Navia Nguyen

Navia Nguyen (1973-    ) is an internationally renowned fashion model.  Born in Saigon, South Vietnam, Navia Nguyen left with her family for the United States in 1975.  She grew up mainly in New York City.

Navia began her modeling career after being spotted by a photographer while she was attending college abroad in London.  After signing with City Paris, her modeling career took off.  Among the major fashion lines Navia modeled for included Chanel, Fendi, Christian Dior and Karl Lagerfeld.  In 1996, she was listed among People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People.  The following year, Navia Nguyen became the first Asian model to appear on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

In 2002, Navia decided to retire from the world of fashion to work as a volunteer for charitable organizations in her native Vietnam.  Three years later, in 2005 she returned to the United States with her sights set on an acting career.  Immediately, she landed roles in films such as Memoirs of a Geisha and Hitch.  Disenchanted after discovering most of her role had been edited out from the film, Hitch, before its release, Navia gave up on her dreams of becoming a Hollywood film actress.  That same year, she was honored by the Vietnamese-American community with an invitation to appear on the popular show music video series, Asia Productions Volume 47 Mua He Ruc Ro 2005, alongside other Vietnamese beauty queens, Thanh Hang and Jennifer Pham.

She currently resides in Bali with her daughter where she is also the owner of AMO Beauty Spa.

Link(s):

50 Most Beautiful Vietnamese Women of All Time
Navia Nguyen's Official Website
AMOSpa.com