THE FINE LINE | with Vicky Nguyen

The Fine Line | with VICKY NGUYEN

Vicky Nguyen is NBC News’ Emmy Award-winning Senior Consumer Investigative Correspondent, and the anchor of NBC News Daily. Through her reporting, Vicky provides valuable insights to help consumers live healthier, wealthier, and safer lives.

A dynamic live reporter and engaging storyteller, Vicky’s work shines a light on critical issues across the country, often leading to impactful change. She has spearheaded primetime specials featuring Nobel Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen, basketball star Jeremy Lin, and actors Olivia Munn and Margaret Cho. Her investigative journalism has earned top honors, including a National Emmy, the Gerald Loeb Award for Business and Financial Journalism, and the duPont Columbia Award for Broadcast Journalism.

Born in Vietnam, Vicky has chronicled her story of journeying to America, marrying her high school sweetheart, and becoming a mom to three in her upcoming book, Boat Baby: A Memoir (releasing April 2025). In the book, Vicky pays tribute to her parents, writes a heartfelt love letter to America and its values, and reflects on her experiences growing up bicultural. In 300 pages, Vicky takes readers through her childhood and career to the ups and downs of family life. From being an infant refugee who came to the U.S. via boat, to becoming a network journalist at The Today Show and NBC Nightly News in just one generation, her story is a testament to grit, luck, and a “Why not?” attitude.

In this conversation for The Fine Line, Vicky shares her unique perspective on balancing motherhood with a successful career in journalism. She reflects on how being a mother of three has influenced her approach to storytelling and investigative work, emphasizing the importance of vulnerability, authenticity, and resilience. Vicky also discusses the impact of her memoir, Boat Baby, and how her personal journey — from her upbringing as a boat refugee to becoming an Emmy-winning journalist — can inspire others to embrace perseverance, optimism, and the pursuit of meaningful goals.

How has being a mom to three girls shaped your perspective on life and work? Has it influenced your approach to storytelling or your investigative work in any way?

As a mom, I am dialed into my reporting in a very different way. I think about other parents and families, and how I can help make their lives better, healthier, wealthier, and safer through the stories I choose to tell and the information I share in my reports. I’m always thinking about how my audience can benefit from the research and expertise I provide on consumer issues. My approach to every story is the same: What can a viewer learn from this that will help them in their everyday life?

As for how motherhood has shaped my perspective on life, it has made me much more efficient with my time. I am acutely aware that we only have 24 hours in a day, so I try to work smart. When I’m at work, I focus on my tasks, and when I’m home, I unplug and try to be present. There’s a sliding scale, and I definitely don’t do it perfectly. When I get stressed, I think about all the things I can be grateful for — my health, my family, and the opportunity to do meaningful, impactful work. Then I remind myself to do my best, and that’s enough.

How do you involve your daughters in understanding your work, and what do you hope they learn from watching your career?

During the pandemic, my daughters had a front-row seat to the action. They helped shoot videos and were even featured in some news reports when we covered stories about safety, remote schooling, and health. They got to try their hand at being mini news producers and photographers, operating lights and iPhone cameras. It gave them a behind-the-scenes look at how everything comes together.

Over the years, I’ve always made it a point to tell my daughters about the interesting people I’ve interviewed and the topics I’ve been covering. The best part of my job is meeting fascinating people I might not have encountered otherwise — whether it’s a petfluencer, a coach, a scientist, or an actor. I want my daughters to be curious about the world, to have strong female role models, and to understand all the ways they can live meaningful, fulfilling lives and make a positive impact.

Writing about your personal journey likely involved sharing both your triumphs and struggles. How did the process of being so open in your NEW book influence your perspective on vulnerability and authenticity as a working mom? 

I believe in the power of our shared humanity, and I’ve found that being open and transparent has always helped me connect more deeply with people — whether at work, in school, or out in the world. Writing about my family's story was important to me for many reasons. First, it was a way to honor my parents and the sacrifices so many families make in pursuit of a better life. I also wanted people to see that families are messy, work is hard, and that doing anything worthwhile takes grit, resilience, and optimism.

I wanted readers to laugh with me, to feel less alone in their struggles, and to ultimately feel hopeful — reminded that we live in a country where anything is possible. I hope my story reinforces that, at our core, Americans are generous and kind, and that it's up to each of us to shape our communities.

I feel incredibly blessed to be a mother of three, to have my parents still here helping raise our girls, and to have a career I love. I want people to know that every day isn’t perfect — that it's okay to have struggles — and that we achieve our goals one step, one day at a time. We live in a time where social media often shows a curated highlight reel of everyone’s best moments, but life is much more than that. It’s full of ups and downs, and if my story can lighten the load for someone, make them feel less alone, and inject a little positivity and understanding into the world, then I’ll consider Boat Baby's mission accomplished.

FOLLOW ALONG

Follow Vicky at @vickynguyentv.

Pre-order her new book Boat Baby: A Memoir here.

Follow Brigade Events and stay tuned for the next iteration of The Fine Line at @brigadeevents.

We’d be honored to include you — or a woman you admire — in this series. If you or someone you know has a story to share, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at carly@ingoodcompanypr.com. Together, we can uplift, support, and redefine leadership for the next generation.

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