Phong Vu was born in Dong Nai, a rural area near Saigon, and around the age of eight, he immigrated to the US with his family. Upon arrival, he spent his earlier years in Salt Lake City, Utah, and attended college to become a pharmacist. Visiting Houston at the invitation of his friend, he quickly became involved with the Vietnamese church community and developed an attachment with the network he built here, hence decided to move to Houston in 2004. He is now working as a pharmacist at a CVS in the city. While working and living here, he had an opportunity to interact with people from different races coming from all walks of life that he had not been exposed to when he was living in Utah. Vu reflects on his hybrid identity and values as an Asian American who strives for individual accomplishments but also holds his family and community with the utmost respect.
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