Chau Nguyen (born 1973) is a former Vietnamese-American news anchor most recently seen with KHOU-TV, before stepping down in December of 2007. Chau's family fled after the fall of Saigon, South Vietnam when she was 2 years old and her family settled in Houston, Texas. She is the first Vietnamese-American to be awarded a regional Emmy award.
She is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association.
Her career began early in college when she was asked to take a full-time desk editor position at KRIV-TV. Chau transitioned to on-air responsibilities in 1996 as an anchor and reporter in Guam and Saipan. She returned to Houston in 1998 to report for KRIV-TV, then spent three years reporting for WGCL-TV in Atlanta before joining KHOU.
In late 2007, the Houston Chronicle website reported that she gave notice and quit her job at KHOU. It is reported that she will travel the world for several months before returning home, to find work in a field outside of television journalism. [1] [2]
In 2007, she was chosen by the Vietnamese American National Gala (VANG) to be the Master of Ceremonies.[3]
That same year she was named "Best Reporter" by the Houston Press http://www.houstonpress.com/bestof/2007/award/best-local-tv-news-reporter-605037/
Chau also recorded her first Ironman distance finish in Wisconsin, where she completed the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run in 13:38:07.
In December of 2007, she anchored her last Saturday morning broadcast for KHOU. According to her blog, she walked away on her terms because she wanted a change: "That's 15 years in TV news. I'm ready to pursue a new challenge. I loved working in TV, and I'll miss the friends I've made here, but I want a normal life. I don't want to work weekends. I want holidays off. I want to take Christmas off. TV news doesn't fit who I am now. I'm not a glamour girl. I'm an introspective person. Fifteen years is a long time to do only one thing." http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/hoffman/5262294.html
Since that time, Chau has traveled the world and came back to Houston and married attorney and former City Council member Rob Todd. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/society/6348903.html The couple announced the arrival of their daughter in September 2010.
In 2008, she returned to graduate school to pursue her Masters in Social Work from the University of Houston. She graduated in May 2010. She then began pursuing a new career as a psychotherapist http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/hoffman/7530470.html
In 2000, Chau travelled to Vietnam to cover a medical mission and her series reporting earned her a regional Emmy award.