Luong, 33, from Binh Phuoc Province, met engineer‑businessman Walter F. Hammer in 2021 through mutual friends in Ho Chi Minh City. After dating, they married and in March 2025 Luong relocated to Hammer’s estate in Rush Valley, bringing her three‑year‑old son Liam with her.

Rush Valley Mills dates back to 1718 as a water‑powered mill. After Hammer bought the four‑hectare site in 2003, he spent seven years repairing and upgrading it. The estate now features a 375‑square‑metre red wooden mill and a 120‑square‑metre wooden house.

The family lives among 80 hectares of forest, where they fish in Mill Creek, collect snails and watch deer from their windows. A garden along the stream grows melons, eggplant and Vietnamese herbs, letting Luong keep her culinary traditions alive.

Three months after arriving, Luong earned the six state credits she needed, submitted her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, and was hired by a private school only 15 minutes away. Liam quickly adjusted, catching up with English lessons and preparing for first grade.

Walter handles most housework, from cooking to clearing logs that block the creek, while Luong spends one morning a week mowing the lawn and tending the garden. Their daily routine blends the estate’s historic engineering with Vietnamese family customs, creating a peaceful, cross‑cultural home.