The Memoir Land Author Questionnaire #91: Vicky Nguyen
"I wanted to know: how do you write something that readers will want to spend time with and that will resonate with them. Commercial success is the icing on top, but what makes a memoir memorable?"
Since 2010, in various publications, I’ve interviewed authors—mostly memoirists—about aspects of writing and publishing. Initially I did this for my own edification, as someone who was struggling to find the courage and support to write and publish my memoir. I’m still curious about other authors’ experiences, and I know many of you are, too. So, inspired by the popularity of The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire, I’ve launched The Memoir Land Author Questionnaire.
Here’s the 91st installment, featuring NBC news correspondent and anchor Vicky Nguyen, author of Boat Baby: A Memoir. -Sari Botton
Vicky Nugyen is an NBC News senior consumer investigative correspondent and anchor of NBC News Daily. She reports for the Today show, Nightly News with Lester Holt and NBC News Now. She graduated as valedictorian from the University of San Francisco. Vicky lives in New York with her husband and three daughters. Her parents are always nearby.
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How old are you, and for how long have you been writing?
I’m 46 and I’ve been writing professionally as a journalist since I was 21, but I’ve always enjoyed writing as a kid since the early days of elementary school keeping a diary. Once I hit my mid 20’s and life started getting busy I stopped journaling and aspire to return to it…someday.
What’s the title of your latest book, and when was it published?
My book is called Boat Baby: A Memoir, and it comes out today, April 1, 2025.
What number book is this for you?
This is my first book which is just a dream unlocked! To have an ISBN is truly something I hoped to achieve and I’m really grateful to the team that helped me turn my family’s story into an actual book.
How do you categorize your book—as a memoir, memoir-in-essays, essay collection, creative nonfiction, graphic memoir, autofiction—and why?
My book is a memoir meets how-to. It recounts my family’s journey from Vietnam to America, what I learned growing up here, and lessons for how to succeed in a competitive career.
Boat Baby is the story of how a refugee boat baby came to the United States at age 2 and “made it” as a correspondent and anchor at NBC News in one generation. The book is a love letter to my family, to this country and to the power of persistence and embracing the idea that life is going to present challenges, so focus on what you can control and don’t fret about the rest.
What is the “elevator pitch” for your book?
Boat Baby is the story of how a refugee boat baby came to the United States at age 2 and “made it” as a correspondent and anchor at NBC News in one generation. The book is a love letter to my family, to this country and to the power of persistence and embracing the idea that life is going to present challenges, so focus on what you can control and don’t fret about the rest.
What’s the back story of this book including your origin story as a writer? How did you become a writer, and how did this book come to be?
I always dreamed of having an ISBN (international standard book number) ever since I started reading and learned every book gets an ISBN and that’s how you identify it. As a kid, I loved reading Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Roald Dahl, Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins, Encyclopedia Brown. Any and all books I could get my hands on—I loved the imagery and adventure that a good book conjured.
But dreaming of writing your own book and being fortunate enough to get the chance to do it are two different things. When I became a national news correspondent, that door opened. The clearest path for me to writing a book was thinking about my parents’ extraordinary decision to leave their home country of Vietnam. This story was not one that was commonly known in America. The escape, the rebuilding of a life in a new country, there were so few firsthand accounts of this experience from Vietnamese refugees. I wanted to capture and share this journey.
What were the hardest aspects of writing this book and getting it published?
Getting started was the hardest! Understanding how to write a book proposal and shop it around to publishers and what makes a book “successful.” I wanted to know: how do you write something that readers will want to spend time with and that will resonate with them. Commercial success is the icing on top, but what makes a memoir memorable?
Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime is one of my all time favorite books because he took me to South Africa and he relayed a story of growing up that was so vivid and funny and fraught but still so relatable even though we share very little in common on the surface. Once I better understood how memoirs are constructed, how to write dialogue so that readers can imagine the scenes, and how to structure the story (with the help of my co-writer Vicky Bruce who gave me so much great advice) then the writing flowed.
How did you handle writing about real people in your life? Did you use real or changed names and identifying details? Did you run passages or the whole book by people who appear in the narrative? Did you make changes they requested?
I mostly changed names but a few names are real to credit the people who were so generous and contributed so much to my life. I did run a few passages by the main characters in different scenes to make sure they also agreed with my memory and I definitely made edits to reflect their feedback.
The clearest path for me to writing a book was thinking about my parents’ extraordinary decision to leave their home country of Vietnam. This story was not one that was commonly known in America. The escape, the rebuilding of a life in a new country, there were so few firsthand accounts of this experience from Vietnamese refugees. I wanted to capture and share this journey.
Who is another writer you took inspiration from in producing this book? Was it a specific book, or their whole body of work? (Can be more than one writer or book.)
I read so many memoirs to learn and get myself in the memoir headspace. Viola Davis, Matthew McConaughey, Angela’s Ashes, The Glass Castle, I’m So Glad My Mom Died, Educated, Paris Hilton, Will Smith, Hoda Kotb, Elizabeth Vargas, Constance Wu, Angelah Johnson, Simu Liu, Katie Couric, Mindy Kaling, Megyn Kelly, Debra Lee, Huma Abedin, Jimmy O Yang, Tiffany Haddish, Minka Kelly, Kelly Ripa, Stephen A. Smith, Solito, Katy Tur, Sigh Gone, The Manicurist’s Daughter, Arnold, Schwarzenegger, James Patterson, Owner of a Lonely Heart, and of course Trevor Noah.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers looking to publish a book like yours, who are maybe afraid, or intimidated by the process?
Please go for it! Start by writing either in small chunks or big ones. Qian Julie Wang who wrote Beautiful Country says she started in her notes app on her phone. Just write when the mood strikes but also set aside time. For me—I wrote best on long flights and in 2-4 hour chunks of time that I needed to get focused and into my flow. I couldn’t write in short spurts but I would jot down thoughts if they came to me, then I’d flesh them out when I blocked out time to write.
What do you love about writing?
I love its longevity. I love the shared experience it can lead to. I love memorializing thoughts. I love everything about good writing because it can make you see, feel and connect in a way nothing else can.
What frustrates you about writing?
I think writing something thoughtful and meaningful is hard to do. It doesn’t frustrate me, but it challenges me.
What about writing surprises you?
The surprising thing about writing is that it’s difficult to write concisely and powerfully. Rambling is easy. But to write simply and directly can be the toughest thing to do. So my advice is –write it all down, don’t self-edit as you go. Just get the thoughts out. Then go back and sharpen.
Does your writing practice involve any kind of routine or writing at specific times?
Quiet mornings or anywhere I can be alone, fed and watered, leads to my most productive writing. I like to be in sunshine or have a lot of natural light. I’m not a night writer. Too sleepy.
I wrote best on long flights and in 2-4 hour chunks of time that I needed to get focused and into my flow. I couldn’t write in short spurts but I would jot down thoughts if they came to me, then I’d flesh them out when I blocked out time to write.
Do you engage in any other creative pursuits, professionally or for fun? Are there non-writing activities do you consider to be “writing” or supportive of your process?
Because my job as a journalist requires me to write all the time, it helped me a ton to crank out material. And of course reading a ton also helped.
What’s next for you? Do you have another book planned, or in the works?
Next is just trying to be present and grateful that the stars aligned and I was able to put Boat Baby into the world! I do NOT have another book planned but if the opportunity arose, I would be excited about it. I just want to recognize that this is a major bucket list accomplishment for me, and I am most looking forward to engaging with the readers and hearing their feedback, good, bad and ugly.
The early reviews I’ve gotten from colleagues, friends and strangers have been the best part. Hearing what people loved, or what they wanted more of, or what they took away—it is a true privilege to write something down and have people respond to it. Can’t ask for more.
It sounds so interesting. Can’t wait to read it.
Great interview. Vicky is an amazing woman!!💪