When the communist government took control of Catholic institutions, Nguyen continued to live out his office and was imprisoned multiple times for training catechists.

[5] Nguyen realized that there would be no opportunity to be ordained a priest in Vietnam and secretly attempted to flee the country, nearly losing his life in the process.

He escaped but was shortly thereafter injured in an auto accident, remaining in a coma for several months in the Philippines.

He came to Canada in 1987 as a refugee and studied English as a second language, eventually being accepted at the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission.

[6] On June 1, 2016, Pope Francis appointed Nguyen as the Bishop for the Diocese of Kamloops.