Early Life and Education

Betty Nguyen was born on September 1, 1974, in Saigon, Vietnam. Of Vietnamese, Scottish, and American heritage, she immigrated to the United States with her family after the fall of Saigon. Raised in Fort Worth, Texas, she went on to attend the University of Texas at Austin. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism, graduating magna cum laude. During her college years, she was also a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.

Broadcast Journalism Career

Nguyen began her journalism career at KWTX-TV, a CBS affiliate in Waco, Texas, where she worked as a morning show anchor and reporter. She also briefly served as a freelance correspondent for E! Entertainment Television. Later, she became an anchor at KTVT-TV, the CBS affiliate in Dallas.

In 2004, she joined CNN, anchoring the morning edition of CNN Newsroom. During her six-year tenure with CNN, Nguyen covered several major international and national stories. In 2010, she transitioned to CBS News, where she anchored Up to the Minute and CBS Morning News, in addition to serving as lead anchor on CBS This Morning Saturday and The Early Show. In 2013, she moved to NBC and MSNBC, where she continues to work.

Major News Coverage and Global Reporting

Throughout her career, Betty Nguyen has reported on some of the most significant global news events. At CNN, she covered the 2004 Asian tsunami, the 2005 Iraqi elections, and the 2008 visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States. She also reported on the 2005 London bombing attacks, the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, and major natural disasters including the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, Hurricane Jimena in Mexico, and Hurricane Ike's aftermath.

Her international reporting includes coverage of the Zimbabwe economic crisis, the Sierra Leone presidential elections, and legal proceedings associated with South Africa's apartheid legacy.