NBC News anchor and correspondent Vicky Nguyen is sharing the story of her family’s escape from communist Vietnam and her journey from refugee to reporter in her new memoir, Boat Baby. I had the opportunity to ask the author about her childhood, advice for fellow journalists, the conversations she wants to inspire, what she admires most about her parents, and much more.

Starting in 1975, Vietnam’s “boat people”—desperate families seeking freedom—fled the Communist government and violence in their country any way they could, usually by boat across the South China Sea. Vicky Nguyen and her family were among them. Attacked at sea by pirates before reaching a refugee camp in Malaysia, Vicky’s family survived on rations and waited months until they were sponsored to go to America.

But deciding to leave and start a new life in a new country is half the story… figuring out how to be American is the other. Boat Baby is Vicky’s memoir of growing up in America with unconventional Vietnamese parents who didn’t always know how to bridge the cultural gaps. It’s a childhood filled with misadventures and misunderstandings, from almost stabbing the neighborhood racist with a butter knife to getting caught stealing Cosmo in the hope of learning Do You Really Think You Know Everything About Sex?

Vicky’s parents approached life with the attitude, “Why not us?” In the face of prejudice, they taught her to be gritty and resilient, skills Vicky used as she combatted stereotyping throughout her career, fending off the question “Aren’t you Connie Chung?” to become a leading Asian American journalist on television. She delivers a uniquely transparent account of her life, revealing how she negotiated her salary in a competitive industry, the challenges of starting a family, and the struggle to be a dutiful daughter.

Overall, what do you hope Boat Baby leaves readers with in terms of family and the importance of those bonds?
Vicky Nguyen: Family is messy. I want readers to know that even without a “traditional” upbringing or conventional story — we all become who we’re supposed to be thanks to the people in our lives, whether it’s your biological or chosen family. I think especially for those who have multicultural upbringings as I did, sometimes you look around and go, “Wow, that is not how it was with my parents,” or “Oh, that’s not how I experienced affection or support growing up.” But we are all products of our earliest experiences, good and bad, and I want readers to know it’s okay to acknowledge the struggles because how you overcame the strife is what made you this singular person, and you are worthy and valuable exactly how you are. One recurring theme in Boat Baby is fate, and how I learned from my parents to focus on what I can control and not worry too much about what I can’t. We are all doing the best we can. My dad and I will never see eye to eye on some things. We won’t go to therapy and “work it out,” but that’s totally okay. Life is too short for resentment and grudges. Choose to move forward. Learn from what serves you and leave behind what doesn’t.

Why did you feel this story needed to be told and why was now the right time? I know it’s releasing the same month as the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, was that planned?
Fate coming into play again. Boat Baby was supposed to come out in 2024 and it got pushed to the spring of 2025, and I couldn’t be happier to have this conversation about Vietnamese refugees, immigration, the American Dream, and what it was like growing up in the United States in the same month that we’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. The incredible documentary The Stringer is also out this year and so I’m grateful for the timing. Hopefully, it gets us all talking about this period in Vietnam and America’s history, and Boat Baby is a look at what millions of refugees and immigrants have gone through building new lives in the greatest country in the world. I want readers to remember what makes America great: the generosity, kindness, and diversity of the people who live in this country and are proud to be here.

What is the one thing that always stands out to you about your childhood and growing up in America?
It wasn’t until now, as I’ve become a parent myself, that I realize how different it was growing up Vietnamese American. I was navigating not only the normal generational differences with my parents that every teen goes through but also major cultural differences too! My parents were authority figures to be respected and obeyed. We didn’t talk about sex or drugs and their philosophy was “Never complain, never explain.” They also didn’t say, “I love you,” or do a lot of praising. They worked hard, so I worked hard. In parenting my three daughters, I’m a lot more communicative, I’m always telling them how much I love them and I try to foster open communication. Funnily enough, my parents tell my kids they love them all the time. They were Vietnamese parents but definitely Vietnamese American grandparents.

Which memory were you most ready to write down and share?
I wanted to write about how I negotiated my contract when I was still working in local news. It was important to me to be transparent and explain to readers how important it is to advocate for yourself and know your value. It all started because a respected colleague showed me his contract (WHO DOES THAT) and he was making significantly more than I was. That was a very clear memory for me and I wanted to share it with readers because negotiating is SO hard and people rarely talk about how to do it.

What do you admire most about your parents?
I admire my parents’ work ethic, optimism, risk tolerance, resilience, and grit. I am everything I am because of everything I learned from them and to this day, I could not do the hard work of being a network journalist and mom of three without their continued support, which comes in the form of making food, carpooling the girls, caring for them with love and tenderness from when they were born. My parents had to work so hard to survive and get by as I was growing up and as grandparents, they have more space and grace for these relationships with their grandkids and that is something I never take for granted.  

Journalism is not an easy industry, what is the one thing you’d like to say to your fellow journalists who might be dealing with the same struggles you conquered?
Keep going. Don’t think too far ahead and let yourself get consumed with what-ifs. You are doing an incredible service in a country where it is relatively safe to be a journalist and while the job can be grueling, it is a privilege. We get to ask questions, learn, and tell stories for a living. Appreciate your autonomy, pursue stories that matter to you, and take it one day at a time. We need people to shine a light on society, government, education, healthcare, trends, business. Journalism doesn’t always pay the big bucks, so if you can somehow partner up with someone who earns a decent living, focus on the incredible non-monetary perks of what you do. You literally get to be curious! We need the best and brightest to stay in this industry. Take breaks too, so you don’t burn out — and I know it’s really hard to stay in a 24/7 job after starting a family. Suddenly, working Christmas morning takes on a different kind of suck. Figure out your boundaries and get support. And if ever you decide to leave, and I know and respect many people who have left journalism, don’t let anyone shame you about it. Take the skills you’ve learned and rock it in another industry. Apparently, once you’ve been a journalist on Deadline, almost every place else you work seems pretty slow… sorry, that’s way more than one thing.

What was the inspiration behind the title?
My brilliant book agent, Peter McGuigan, heard me talk about my parents’ escape from Vietnam, and the term for many who left during the war and the years after was “boat people” because most had to cross the South China Sea to get out. Because I was just a bald, big-headed 8-month-old baby when my parents carried me through the jungle to the smuggler’s boat… he said, “So you were a boat baby,” and that working title stuck.

What would your younger self think of you and your life now?
I never thought about younger Vicky, aka Yen, much until I started writing down my family’s story. I think she’d be pretty jazzed about how things have turned out so far. I’ve always been talkative, curious, and independent and I think my life and career paths reflect what happens when sacrifice, hard work, and luck align. For an only child to marry her best friend, have three amazing daughters, and still have my parents in good health as I report and anchor the news with talented colleagues at NBC News — I have no complaints. There’s a security guard at my husband’s work who always has the same answer when he’s asked how it’s going, and I love it, “Too blessed to be stressed.”

Boat Baby will be released on April 1, 2025. You can order your copy here.