March 11, 2026 marks four years since the Be Better Foundation was born. Four years — not a long time in the grand sweep of things, yet rich enough in lived experience for us to look back with gratitude: gratitude for the journey, and for the many generous hearts who have walked it beside us, planting seeds of goodness for the young people of Vietnam.
To our donors, corporate partners, educators, volunteers, the Be Better team, the students we have had the privilege of serving, and every companion along the way — we offer our deepest, most heartfelt thanks.
Four years ago, the very first seeds of Be Better were sown in a disadvantaged district in Kon Tum. We brought scholarships, health insurance, computers, nutritious meals, small libraries, clothing, and shoes to children whose worlds were shaped by quiet, persistent hardship. On those early journeys, the teachers we met shared stories that stayed with us long after we returned home:
“Some children couldn’t afford their school fees, so their homeroom teachers paid out of pocket. Parents would repay slowly — 50,000 dong at a time, sometimes 100,000. A few children were on the verge of dropping out altogether. Teachers had to visit their homes and plead with their families to let them stay in school…”
Sitting with parents, listening to teachers, witnessing it all firsthand — we understood something with a new kind of clarity: meaningful help must be sustained. It must go deep, and it must go long.
From those experiences, the Be Better journey grew. We came to believe that education and knowledge are the true keys to lasting change — not charity handed down, but transformation built from within.
And so the High School Mentorship Program was born. A space where students are invited to look beyond the horizon of “choosing a career” and begin to ask deeper questions — about who they are, what they stand for, and what kind of life they want to build. One student, reflecting after the program, said it simply but profoundly:
“I used to think that getting a degree was enough. But now I understand that integrity, skills, and a sense of values — those are the things I truly need to carry with me.”
Words like these remind us, quietly and powerfully, that we are walking in the right direction.
To date, with the trust and partnership of school leadership teams across the country, Be Better has organized 37 Mentorship programs, reaching 11,655 high school students.
Running alongside this is our long-term scholarship initiative, “Changing the Future” — designed to walk the full journey with academically driven students from underprivileged backgrounds. Beyond tuition support, scholarship recipients are immersed in personal development Mentorship programs and invited to contribute to their communities. It is a four-year journey of growing up together — not just toward success, but toward character.
At Be Better Foundation, we hold a belief close to our hearts:
Education is not a diploma.
Education is the lifelong cultivation of knowledge, skill, and attitude — the nurturing of body, mind, heart, and virtue — so that a person may grow into someone who creates lasting value for the world around them.
As we step into our fifth year, Be Better continues its mission: sowing seeds of knowledge and hope for the next generation. We believe that when a student gains access to real education and meaningful direction — when a young person from humble beginnings is given the chance to go further — it is not just one life that changes. It is the story of many generations, rewritten.
We are deeply grateful to our donors, corporate partners, educators, and every friend who has helped us write these four years into being. Your trust and generosity have given us the strength to keep walking the path we have chosen.
In the years ahead, Be Better hopes to walk alongside even more compassionate hearts — so that more dreams may be given wings, and more futures may be opened through the power of education and knowledge.
With deep appreciation and gratitude,
