He was born on August 29, 1978 in Quảng Trị, Central Vietnam. His given name at birth is Mai Chiếm Hiến. He was brought up in a relatively impoverished household. As economic hardships worsened for his family during the 1990s, at the tender age of 15 he was forced to make the difficult decision to leave his family in Quảng Trị and head out to Ho Chi Minh City in search of employment. On his own while still a teenager, he found full-time work at a farming equipment retail company in Ho Chi Minh City. Unlike other youths, he was able to maintain a level head supporting himself with his income and sending whatever that was left over back home each month to help out his family in Quảng Trị. Several months after he had relocated to Ho Chi Minh City, he seemed to have adjusted well into his daily routine of work and decided to enroll in a music course with musician Nhất Sinh. Immediately, his instructor was able to recognize his innate vocal talents. In 1997, he finally took the advice from several friends and his teacher, Nhất Sinh, whom had all encouraged him to seriously consider pursuing a career in music. Mai Quốc Huy then began performing nightly at various cabarets and venues throughout Ho Chi Minh City as a professional singer. Gradually, he would acquire a following of loyal fans whom were enthralled by Mai Quốc Huy's vocal styles reminiscent of his idols, Chế Linh and Trường Vũ. For the next 10 years, Mai Quốc Huy's presence would steadily increase within the cabaret circuit throughout Ho Chi Minh City. On one fateful night in 2007 while performing at the 126 outdoor venue in Ho Chi Minh City, Mai Quốc Huy sparked the attention of superstar overseas Vietnamese comedian, Hoài Linh, whom was instantly taken by his style of singing. Hoài Linh then suggested that he record a few demos that he would promise to hand deliver to Tô Ngọc Thuỷ, the CEO of Thúy Nga, the most prominent overseas Vietnamese music production label, once he returned to the United States. Shortly thereafter, Mai Quốc Huy would be approached by Tô Ngọc Thuỷ during one of her trips to Vietnam with an exclusive recording contract offer.
Mai Quốc Huy made his debut on the Paris By Night stage on volume 88 in a duet peformance with his idol, legendary singer Chế Linh, a medley of songs written by Lam Phương, Thành Phố Buồn and Tình Như Mây Khói, in 2007. That same year, Thúy Nga released Mai Quốc Huy's debut solo studio album, Hạnh Phúc Quanh Đây. The title track, which was written by Tô Thanh Tùng, would also become known as one of Mai Quốc Huy's most requested signature songs from audience members during live performances. From 2007-2008, Mai Quốc Huy appeared on 4 consecutive volumes, 88-91, of the Paris By Night video series which included a duet performance with singer Quỳnh Dung and his solo performances of songs, Bao Giờ Em Quên (written by Duy Khánh) and Xót Xa (also written by Tô Thanh Tùng), which had been one of the three songs he had recorded on the demo tape sent to Tô Ngọc Thuỷ by Hoài Linh a few months prior. In 2008, Thúy Nga released Mai Quốc Huy's second solo studio album, Bội Bạc. The title track of this album, written by Hoàng Châu, was also among the three songs recorded by Mai Quốc Huy on that same demo tape.
Just when it seemed Mai Quốc Huy was on his way to superstardom, his career experienced a standstill due to a few personal matters involving his finances and health. In 2013, it was reported that Mai Quốc Huy was heavily in debt with an amount of over 4 billion VND. The stress brought on from his financial matters caused him to suffer a stroke that same year along with being hospitalized a total of 10 times. As of 2016, it seems that Mai Quốc Huy has made a full recovery. After an 8-year absence, Mai Quốc Huy made his return to the Paris By Night stage on volume 119 in 2016 in a duet performance with singer Châu Ngọc Hà. He has since appeared on each consecutive volume of the Paris By Night video series with solo performances, as well as duets with singers Ngọc Ngữ, Khánh Lâm and Hương Thủy. Thúy Nga has since released two more solo studio albums recorded by Mai Quốc Huy, Đừng Trách Anh (2016) and Chia Sẻ Một Niềm Đau (2017).
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