TV host Jeannie Mai-Jenkins recently visited Vietnam to rediscover her roots, and even brought her husband, Grammy-nominated recording artist and entrepreneur, Jeezy, with her for the ride
Jeannie Mai-Jenkins, a stylist and Emmy-winning TV host and producer, has always embraced and celebrated her Vietnamese roots. Even more so since she, with her husband, Grammy-nominated recording artist, Jeezy, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl whom she says is "a beautiful blend of being Black and Vietnamese".
Wanting to connect deeper with her heritage, Mai-Jenkins surprised Jeezy with a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Vietnam earlier this year. Being his first time visiting the country, and her first time visiting parts of Vietnam outside of Ho Chi Minh City, she planned an incredible three-week itinerary where the pair road scooters, ate street food, walked through her parents' home towns and explore sacred sites in rural Vietnam.
What made this trip to Vietnam so special for you?
I took my husband to Vietnam for his very first time. Not only that, but this was a long-awaited trip that I promised him about five years ago, when we first met.
Since then, Covid hit, we got married, then we had a baby. I realised then that he was living in a house surrounded by Vietnamese women – my mom, me, and his Vietnamese and Black daughter – without ever having been to our home country for context (laughs).
If anybody has lived in a home full of Vietnamese women, you’ll know what I mean. A trip to Vietnam will help you understand a bit more [about] the energy Vietnamese women can bring.
How did it feel to share this experience with your husband?
Taking my husband to Vietnam for the first time was a life changing experience for us both. As a Vietnamese-American, it was important for me to share the beauty and complexity of my culture with someone I love.
I was able to show him the places where my parents grew up and introduce him to my friends who still live in Vietnam. It was incredible to see him connect with my culture in a way that I had never seen before. He was fascinated by the history and the traditions, and he was especially enamoured with the food! It was a powerful reminder of the importance of cultural exchange and the power of sharing our stories and our experiences with one another.
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