Knitting Factory Records), both are among the top ten picks for best album of 2000 (Jazziz, May 2001).