She was born on Phu Quoc, South Vietnam and raised in New York City.

At the age of 14, photographer Stephan Lupino discovered her, capturing an image that would be featured on the cover of Zoom (magazine).

Nguyen appeared in the 1996 Pirelli Calendar and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1997.

Selected by People Magazine' as the "50 Most Beautiful People", she has modeled for fashion houses like Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Fendi, and Christian Dior, as well as American firms such as: GAP and Tommy Hilfiger.

By 2008, Nguyen had left acting and modeling to create AMO World in Bali.