Joe Tong was born on the island of Pulau Besar, off the coast of Malaysia, in a refugee camp during the Vietnam War. His father was a Vietnamese fishing boat captain and his mother a Chinese merchant.
After escaping Vietnam, Tong and his parents soon gained sponsorship to America where he was raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Tong's parents divorced when he was a teenager and after attending college, he dropped out and moved to Los Angeles in 2003.
Joe Tong booked his first role in the film Chicago Massacre: Richard Speck (2007). Tong since has appeared in numerous commercials, TV shows, and films.