Billionaire Hoang Kieu, a Vietnamese-American who lives in California recently traveled to Houston on September 11th, 2017, to hand over a generous check of $5 million to Houston’s Mayor which will serve to donate to victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Earlier this year in March, Kieu also donated $5 million to the victims of the flooding in San Jose, California.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Kieu announced the contribution during a press conference on Monday on Hallie Drive in west Houston, one of the numerous residential streets left flooded as a result of Harvey.
Kieu came to the U.S. as a refugee in 1975 at the age of 31 after the Vietnam war, and his first job in the country paid $1.25 per hour, according to the press release. His net worth is now valued at $2.9 billion, according to Forbes.
He owned part of Shanghai RAAS Blood Products Co., Ltd. and maintains ownership in a California vineyard along with other businesses. During the visit to Houston, he met with Mayor Turner in the residential community to examine some of the damage and explain why he wanted to help in the relief effort, explaining that he wanted the money to directly benefit the people affected by the flooding.
During the press conference, Kieu stated, “I want to bring comfort, love, charity, condolence and sympathy to the flood victims of the Harvey hurricane.”
“Houstonians have been very patient,” says Mayor Turner. “They have gone through the storm, but it’s the recovery that is most important and the number one priority is getting our debris removed and it’s going to take the generosity of others like Mr. Hoang to assist us in rebuilding and moving forward.”
