The bridge builder of education between Vietnam and the world

From his own journey, Mr. Kien Pham (Vietnamese American) deeply understands the transformative power of education and has dedicated most of his life to creating educational bridges for the younger generation.

“I am just a bridge builder. Each bridge has its name, but the builder often remains anonymous.” This simple statement by Mr. Kien Pham, founder of The Vietnam Foundation (VNF), perfectly encapsulates his life philosophy: Persistently connecting, quietly creating, and placing complete faith in the transformative power of education.

Journey from the aspiration for education

In 1977, at 19 years old, Mr. Kien Pham and his family settled in the U.S., beginning a life filled with numerous challenges.

He learned English while working in a factory to make ends meet and nurtured his dream of continuing his education.

Mr. Kien Pham with Ms. Kathleen Lehman – Associate Director, Head of Alumni Relations at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Another setback occurred when he was diagnosed with vision impairment. Yet, amidst a world growing dim, the light of his educational aspirations never faded.

These challenges forged extraordinary resilience. He earned a scholarship for the visually impaired at the University of Colorado, then continued his academic journey to Stanford University, where he completed two concurrent graduate degrees: MA and MBA – a rare feat even among Stanford’s elite students.

In 2025, on its 100th anniversary, Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) honoured him in the “100 Centennial Alumni Catalysts” list – the 100 most outstanding alumni.

His peers nominated him for his influence and contributions to the global community. For Stanford University, he is a living testament to the philosophy of “changing lives, changing organizations, and changing the world”.

Bridges that change destinies

After graduating and having a successful career in investment in the U.S., Mr. Kien Pham decided to return and contribute to his homeland through the path that changed his life: education.

The first bridge was with the Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF). From 2003 to 2006, as the founding Executive Director, he helped hundreds of Vietnamese talents receive full scholarships at top global universities like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. “Kien has changed the lives of thousands of Vietnamese,” shared Mr. Walt Spevak, a Stanford classmate.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long meets Mr. Kien Pham, May 2025.

The next bridge is The Vietnam Foundation – Khan Academy Vietnam (KAV). He pondered a bigger challenge: How can every Vietnamese student, even in remote areas, have access to a world-class education completely free of charge without stopping at supporting overseas studies?

From that vision, in 2021, The Vietnam Foundation officially partnered with Khan Academy USA to bring the world’s leading nonprofit learning platform to Vietnam. The project focuses on localising the vast educational resources and developing programs suitable for Vietnamese students and teachers.

Khan Academy Vietnam has provided free learning opportunities to over 2 million students and trained hundreds of thousands of teachers nationwide, spreading modern learning models across many provinces and cities.

Integrating AI into teaching and learning in Vietnam

Not stopping at an online learning platform, KAV is pioneering the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into education through Khanmigo – an AI teaching and learning tool developed by Khan Academy USA.

Khanmigo is a friendly virtual learning assistant, helping teachers and students access knowledge, design lessons, and suggest intelligent, safe, and well-guided teaching and learning methods.

Khan Academy Vietnam is collaborating closely with Khan Academy USA to implement a free version for Vietnamese teachers.

This November, KAV is expected to collaborate with the Department of Teachers and Educational Administrators – Ministry of Education and Training to launch the first Vietnamese version of Khanmigo, marking the beginning of AI application in widespread teaching innovation.

Through Khan Academy Vietnam, many students everywhere have access to quality and completely free educational resources.

Simultaneously, KAV is also working with the Department of Education and Training to implement “AI in Education” training, supporting teachers, administrators, and students in effectively, safely, and humanely using technology.

Launching the Vietnamese version of Khanmigo is anticipated to be a significant milestone in Vietnam’s educational digital transformation, helping teachers “use technology” and master it to create and inspire in the classroom.

Source: https://en.baoquocte.vn/the-bridge-builder-of-education-between-vietnam-and-the-world-331209.html