"The Vietnamese Refugee" with Mom and Entrepreneur Gianni Le Nguyen - Ep 19

Gianni Le Nguyen fled Vietnam at the age of 5. Late one night in the early 1980s, her father wrapped his two young daughters in a fishing net, then rowed a basket boat out to meet a more seaworthy vessel a quarter mile offshore. They spent five days battling storms, illness and pirates who took everything Gianni’s dad possessed, including his official papers. Thus began a beauracratic mess that left her family in refugee camps for over two years before they finally made their way to Beaverton, Oregon. Almost 40 years later, Gianni is a successful entrepreneur, mother of four, and wife to an American dude named Brian. Her journey fits a pattern of Asian immigration that has strengthen the USA. According to Pew Research, "Asian Americans are the highest-income, best-educated and fastest-growing racial group in the United States. They are more satisfied than the general public with their lives, finances and the direction of the country, and they place more value than other Americans do on marriage, parenthood, hard work and career success.” Gianni and I talk about her journey and how it affected her relationship to money, financial security and her thoughts on a paper work ethic. See pictures of Gianni and family on the official podcast page. 

Send Paul a message via his website, http://paulollinger.com

Listen to Paul’s new comedy EP, “Alive on the Upper West Side" on iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/alive-on-the-upper-west-side/1466845993 or wherever you consume your humor through your ears.