Meet the Dentists at Picasso Dental Clinic

When you fly across the world to have dental work done, you are not really choosing a clinic, a city or a price list. You are choosing a person: the clinician whose hands will be in your mouth, whose judgement will shape an irreversible decision, and whose training stands between you and a result you will live with for years. That is why a team page deserves more than a wall of smiling headshots. This is an honest introduction to the dentists behind Picasso Dental Clinic, a Vietnamese group that has grown from a single Hanoi practice founded in 2013 into a six-branch network across four cities, serving more than 70,000 patients from over 62 countries under the banner of Internationally Trained Excellence. Below, you will meet the people that phrase actually refers to.

Who leads Picasso Dental Clinic?

Dr. Emily Nguyen — Founding Clinical Director

Every consistent clinic has a single clinical conscience behind it, and at Picasso that person is Dr. Emily Nguyen. Born in 1982 in Ho Chi Minh City and trained at Pearl Dental Clinic in HCMC, she founded the original practice in Hanoi in 2013, when it operated under the name Serenity International Dental Clinic. In 2023, following private-equity investment, she led its rebrand to Picasso Dental Clinic, the group you see today. Her title, Founding Clinical Director, is not ceremonial: she sets the clinical standards that apply group-wide, which means the protocols, the choice of materials and the quality benchmarks at any of the six branches trace back to a single source.

For a patient, that matters in a quiet but important way. One of the real risks of a multi-site clinic is that quality drifts from one location to another. A founding clinical director who defines standards across the group is the structural answer to that risk. It is also the reason the clinic can carry a tagline like Painting Smiles, Crafting Happiness Since 2013 without it ringing hollow, because there is genuine continuity from the founder's chair to the present-day network. You can see how that scale and structure fit together in our overview of Picasso Dental for international patients.

You are not choosing a clinic so much as choosing the clinician whose judgement will shape a decision you cannot easily undo. A good team page should make that person, and their training, impossible to mistake.

Who handles implants and full-arch surgery?

Implant dentistry, and especially full-arch work, is where experience separates a good result from a poor one. It is irreversible, surgical, and unforgiving of inexperience, which is exactly why it should be led by a named specialist rather than a generalist who places the occasional fixture. At Picasso, that specialist is the most senior member of the team.

Dr. Tran Thanh Phong — Head of Implantology

If you remember one name from this page, make it this one. Dr. Tran Thanh Phong is the clinic's Head of Implantology and its most senior implantologist, and his record is the kind you rarely see stated so plainly. He has been placing implants since 2001, more than two decades of continuous surgical practice, and places roughly 600 implants a year, with more than 15,000 implants placed in total. Volume of that order is not a vanity statistic; in surgery, repetition is how judgement is built, and it is the single most relevant thing a patient considering an implant can ask about.

His full-arch credentials are equally specific. He was the first Vietnamese dentist to perform All-on-4 immediate loading, a technique he has used since 2010, and he has treated more than 1,000 All-on-4 patients. He also places zygomatic implants, an advanced option anchored in the cheekbone for patients whose upper jaw has too little bone for conventional implants, having done so since 2017 with over 400 zygomatic implants placed. On the training side, he was trained at Loma Linda University in the United States in 2010, and he has served as a Nobel Biocare clinical representative in Vietnam since 2007, a role that reflects standing with one of the world's leading implant manufacturers.

What does this mean for you in practice? It means that if you are weighing a single implant or a complex full-mouth rehabilitation, the person at the top of the implant team has personally done that kind of work thousands of times. If you want to understand how those procedures are priced, our breakdown of Picasso's implant services and pricing lays it out; to see the results of that experience, browse the before-and-after cases at Picasso Dental; and for the bigger restorative picture, see our guide to full-mouth rehabilitation at Picasso.

Dr. Hung Le Ba Gia ("Dr. Evans") — Lead Implant Specialist

A senior implantologist needs a strong second, and Dr. Hung Le Ba Gia, known to international patients as "Dr. Evans," is the Lead Implant Specialist who fills that role. He has placed more than 1,000 implants and handled over 200 All-on-4 cases, and he works under Dr. Phong's direction. That last detail is worth dwelling on, because it describes a proper clinical hierarchy rather than a flat list of equally interchangeable names. Complex implant work benefits from a structure in which a highly experienced specialist oversees a capable lead, and that is what the implant department here is built to provide. It is also a healthy sign for patients: the most demanding cases are not left to chance, they sit within a chain of accountability that leads back to the most senior implantologist in the group.

Who handles braces and Invisalign?

Orthodontics is its own discipline, and Picasso treats it that way, with a dedicated group of orthodontists rather than a single generalist squeezing braces in between fillings. As a Platinum Elite Invisalign Provider, the clinic offers the full Invisalign range alongside conventional and self-ligating braces, and the people who plan and run that work are specialists in it.

Dr. Thuan Phung — Orthodontist

Dr. Thuan Phung anchors the orthodontic side of the team with more than ten years of experience and over 1,500 orthodontic cases. That kind of case volume is exactly what you want behind a treatment that unfolds over many months and depends on hundreds of small, cumulative judgements about how teeth are moving and where they should end up. Orthodontics rewards pattern recognition built from having seen many mouths respond over time, and that is what a four-figure case count represents.

Dr. Thao Tran ("Dr. Anna") — General Dentist and Orthodontist

Dr. Thao Tran, known to patients as "Dr. Anna," works as both a general dentist and an orthodontist, and trained at the University of Hamburg in Germany. That German training is a concrete example of the Internationally Trained Excellence the team describes, and her dual scope is useful in everyday practice, because a clinician comfortable in both general and orthodontic dentistry can see a smile in the round rather than through a single specialty's lens.

The wider orthodontic and cosmetic team

Beyond those two, the orthodontic and cosmetic group runs deeper. It includes Dr. Nhung Duong ("Dr. Lynn"); Dr. Huong Nguyen ("Dr. Rosie"), who works in cosmetic dentistry and orthodontics; Dr. Toan Le ("Dr. Mathew"), an orthodontist; and Dr. Duong Ho, an orthodontist who is French-trained. The friendly English nicknames you will see, Evans, Anna, Lynn, Rosie, Mathew, are simply how these clinicians introduce themselves to international patients, and they hint at the everyday reality of being treated here: a team comfortable working across cultures and languages. The breadth also means that whether you arrive for braces, Invisalign, or cosmetic refinement, there is a clinician whose focus is that area.

What does "Internationally Trained Excellence" mean for an overseas patient?

It is easy for a clinic to claim international training. What makes Picasso's version credible is that you can point to specifics. Dr. Tran Thanh Phong was trained at Loma Linda University in the United States and represents Nobel Biocare clinically in Vietnam. Dr. Thao Tran trained at the University of Hamburg in Germany. Dr. Duong Ho is French-trained. These are named institutions and named affiliations attached to named clinicians, which is precisely the form of evidence you want when you are deciding whether to trust a team with irreversible work far from home.

It also shapes the experience in less dramatic ways. Clinicians trained in Western systems tend to share the consultation style, the emphasis on informed consent, and the documentation habits that international patients expect, which lowers the friction of being treated somewhere unfamiliar. If you want the fuller argument for why this combination draws patients from abroad, our piece on why international patients choose Picasso Dental sets it out alongside the clinic's scale, materials and pricing.

Will I actually be able to talk to my dentist?

This is the question that quietly decides whether treatment abroad goes well, and it is worth being precise about. Picasso operates in English and Vietnamese, and the team is set up to consult, plan, obtain consent and deliver aftercare instructions in English, directly, without an interpreter relaying your concerns second-hand. So much of dentistry is conversation, weighing options, understanding risks, agreeing a plan, that being able to have that conversation in a shared language removes one of the biggest hidden hazards of going overseas. We are clear about the limit, too: the clinic offers English and Vietnamese only, so if you need a different language you should arrange that yourself. For more on how that communication works day to day, see our guide to English-speaking care at Picasso Dental.

How should you use this information before booking?

A team page is a starting point, not a substitute for due diligence. The right way to use the names and figures above is as questions you put back to the clinic. Ask which specific clinician will perform each part of your treatment. Ask to meet that person by video before you commit. Ask about their training and their case volume in your exact procedure, the way Dr. Phong's implant numbers and his Loma Linda training are stated here, and expect a specific answer. A serious clinic will not flinch at this; it will welcome it.

That habit of vetting applies wherever you go, not just here. Our guide on how to vet an overseas dentist walks through the questions worth asking and the answers that should reassure or worry you, and our broader complete patient guide to dental implants in Vietnam puts the choice of clinician inside the larger decision of treatment, timing and cost. Used together, they turn a list of impressive names into something you can actually act on with confidence.

How to reach the team at Picasso Dental Clinic

If you would like to be introduced to a specific clinician or arrange a consultation, the clinic can be reached directly. You can email [email protected], call +84 989 067 888 or 024 7308 8848, or message the same number on WhatsApp (wa.me/84989067888). The Hanoi branches are open Monday to Sunday, 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM. The group runs six branches across four cities, Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Lat, with a flagship in the Hanoi Old Quarter at 16 Phố Châu Long, Trúc Bạch, Ba Đình. Payment is accepted by Visa and Mastercard at the clinic, by Vietnam bank transfer, or in cash in VND. When you make contact, ask to be matched with the clinician whose focus fits your case, and request a video introduction before you travel. You can also browse the team and services on the clinic's own site at picassodental.vn.

Related reading: Picasso Dental Clinic: overview for international patients, Picasso Dental implant services and pricing, Why international patients choose Picasso Dental, English-speaking care at Picasso Dental, and How to vet an overseas dentist.

This article is general information for people researching dental care abroad and is not medical or dental advice. Clinician roles, credentials and availability described here are based on information provided by Picasso Dental Clinic and may change; you should confirm who will perform your specific treatment, and verify their training and experience directly with the clinic, before booking or travelling.

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Picasso Dental Clinic, and who leads it clinically?

Picasso Dental Clinic is led clinically by Dr. Emily Nguyen, its Founding Clinical Director. She founded the original practice in Hanoi in 2013, when it operated as Serenity International Dental Clinic, and she led its rebrand to Picasso Dental Clinic in 2023 following private-equity investment. Born in 1982 in Ho Chi Minh City and trained at Pearl Dental Clinic in HCMC, she now sets the clinical standards that apply group-wide across all six branches. In practice that means the protocols, materials and quality benchmarks you encounter at any Picasso location trace back to a single clinical authority, which is part of what gives the group its consistency.

Who is the most senior implant dentist at Picasso Dental?

The most senior implantologist is Dr. Tran Thanh Phong, the clinic's Head of Implantology. He has been placing implants since 2001, which is more than two decades of continuous surgical experience, and he places roughly 600 implants a year, with more than 15,000 implants placed in total. He was the first Vietnamese dentist to perform All-on-4 immediate loading, a technique he has used since 2010, and he has treated over 1,000 All-on-4 patients. He also places zygomatic implants, a demanding option for patients with severe bone loss, having done so since 2017 with more than 400 zygomatic implants placed. He was trained at Loma Linda University in the United States in 2010 and has been a Nobel Biocare clinical representative in Vietnam since 2007.

What does "Internationally Trained Excellence" actually mean here?

It is the team's framing for the fact that its clinicians have trained and credentialed beyond Vietnam, at recognised international institutions and through global implant brands. Concretely, Dr. Tran Thanh Phong was trained at Loma Linda University in the United States and represents Nobel Biocare clinically; Dr. Thao Tran trained at the University of Hamburg in Germany; and Dr. Duong Ho is French-trained. Rather than a slogan, it points to verifiable training pedigrees that matter when you are choosing where to have complex or irreversible work done abroad. It is also why the clinic can comfortably treat patients who arrive with expectations shaped by Western dental care.

Will my dentist at Picasso speak English?

Yes. The clinic operates in English and Vietnamese, and the team is built to consult, plan, consent and treat international patients in English without an interpreter standing between you and your clinician. This matters more than it first appears, because so much of good dentistry is conversation: explaining options, weighing trade-offs, giving informed consent and describing aftercare. Being able to do all of that directly, in a shared language, removes one of the biggest hidden risks of treatment abroad. Note that the clinic offers English and Vietnamese only, so if you need another language you should arrange that yourself in advance.

Are implants and braces handled by specialists or by general dentists?

By named specialists. Implantology is led by Dr. Tran Thanh Phong as Head of Implantology, with Dr. Hung Le Ba Gia, known to patients as "Dr. Evans," as Lead Implant Specialist working under Dr. Phong's direction. Orthodontics is handled by a dedicated group of orthodontists including Dr. Thuan Phung, who has more than ten years of experience and over 1,500 orthodontic cases, alongside Dr. Thao Tran ("Dr. Anna"), Dr. Nhung Duong ("Dr. Lynn"), Dr. Huong Nguyen ("Dr. Rosie"), Dr. Toan Le ("Dr. Mathew") and Dr. Duong Ho. This division of labour means the person planning your full-arch implant case or your Invisalign treatment does that kind of work as their focus, not occasionally.

How can I be sure these credentials are real before I travel?

Treat it the way you would vet any overseas clinician: ask to meet your named dentist by video before you commit, ask which specialist will actually perform each part of your treatment, and ask about their training and case volume in that specific procedure. The figures cited here, such as Dr. Phong's implant volume and his Loma Linda training, are exactly the kind of claims you can and should ask a clinic to substantiate. A serious clinic will answer specifically and put your treating clinician in front of you. Our guide on how to vet an overseas dentist walks through the questions to ask and the answers that should reassure or worry you.