Kien Nguyen

Who is Kien Nguyen?

Kien Nguyen, born in Nha Trang, South Vietnam, 1967, is an author. Kien was born to a Vietnamese mother from a once wealthy family and an American civil engineer. His mother's family, who had lost their wealth when the French left Vietnam, lived among neighbors who treated them as pariahs because of their colonialist background. Kien, a child of mixed race, was especially ostracized from the community. He left Vietnam in 1985 through the United Nations "Orderly Departure Program." After spending time at a refugee camp in the Philippines, he arrived in the United States and became a dentist. He lives in New York City.