From Refugee Camp to NBC News: The Mindset That Breaks the Bamboo Ceiling with Vicky Nguyen

In this episode of Big Asian Energy, John Wang sits down with Emmy Award-winning journalist and NBC News anchor Vicky Nguyen to explore her remarkable journey from Vietnamese refugee camp to national television and New York Times bestselling author. Vicky shares powerful insights from her memoir "Boat Baby" about the immigrant experience, breaking through the bamboo ceiling in broadcast journalism, and why she now embraces bringing her full identity to her work after years of staying neutral. From navigating jealousy early in her career to empowering the next generation, Vicky offers wisdom on collective success, generational healing, and what it means to truly thrive rather than just survive.

What Vicky Shares:

• Why integration, not assimilation, is the key to authentic success in professional spaces
• Breaking the survival-mode parenting cycle to raise children who thrive without identity insecurity
• How adopting an abundance mindset over competition elevates the entire Asian American community

About Vicky Nguyen
Vicky Nguyen is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, NBC News correspondent, and anchor of NBC News Daily. Born in a Vietnamese refugee camp after her family fled Vietnam by boat, she is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir "Boat Baby." Throughout her career in broadcast journalism, Vicky has worked across the country—from Orlando to California to New York—covering major national stories including the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. She is passionate about representation in media, platforming diverse voices and thought leaders, and using her position to inspire the next generation that "if you can see it, you can be it." Vicky lives in New York with her family.

Connect with Vicky Nguyen
"Boat Baby" by Vicky Nguyen available wherever books are sold