Vietnam’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” and the Children’s Hero

Don Lam is the Chief Executive Officer and a  Founding Partner of VinaCapital- one of Vietnam’s leading investment corporations. Known as a renounced figure in the investment market and manager of a staggering US$1,8 billion across several funds, Don Lam is also a man of humanity as he established the Vina Capital Foundation- a nonprofit organization which aims to empower children in need all over Vietnam. He is Vietnam’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” and the Vietnamese Children’s Hero.

“My parents’ top aspiration was for me to become a doctor. However, I was afraid of blood so I’ll pass”

Don Lam has always stuck to his roots, despite spending a considerate portion of his life living overseas. Lam and his family left their hometown in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa, and migrated to Canada when he was only 11 years old. The energetic and ambitious young man graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Commerce and Political Science, opening up a bright long future ahead.

At the age of 18, in the bloom of his youth, he had already started reminiscing and yearned to come back where he knew he belonged- Vietnam. Despite his desire,  it was only up to when he was 24 years old in 1994 that the opportunity to return home found him.

In the early stages of his career, Mr. Lam was chosen to be a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers Vietnam. The Indochina region’s  (Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia) corporate finance and management consulting practices was under his strong leadership for a period of time. More fruitful opportunities came; before he knew it he has held several management positions at the prestigious Deutsche Bank and Coopers & Lybrand.  With several reputable positions and varied experience under his belt, Don Lam chose to embark on the most significant turn in his life in 2003 when he co-founded the VinaCapital Corporation.

VinaCapital like any other corporations has been through a remarkable journey. In 2003, it started as a relatively small management company with 10 million US dollars in its only fund – the Vietnam Opportunity Fund (VOF). At the time, one of Lam’s biggest challenges, as well as, the biggest aspirations was to push Vietnam onto the world stage as a real and recognized competitor. He also needed to reflect the rapid growth of Vietnam’s economy in his own company in order to achieve long-term success. Lam knew and saw a tedious, extremely demanding and exhausting endeavor ahead, and tackled it head-on. After more than a decade of sweat and tears, Lam and his co-leadership have overachieved their previous goals significantly. As a result of maximal patience, dedication, and hard work, VinaCapital has grown to an enormous investment house which manages US$1.8 billion across the four funds that would come to life across the years. From one small fund, in the beginning, VinaCapital has also introduced 3 more official funds- VinaLand in 2006 for real estate, DFJVinaCapital in 2006 as an extension of the prestigious multinational Draper Fisher Jurvetson Corporation and Vietnam Infrastructure Limited in 2007 which focuses on infrastructure.

Besides becoming one of the greatest models of diligence and corporate success, Mr. Lam is also looked up to greatly for his numerous humanitarian efforts. Out of compassion and dedication to supporting his home country, Don Lam established the non-profit organization Vina Capital Foundation in 2007 which aims to provide life-saving opportunities for poor children with health complications.  The foundation takes advantage of his well-developed expertise in the corporate world and transforms the skills needed for a scheme that cares for children’s social and economic welfare.

“I always prioritize my family as much as possible despite the busy schedule. On holidays or days off, we would go back to Khanh Hoa- where I was born, or I would take my three kids to visit children that had heart surgeries (supported by VinaCapital Foundation) at the hospital so they can learn about compassion and know that change can happen from the smallest actions.”

While VinaCapital grew over the past decade through increasing investments, VinaCapital Foundation (VCF) grew through helping and saving innumerable children from difficult backgrounds. Since 2007, VCF’s largest programmed called Heartbeat Vietnam has provided the funds and assistance needed for 5,855 very poor children. Moreover, 416 families have been aided along with 294 family grants for nutrition and transportation and 122 continuing care grants for at-risk children.  Since 2007, VCF’s other programmes such as Outreach Clinic for Cardiac Care have given medical examinations to 77,934 children in 147 districts and 44 provinces. 38,523 cardiac ultrasounds, 2,131 postoperative checkups and counseling found 8,561 children suffering from Cardiac Heart Disease and 6,236 children who are in need of heart surgery that would never have been diagnosed.

These significant and sizable numbers not only demonstrate VCF’s far-reaching efforts but also reflect the number of lives that were saved by a team of dedicated people.

The number of 5,855 surgeries is not just a mere statistic but visually represents 5,855 faces. 5,855 children, brothers, sisters, daughter, sons and grandchildren- saved from fatal heart conditions that can end an innocent child’s life and end the bright future ahead of them. Every child that is helped has a story. Every child has hopes, dreams, aspirations and the desire to experience the wonderful adventure we call life. With the US$ 10 million raised for life-changing programs all across Vietnam, VinaCapital Foundation under Lam has really made a difference in the community and played a significant role in changing children’s lives forever.

As a result of globalization and a rapidly expanding economy, the world is seeing the rise in numbers of young, talented and influential leaders. To a certain extent, it can be said that we all have a strong leader within ourselves. Many of us have the potential to become as successful and high achieving as Don Lam. The new generation is filled with ambitious, hard-working and diligent young people, willing to test boundaries and introduce innovation to the world. But, like Mr. Lam, are we willing to take another step? Are we willing to spend our valuable time and effort into the most civil acts of saving others’ lives? The answers to those questions are up to you. Everyone has the potential of becoming a successful leader. Only some get on to become truly great leaders.

Currently, VinaCapital Foundation under Don Lam’s leadership continues to expand their operations to thousands and thousands of more Vietnamese families that need their help. From providing financial aid for heart surgeries, providing medical examinations, education scholarships and continuing care after treatment, without a doubt, Mr. Lam and the organization have made and continued to make a memorable difference.

Mr. Lam believes that the smallest actions can contribute to great changes, therefore, now is not too soon to go out into your communities and help others- even with the smallest acts of kindness.

More information on VinaCapital Foundation’s several charity programs and donation links are available here: https://vinacapitalfoundation.org/en/homepage/

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