Vi Minh An: The boy who washed dishes for hire got into Oxford University
Poor boy Vi Minh An passed Oxford University entrance exam at the age of 18, at 24 he has a salary of 1 million USD/year (24 billion VND). Photo: Baidu
Born in a slum in England in 1977, Vi Minh An's childhood was full of hardship and deprivation. Originally from Zhuhai (Guangdong, China), in 1970, Minh An's parents immigrated to England in the hope of a better life.
However, life in a foreign land is not easy. Growing up in the slums of England, Minh An faced many temptations. However, he always remembered what his parents told him: "If you want to leave the slums, you must study hard."
Although his friends were all different, the boy always studied independently and got high scores in exams. His father bought him two old books in French and German, and in his free time he often studied and researched by himself. Due to difficult circumstances, at the age of 11 he started working for hire to help his family financially. From washing dishes for hire, washing cars to farming, Minh An took on all the jobs during the summer vacation.
During the school year, Minh An maintained a job as a dishwasher to earn a living. The harsh working environment and alienation from everyone made Minh An's childhood gloomy. Instead of despairing, Minh An chose to overcome her fate with will and determination.
Photo of Vi Minh An and his family when he was young. Photo: Baidu
After discovering Minh An's talent, the boss asked him to tutor his daughter, earning three times more than washing dishes. Thanks to Minh An's tutoring, the boss's daughter's academic performance improved. Later, she was admitted to Cambridge University (UK).
Minh An's constant efforts were well rewarded. In 1995, he was admitted to Oxford University (UK) with a major in Modern Languages and German with a full scholarship. During the 4 years, Minh An always tried his best to study and achieved many successes.
Graduated with honors from university in 1999, he joined the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Minh An took on the position of consultant, responsible for venture capital in branches in Asia, America and Africa.
With his talent and hard work, he quickly asserted himself and became a reputable investor. At the age of 24, Minh An has a salary and bonus of up to 1 million USD/year (24 billion VND).
Vi Minh An: A man who has contributed to the community after 30 years
With the desire to contribute to society, Vi Minh An decided to give up his salary of 1 million USD/year at the age of 25. (Photo: Baidu)
After three years at McKinsey & Company, he decided to quit his job to give back to the community. As a child, his dream was to escape poverty. But as he grew up, he set a goal to work hard to make society a better place.
Therefore, in 2002, after giving up his salary of 1 million USD/year (24 billion VND), Minh An founded the non-profit organization Teach First. This organization recruits excellent graduates, then they will go to places where there is a shortage of teachers to teach poor children.
Following the success of Teach First, in 2005, Minh An went on to establish Absolute Return for Kids (ARK). The organization operates by calling on investors to contribute capital and invest in profitable projects. The profits will then be used to fund education and health programs for poor children.
Sharing the meaning of the non-profit project on children's education, Vi Minh An said that he hopes to see his own mark when he is old. "We have Bill Gates and Buffett, everyone wants to become them. However, there are many people out there who have to earn money. But social welfare work also needs to be done, so I want to use my talent to solve this problem, to make the world a better place."
Furthermore, based on the viewpoint that 'the poor only care about themselves, the rich care about the world', Minh An also founded the non-profit organization Shaftesbury Partnership for adults on housing, unemployment and health care.
Not only is Minh An the man behind successful non-profit organizations, he is also known as the 'Midas' investor with the ability to turn every investment into 'gold'. In addition, he is also a member of the Board of Directors of many corporations in the UK. This success has helped him receive awards such as: Best Investor by Financial Times magazine; Top 10 powerful investors in the UK voted by The Economist magazine.
In 2013, he became one of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum. Since 2019, Minh An has been a member of the Science and Technology Committee of the British House of Commons.
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