Prior to her appointment, Judge Duong has spent most of her legal career in the public sector and has acquired broad experience in diverse practice areas such as criminal, civil, public and administrative. She started her legal career with a short stint in private practice at the Law Office of J. Thomas Sherrod, then worked for the Santa Clara County Office of the Public Defender for three and half years, where she honed her trial advocacy skills. She made a career change from criminal to civil practice by joining the Santa Clara County Office of County Counsel in 1999, where she worked for eight years until her appointment to the bench. As a Lead Deputy County Counsel, she worked in the areas of labor and employment, public entity law, education law, law and justice, civil litigation, probate conservatorship, trusts and estates, and general government entity work which includes real estate transactions, contract review, and public entity law.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Judge Duong has a long history and a wide-range of community experience. She served as a member of the Asian Law Alliance Board of Directors and was a past President in 1999 and 2000. She also served on a variety of Boards and Commissions, including the Santa Clara County Bar Association (SCCBA) Blue Ribbon Diversity Commission, the KNTV Community Board, the East Side San Jose Community Law Center Advisory Board, the Santa Clara County Domestic Violence Council, and the San Jose Mercury News VietMercury Advisory Board. She has also served in various leadership roles within the SCCBA, including Secretary, member of the Executive Committee, Member of the Board of Trustees, Co-Chair of the Judiciary Committee and Chair of the Minority Access Committee (MAC). She also volunteered for the Mock Trial Program, coaching high school students from her alma mater Yerba Buena High School.

Judge Duong was the Co-Founder and the first President of the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California (1996). In 2006, she spearheaded the inaugural National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys attended by more than 150 Vietnamese American attorneys from across the country. Judge Duong is also the Founder of the Vietnamese American Professional Women of Silicon Valley. Judge Duong has been the recipient of various awards, including the recent Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi Distinguished Alumni Award (2009), National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys Trailblazer Award (2008), the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California Trailblazer Award (2007), Asian Law Alliance Legal Impact Award (2008), the Santa Clara County Bar Association MAC Unsung Heroes Award (2007), the County of Santa Clara County Executive Unity in Diversity Award (2006), and the Helen Tsao Community Service Award (1999). In 2008, she was named as one of the "Women of Influence in Silicon Valley" by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal.

Judge Duong formerly served on the Judicial Council’s Access and Fairness Advisory Committee and was a member of the San Jose Rotary; she currently serves on the Santa Clara Count Superior Court Budget/Finance Committee. She also serves on various panels to judge Mock Trial Competitions and speaks at different community events. Judge Duong is committed to serving the community by pursuing opportunities to mentor students and young professionals. She is a firm believer in giving back to the community in the form of public and community service. Judge Duong is currently assigned to the Juvenile Delinquency Court and oversees the Domestic Violence and Family Violence Specialty Court for minors. She sits on the Appellate Division panel for the Superior Court. Judge Duong is married and is raising three children with her husband in Morgan Hill.