In Ánh’s New Word by Hanh Bùi, listeners follow a young Vietnamese refugee as she navigates learning English in a refugee camp. How did you determine the pacing for this children’s story? With music and sound effects added to make the narration more whimsical, how did you work with these cues? Were there moments in the story that resonated with you personally or reminded you of your own experiences with language, culture, or belonging?
I loved getting to narrate Ánh’s New Word, which was my first time working on a children’s book. The age range for the book is three to six years old, and I consequently had to read at a slightly slower pace so that the younger audience could better understand the events of the story. It’s always nice as a narrator to have the permission to take your time.
The music and sound effects were actually added after I recorded, so it was fun for me to listen to the audiobook when it was finished and get that extra level of immersion. I thought they did an excellent job with the sound design.
I connected with the story on several levels. Firstly, my parents were placed in refugee camps when they first came to the States in 1975. They’ve told me stories about what everyday life was like in the camps, and I felt like the illustrations in the book beautifully brought that setting to life. In addition, I grew up an only child and was quite shy when I entered school. My mother had to encourage me to be brave and to speak up in order to make friends, so I can definitely relate to the theme of finding your voice!
In The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le, listeners enter the fantasy world of Theumas, following Nhika, a bloodcarver investigating a city murder. How did you prepare to narrate the medical and science‑related vocabulary while keeping the story natural and immersive? Did you work with the author or production team to shape the tone? What unique challenges did this fantasy world present compared to other genres you’ve narrated?
Whenever I narrate an audiobook, I do a first pass where I quickly read through the text and I make a list of any words that I might need pronunciation help with. Since this was set in a fantasy world, there were many new words Vanessa created that I had to verify with her so that I could ensure I was telling the story as she had envisioned. I was able to correspond with her through the publisher and she sent me recordings of how she wanted the names of people and places to be said, which was incredibly helpful.
I think the tone of the book was already very clear from the start, so I didn’t have too much trouble there. I also had a very good engineer in the studio helping to steer me in the right direction if I had any questions about my performance.
One of the unique but fun challenges that did arise was that there were some words that Vanessa and I got to workshop the pronunciation on together. For instance, there is a character named Mr. Ngut that she originally recommended I pronounce like “Noot.” I pitched the idea of pronouncing it with the “Ng” sound like in “Nguyễn,” and she was happy to go with my suggestion. I think it helped add an extra layer of connection to our Vietnamese heritage, which is such a huge influence on the world she created, and I was super grateful for Vanessa’s collaborative spirit.
In The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh, listeners follow the story of the Duong women of Orange County, whose lives are bound by a “curse.” The novel features multiple characters across generations, each with distinct personalities. How did you approach giving each character a unique voice, from the Vietnamese aunties to their daughters and partners? How did you capture the cultural nuances throughout the story, especially in moments of humor, tension, and emotional vulnerability? Were there particular characters or scenes that resonated with you personally, and if so, how did that influence your performance?
I’m going to be totally honest, this book was my Everest! I did not realize how many female characters there would be at the time I was cast, so I had to make very deliberate choices to make sure the women all sounded at least a little different from each other, especially in some of the later scenes when–possible spoilers–most of them are in the same room arguing with each other! I took diligent notes regarding the characters and tried my best to match the voice to the personality. For instance, Thủy is described as living without joy, so I made her voice a little softer and sadder and I spoke at a slower pace.
As for capturing the cultural nuances, I think Carolyn did all the heavy lifting for me there in the writing. I just had to make sure I did the proper work when I prepped so I could tell her story properly. That ranged from figuring out what all the different voices would sound like to having friends help me with specific regional accents to diligently highlighting every character in a different color so I could quickly visually identify who was speaking while in the recording booth.
It’s too hard to pick one character or scene that resonated with me personally, but I think that’s what’s so beautiful about the book. The women represent an entire spectrum of personalities and no one is a stereotype. I felt like there were so many instances when I could recognize my mother, my grandmothers, my cousins, and myself throughout the story, and that was not limited to the characters corresponding to our age ranges. Carolyn is such a masterful writer, and I truly feel lucky to get to narrate her work.
Across the audiobooks you’ve narrated, is there a particular novel you would love to see adapted into a film or television series where you would especially want to be part of as a cast member? If so, which actors or creatives would you dream of collaborating with on that project? Additionally, how do you think your experience as an audiobook narrator would influence your approach to performing that story in a visual medium?
There are so many that I would love to see as films and that I would love to act in! Adam and Evie’s Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen would be a perfect showcase of the beauty of Vietnam, and I’m always a sucker for a rom-com, especially one involving the trope enemies-to-lovers. I’m too old to play Nhika in Vanessa’s books, but I do feel like the fantastical world she has created would be incredibly cool to see onscreen. And I feel like The Fortunes of Jaded Women would be perfect as a limited series. It’s such a fun, messy story about what it means to be family, and I think it would absolutely appeal to a wide audience. I would also love for it to be made so that all my fellow Viet actresses can work together in a project for once, as opposed to all fighting for the same role.
Should I ever be so lucky to be able to bring any of these characters to life onscreen, I think being the original audiobook narrator would already give me a huge head start in terms of character preparation. I think my overall approach to the performance wouldn’t be too different from how I work on non-audiobook-related onscreen roles, but I do think it would be a fun little Easter egg if I perhaps chose to deliver certain lines exactly as I delivered them in the audiobook. I wouldn’t expect anyone to recognize what was happening of course, but I would be delighted if even one person recognized what I was doing.
VyVy Nguyen is a Vietnamese American actress originally hailing from Anaheim, California. She graduated from USC’s School of Dramatic Arts and specializes in narrating books by authors of the Vietnamese diaspora. Audiobook credits include The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh, A Pho Love Story by Loan Le, A Banh Mi For Two by Trinity Nguyen, What Hunger by Catherine Dang, Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen, Something Cheeky by Thien-Kim Lam, Family in Six Tones by Lan Cao and Harlan Margaret Van Cao, and The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le. She also acts for the screen and has guest starred on such shows as Young Sheldon and NCIS: Los Angeles and recurred on the HBO limited series The Sympathizer, an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen.
This interview was conducted by Alan Trinh, Viet Book Fest’s Program Manager, as part of the Author Spotlight series. All featured authors participated in Viet Book Fest 2026, a literary event presented by the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA).
Join us on Sunday, April 12, 2026, from 10 AM to 5 PM at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California for a full day honoring Vietnamese storytelling and culture in literature.
Viet Book Fest 2026 offers a full day of programming focused on Vietnamese literature, storytelling, and culture. Attendees can participate in five panel discussions, enjoy interactive activities for children, and experience youth performances that showcase Vietnamese traditions and creativity. The festival also provides a space for community collaborations, where participants can create their own art and engage in hands-on projects.