A Vietnamese immigrant billionaire has donated $5 million to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey.
The Daily Mail reports that 73-year-old Kieu Hoang who came to the US as a refugee has donated the money as a way to “pay back” to America after he was able to flee the Vietnam war.
Hoang settled in the US in 1975 and currently resides in California.
Houston mayor Sylvester Turner said money dated from the Vietnamese immigrant will go to the most vulnerable victims of the hurricane: the elderly, poor, those with special needs and those who require shelters.
Hoang said at a press conference on Monday, “I am here to thank the American people who allowed me to come to this country as a refugee in early 1975 at the age of 31”
“I am here to pay back, contribute and show my gratitude to this great country.”
Hoang’s first job in the US had a salary of $1.25 per hour. He now owns the Rare Antibody Antigen Supply company. His company is worth $14billion and he has a personal worth of $3billion.
He told the Houston Chronicle, “Dr. Martin Luther King said ‘I have a dream. “Thanks to the American people’s help, I have realized some small dreams. A dream to have immigration laws so that a lot of people do not live in constant fear of being deported. A dream to allow immigrants like me to come into this great America to make it greater, and the greatest.”
“Did you realize a lot of Houstonians dared not to check into shelter centers for help, as they are scared to be discovered and deported? God help America (to) help them. For Houston, who will help rebuild the city?”
Hoang’s donation is one of the largest from a single donor to the Harvey relief so far. According to the governor of Texas, the total bill to restore damages incurred by the hurricane could be as high as $180billion. The Daily Mail reports that migrants will rebuild Houston, as said by Hoang.
In March, Hoang donated $5million to victims of flooding in San Jose.
