Founder · Founding Clinical Director
Dr. Emily Nguyen:
The Dentist Who
Built Picasso.
Dr. Emily Nguyen was born in Ho Chi Minh City in 1982 and founded what became Picasso Dental Clinic as Serenity International Dental Clinic in Hanoi in 2013. She remains Founding Clinical Director, setting clinical protocols and standards across all six branches.
Founder
Founder & Founding Clinical Director.
Background
Dr. Emily Nguyen grew up in Ho Chi Minh City and completed her dental training in Vietnam before undertaking further postgraduate study and clinical observation in cosmetic and implant dentistry. She moved to Hanoi in the early 2010s and identified a gap in the market: the city's expatriate and international visitor population had limited access to a dental practice that combined international clinical standards, genuine English-language communication and transparent pricing.
In 2013 she opened Serenity International Dental Clinic at 16 Phố Châu Long in the Ba Đình district, which remains the Picasso Old Quarter flagship today.
Building the Clinical Model
From the outset Dr. Nguyen insisted on a model that has remained consistent: senior dentists in patient-facing roles rather than delegated to junior associates, written price quotes before any treatment begins, and case continuity so that the dentist who sees a patient at consultation is the dentist who performs and follows up the treatment. This is a departure from the high-volume clinic model common in Vietnamese dental tourism and is the primary reason Picasso retains a disproportionately high proportion of referred patients.
As Picasso expanded, Dr. Nguyen formalized these into group-wide clinical protocols, covering everything from infection control standards (IAOMT for amalgam removal, strict sterilization audit cycles) to the sequencing of complex multi-visit cases for international patients working to a travel schedule.
The Rebrand and Expansion
In 2023, following private equity investment, the group rebranded from Serenity to Picasso Dental Clinic. Dr. Nguyen remained Founding Clinical Director through the transition and took an active role in the design brief for each new branch: Da Nang Flagship, Da Nang Vinmec, Ho Chi Minh City Thảo Điền and Da Lat each reflect the same clinical layout principles she established at the original Hanoi site.
Today
Dr. Emily Nguyen works primarily from the Hanoi Old Quarter flagship, sees complex cosmetic cases across branches and chairs the group's clinical governance committee. She is the dentist a patient is referred to when a senior opinion is needed on a treatment plan that involves multiple disciplines or high clinical stakes.
The Team
Meet the Dentists Dr. Nguyen Trained.
The Picasso clinical team now spans six branches and multiple specialisms. Every dentist works to the protocols Dr. Nguyen established in 2013.