Nhung arrived in Canada as a child refugee of the Vietnam War in 1979 with her mother and five siblings. She grew up with a passion for science, and went on to complete medical school at the University of Alberta. Nhung lived and worked as a doctor in Calmar, Alberta with her husband Grant Davies, after developing a love of rural medicine at the Dalhousie Medical School. Both Nhung and Grant served as family physicians, forming close relationships with their community. Nhung remained an advocate for refugees and migrants through her life, working to counter stereotypes and hate and giving back frequently, and often. She founded the Children of Vietnam Benevolent Foundation in 2013, dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged children.
Nhung founded the Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Mothers Who Write in 2017 in partnership with Richard Van Camp after learning from Richard about the struggles facing Indigenous women. In her unwavering commitment to help people, Nhung established the scholarship to help Indigenous mothers receive financial resources to work on their writing in any form. Since the program was established in 2017, over 30 scholarships have been awarded.
“She is truly someone who has made the world a better place through her life and her many personal attributes. No matter your religious or spiritual belief, you could say to witness her life is to watch the work of an angel on earth.”
— Jeananne Kathol Kirwin, Co-sponsor of the Kemosa Scholarship
Her children’s books honoured her experiences and values, crafting stories around themes of grief, sacrifice, and the many ways that love manifests in a lifetime. One of her works, The Doll, told the story of a young girl who is gifted a doll by a stranger at the airport when she arrives in a new city. The Doll was inspired by Nhung’s own story, with her doll going on to be displayed at the Canadian Museum of Immigration.
Nhung was a wonderful, inspiring presence in the WGA. She personally organized and hosted public readings for the Kemosa Scholarship and let each recipient know how valuable they are as writers.
We are grateful for Nhung’s impact on our literary community and will miss her terribly.
You can read more about Nhung’s life and her impact through the Canadian Children’s Book News, the rdnewsNOW, and the University of Alberta Alumni Association Awards.
