Born in 1967 in Vietnam Nhung “Mary” Nguyen was the 7th of 11 children born to her parents. Her father was a professional musician who worked for the United States government. Her mother made chow mein from home and sold it throughout the town of Bien Hoa Dong Nai. Although crowded, their life was an overall happy one, but in 1975 when the communist party took over, life as they knew it changed forever.
Mary’s father was imprisoned for three years because of his association with the US. The children were not allowed to continue their schooling and Mary’s formal education stopped at the sixth grade level.