It took 8,000 miles of distance for Hoa Nguyễn to notice the things she had once taken for granted: a bowl of phở, a neighbor dropping by, or the quiet ways a family shows love.
At 16, Trọng Trương woke up in America.The world he thought he knew looked distorted from the other side of the glass, but somewhere in the unfamiliar reflection, he began to see himself more clearly.
From navigating New York’s concrete jungle to finding her place in the 3D animation industry, Ginger Nguyễn is sketching out a future that leads all the way back home to Vietnam.
Study abroad is often seen as a way of repaying our parents' sacrifices. For Annie Nguyễn, it became something else entirely: eleven years of discovering the person those sacrifices made possible.
Study abroad gave Allison independence. Three years without speaking Vietnamese gave her a new understanding of identity, home, and belonging.
Moving to New York fulfilled Chí Trần's childhood dream of studying abroad. But living overseas also reshaped his understanding of success, identity, and what it means to call Vietnam home.
If there's one thing studying abroad taught me, it's that not every journey needs a straight line. Every detour helped me understand myself a little better.
“You can feel young Vietnamese creatives getting braver, funnier, scrappier, more cultural, and more us with recent wins at international stages.”
"I wanted to try something far outside my comfort zone and really challenge myself."
“Some people don’t like how direct and honest the Dutch are, but I’d say I’m a lot more direct than a typical Vietnamese person. So I enjoy it, I fit right in”.
Tony talked about the importance of adaptability and cherishing relationships while they last.
Once a 'perfect child' (con nhà người ta) in Vietnam, Lan Anh now accepts herself in her most authentic version—daring to try, fail, and iterate.