What was supposed to be a long but straightforward flight from SFO to Vietnam turned into one of the most intense travel experiences I’ve ever had. We were scheduled to transit through Hong Kong, but mid-flight, a medical emergency changed everything. The plane diverted for an emergency landing in Naha, Japan, then rerouted through Taipei,…

Today, I took my son to get a haircut. The salon we usually go to was closed, and his hair was getting way too long to wait, so I decided to try a random hair salon near our house. Simple errand. Or so I thought. While one of the stylists was cutting hair, she looked…

For most of my life, I never had the language to describe what I was going through, especially growing up in Vietnam, where mental health was rarely, if ever, acknowledged, and where terms like ADHD, autism, depression, or anxiety were virtually nonexistent in everyday conversation; if a child couldn’t sit still, was easily distracted, or…

I didn’t know you could book a plane ticket online. So when it was time to fly to the U.S., I went through a travel agent who charged me $1,600 for a one-way ticket. Later, I realized I could’ve saved hundreds of dollars by booking online myself.So here’s what I wish someone told me, not just…

When I first came to the U.S. at 16, I didn’t know much about the education system here. So when it was time to apply for college, I just looked at school names and locations, thinking they were all kind of the same. Spoiler: they’re not. Every university in the U.S. has its own focus, and choosing…