Dad and Me

“You will walk a very similar path to your dad, but your wings will spread wider and you will fly even farther.”

Since I was young, whenever someone read my birth chart, they would say something like this about my career path. Birth chart reading (or “xem Tử Vi”) is such a common practice in Vietnam, though I used to have a hard time believing in it. Even when I didn’t know what I wanted to become, I knew I would never want to live in my dad’s shadow.

I left Vietnam for the US feeling excited that I didn’t know anyone, because it meant I had a chance to build a life of my own from scratch. I resisted pursuing a career in media and publishing. I resisted anything that had to do with numbers and calculations (I was also told my career could be tied to managing revenues 😬 Really? C’mon, I failed math in high school!!)

But as if fate has a way of announcing itself, I did end up growing my career in media, publishers, and indeed, business intelligence and revenue management 👀 Not to mention, somehow I also landed at the same company my dad had once set foot in during his tenure leading one of the top newspapers in Vietnam…

Even crazier, I had already received another job offer from a top luxury fashion brand as my next step after New York Magazine back in the day, but as the wheel of fortune turned, that role was eliminated before I could even start due to a restructuring at the holding-company level. No biggie, destiny just brought me back to media despite all the odds 😅

Now that I’ve officially closed my chapter at the BBC after seven years and more than ten years in the industry, I want to write this post as a tribute to my dad. The ego in me was tempted to say I did this all myself, but the mature soul in me knows deeply that my dreams wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for him blazing his trail so I could blaze mine.

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And somehow, life came full circle when our paths crossed at the very same place, even though we arrived there at different points in time. Who would have known that one day I would get to take my parents to visit the company my dad had once been invited to, but this time, because I made it 😎

I’m beyond grateful for everything I’ve received in my life and how all these experiences have shaped me into who I am today. To have made a small contribution to a brand I grew up learning from, opened the door for others, and supported socially responsible journalism at a time when we increasingly need more of it.

As for what’s next, I’m delighted not just to turn a new chapter but to write a whole new book. More to unfold with time, and I’m genuinely excited for us to embrace this new adventure together ✨