His father Kitiona Nanai Vai was a Western Samoa international who played in their 1991 Rugby Union World Cup team.
His sister Corina Nanai-Vai is also a rugby player and played in the Farah Palmer Cup for the Auckland Storm.
[5] Vai joined the New Zealand national rugby sevens team as injury cover in 2023 and scored a try on debut.
[6] He played as they won the Hong Kong Sevens title in 2023, scoring a try after just 25 seconds in the final against Fiji.
[7][8] He was a member of the New Zealand Sevens team that retained the Hong Kong title in 2024, scoring a try in the final as they beat France 10-7.