Upon the communist takeover of Saigon in 1975, her father decided to evacuate his family from Vietnam.
They embarked on a perilous sea voyage in 1977, eventually finding refuge in a Thai refugee camp.
After a year, they were granted asylum in Australia by the Fraser government in 1978.
Nguyen authored Secrets of the Red Lantern, a memoir that combines her family's story with traditional Vietnamese recipes.
[10] In 2020, Nguyen took part in the third season of the Australian documentary series Filthy Rich and Homeless.