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Amanda Nguyen: How a Child of Refugees Made it to Space
Before she became the first Vietnamese woman in space, Amanda Nguyen had already changed the law, challenged the system, and redefined what it means to become your ancestor's wildest dreams. Learn how.
Jenny Stojkovic
April 16, 2025
In 2025, Amanda flew on Blue Origin’s New Shepard-25 mission, joining the first all-female civilian crew to reach space. Her fellow passengers included Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, Aisha Bowe, and venture capitalist Kerriann Flynn. For just over ten minutes, they floated above the Earth’s atmosphere and crossed the Kármán line, officially becoming astronauts.
While the celebrity names made headlines, Amanda’s journey represented something more profound. Her presence on the flight was not just historic. It was the result of a lifetime of persistence, activism, and the pursuit of a dream born in childhood and nearly derailed by trauma.
Her path to space began decades earlier in a family shaped by war and hope.
A Daughter of Refugees, A Student of the Stars
Amanda was born in San Diego, California, to Vietnamese parents who had fled the country as refugees after the war. Her family had survived unimaginable hardships during and after the fall of Saigon, including displacement, poverty, and political instability. Her parents came to the United States to rebuild, and they raised Amanda to believe that her future could be different.