A promise made, and kept

Binh Yen Diep was born and raised in Vietnam. In 1977, in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, she and her husband, Thanh Vinh Hua, fled the country with their three children, escaping by fishing boat to Hong Kong. With the help of relatives who sponsored them, the family eventually immigrated to the United States, where they worked hard to build a new life and a better future for their children.

In November 1999, when Vietnam suffered its worst flooding in more than a century, Ms. Binh was deeply moved by the devastation in the country she had left behind. The disaster became the impetus for the BD Foundation. Officially founded in 2000, the Foundation's earliest efforts focused on building groundwater wells to provide remote villages with access to fresh water.

In 2002, Ms. Binh finally had the opportunity to return to Vietnam. She organized a humanitarian mission with VOSH (Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity), bringing supplies and a team of eye doctors to provide a weeklong eye clinic for underserved communities. People traveled great distances to receive examinations, treatment, and eyeglasses.

The experience was deeply rewarding, but also heartbreaking. She saw firsthand how many people were living in extreme poverty and how much remained to be done. Guided by the Buddhist values that have shaped her life—compassion, generosity, and service to others—she made a lifelong commitment to devote her time and resources to helping those in need.

Since its founding, the BD Foundation has expanded beyond Vietnam, bringing its charitable work to communities throughout the world, without boundaries of geography, nationality, or religion.