Born an orphan, Vietnamese youth becomes a Chevening scholar, and a champion for disadvantaged students

Born in 1992, Le Hoang Phong is among 21 Vietnamese recipients of the U.K. Government’s Chevening Master’s Scholarship for the 2025-2026 academic year.

He is studying Educational Leadership at the University College London (UCL), ranked the world’s No. 1 institution for education for the 13th consecutive year in the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Phong is also the founder of YOUREORG, an educational social organization whose name stands for “Your Education, Your Empowerment.”

Established in June 2020, the organization aims to provide high-quality, international-standard education to underprivileged and marginalized students across Vietnam, offering low-cost English classes and academic support.

“My mission is to bring equal learning opportunities to every student, regardless of background or circumstance,” Phong said.

Behind his desire to give back lies a long journey of overcoming hardship.

Born in Tay Ninh Province that borders Ho Chi Minh City, Phong grew up at the SOS Children’s Village in HCMC. With both parents gone before he turned one month old and no known relatives, he was raised by Nguyen Thi Hanh, affectionately known as “Mother Hanh,” along with other SOS mothers and children.

At 18, Phong failed his university entrance exam after scoring zero in math. He accepted the result, aware of his weakness in the subject. But when he saw Hanh quietly cycling back to her hometown to borrow money so he could retake the exam, he was resolved not to let her down. He devoted himself to studying and was admitted in 2011 to the International Studies program at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education.

Le Hoang Phong and his guardian mother, Nguyen Thi Hanh, in 2021. Photo courtesy of Phong

After leaving the SOS Village to attend university, Phong took on numerous jobs to support himself. With limited time for study, he graduated with a GPA of 2.88 out of 4.

In his second year, Phong was introduced to work as an assistant interpreter at events. He carefully observed every gesture, pause, and word choice of senior interpreters, gradually working his way up from handling logistics and editing translations to interpreting short consecutive segments at conferences.

After seven years, he was entrusted with cabin interpreting — the profession’s most demanding tier, requiring quick reflexes, multidisciplinary knowledge, and strong mental endurance.

In 2017, Phong learned about Teach for Vietnam, a program focused on developing leadership among teachers serving disadvantaged communities. He joined its first cohort and returned to his birthplace to teach English at Cha La Secondary School and Bau Dan Secondary School.

There, he proposed classroom innovations, such as rearranging desks into a house-like shape instead of traditional rows to create a more dynamic learning environment.

Outside the classroom, conversations with district education officials helped him understand deeper systemic issues, including high dropout rates and how educational quality affects provincial development. While refining his teaching practice, he also gained insights into education administration.

During this period, Phong began developing a more systematic understanding of how education systems function and where inequalities persist. He realized that his perspective, rooted mainly in personal experience, lacked a strong theoretical foundation.

To address this, he pursued and completed advanced certificates in teaching and educational management from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. and Harvard University in the U.S. He was also awarded a full scholarship by the U.S. Department of State for the YSEALI Professional Fellowship under the theme “Governance and Society.”

“I know I don’t have exceptional grades, so instead of trying to prove myself with numbers, I chose to tell a story — a story of leadership, perseverance, and the belief that someone who starts slowly can still reach the finish line if they follow the right direction,” Phong said.

For each application, he studied the selection criteria carefully. In his essays, he articulated a systemic view of education from the perspective of someone from a disadvantaged background, combined with real-world insights into educational theory. Through various programs and courses, he has since traveled to six continents.

“Experiencing many countries made me realize the world doesn’t lack opportunities, it lacks people who dare to believe they deserve them,” he said.

In 2020, Phong and a colleague from the Teach for Vietnam network founded YOUREORG, which offers PTE and IELTS preparation courses and scholarship-essay coaching.

He recalled that before the first class, he had to manage “a thousand things,” from cleaning the office and buying furniture to designing curricula and preparing schedules and tuition files.

In the first cohort, many students could not afford the VND500,000 (US$20) fee for three months of study. Determined not to accept outside investment, Phong faced heavy financial pressure, paying teachers’ salaries, maintaining online classes, and continuously improving curricula while working daytime jobs to cover costs.

Despite the challenges, he said reviewing students’ essays brought him joy. “I can sit and edit their writing until 3 or 4 in the morning without feeling tired,” he said.

Phong and his colleagues also organize talks between students and professionals to broaden students’ exposure to different career paths.

Vu Hai Truong, director of undergraduate admissions for the University of Hong Kong in Vietnam and a guest speaker at YOUREORG, described Phong as “a sharp thinker with a clear strategic vision who fully commits to everything he does.”

This year, in addition to the Chevening scholarship, Phong received two master’s scholarship offers from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as admission offers from the London School of Economics and Stockholm University in Sweden.

Le Hoang Phong at the University College London in 2025. Photo courtesy of Phong

He chose the U.K. program because it lasts only one year, allowing him to return to Vietnam sooner. The course is designed for in-service students with more than two years of professional experience, and interacting with classmates from China, India, and other countries has broadened his perspective.

Looking back, Phong believes young people should maintain faith in themselves and strive not to waste the sacrifices made by those who care for them.

“If you truly work the soil of your own field, then no matter how barren it is, the tree will bloom,” he said.