Lien Bich Vu Nguyen

Lien Nguyen was born in Thai Binh, Viet Nam and was the fifth of six siblings. She was born into a family of devout Catholics whose father Vu Ngo Xan was the principal of one of the most prestigious high schools in Viet Nam - Chu Van An. She attended the highly competitive all-girl high school, Gia Long, and went on to the University of Saigon, graduating with a Business Law degree. She started her career with the Bank of America.

In 1968, she married her husband, Tan Nguyen, and the following year, had her first child, Lan Nguyen. In that same fateful year, her husband Tan had an almost catastrophic motorcycle accident that seriously injured him. In 1970, she had her second child, Tuan Nguyen. Then in 1974, she had her third child, Thong Nguyen.

On April 30, 1975, on what history would refer to as the day of the Fall of Saigon, she and her husband made the decision to flee Viet Nam on an oil tanker with her oldest sister’s family and hundreds of other refugees as the Communist government took over, seeking a better life for her and her family with only the clothes on their backs. The family settled in Columbia, MD, and she found many different career paths as they started to rebuild their lives in a new country, starting as a data clerk for various companies before going back to school to become a nail salon technician, massage therapist, and hair barber. She was the bedrock of the family.

Both she and her husband worked two jobs throughout their entire lives in the U.S. to support their family. While she did not have great material wealth, she had a generous heart and lived richly. The top priority in her life was always God and family. Everything she did in life served one of the two or both - always surrounded by family.

After her retirement as a barber, she volunteered at the Church of the Resurrection in Ellicott City and later at St Bernadette Catholic Church in Springfield, VA. She attended daily mass and lived a life of service to God and those in most need. She illuminated every room she stepped into and left an indelible mark.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making donations to Catholic Charities or a charity that helps underprivileged communities.

Visitation will be held at Witzke Funeral Homes Inc., 5555 Twin Knolls Road, Columbia, MD 21045, US, on May 3, 2026, from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

A Funeral Service will take place on May 4, 2026, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at Church of the Resurrection, 3175 Paulskirk Dr, Ellicott City, MD 21042, US.

A Committal Service will follow at Crest Lawn Memorial Gardens, 2150 Mt View Rd, Maryland, MD 21104, US, on May 4, 2026, from 12:45 pm to 1:00 pm.