Mỹ Linh "Jasmine" Nguyen

I was born in Da Nang, Vietnam. America was something I watched on a screen — fast-talking sitcoms, news clips, the occasional movie that made me believe everyone in New York lived in a loft.

I came here on a K1 visa to be with my husband, then stayed for a life. The years compressed into school and work, saving every dollar, paying bills, and trying to keep in touch with family on the opposite side of the world. I was so busy becoming a person who could survive here that I forgot to ever just be here.

And then the green card arrived in a regular white envelope, with no fanfare at all. I sat on my kitchen floor and cried. But my husband started taking me to explore America.

Once I started talking about my trip, I realized: almost every immigrant friend I have is in the same boat. We live here. We pay taxes here. We've memorized the freeway exits to our school and work. And we have never seen the country.

This site is for those of us who came for opportunity, stayed for the life, and somewhere along the way forgot to look up. It's permission to be a tourist in your own home.

Honest reviews. First-time reactions. Practical tips for people who don't have unlimited time off or budget. The food, the history, the photo spots, the things nobody tells you about until you get there. And the harder stuff too — the conversations I have with myself, as a Vietnamese woman, standing in front of American history.

My husband Cali runs Deploy Travel, a travel advisory for tech professionals heading to Southeast Asia and beyond. He plans the trips. I tell the stories. Together we cover both directions of the immigrant journey — back to where we came from, and out into where we are now.

I write a story every two weeks. If you want to come along, drop your email below.

Mỹ Linh "Jasmine" Nguyen
hello@jasmineinamerica.com