Mai was born in Vietnam in 1964. She attended school for 12 years in Vietnam and worked there as well for five years as a retailer. She immigrated with her family to the U.S. in August of 2002. She enrolled in ESL classes at Portland Community College starting just a month later in September 2002.

Mai, her husband and their two children lived together with her parents and sisters for the first three years of residence in Portland before buying their own house. During her first two years in the U.S., Mai was seeking work and in September of 2004, she found a full-time job working as an inspector.