"Vòng trời đất dọc ngang, ngang dọc
Nợ tang bồng vay trả, trả vay
Chí làm trai Nam, Bắc, Đông, Tây
Cho phỉ sức vẫy vùng trong bốn bể. "
Nguyễn Công Trứ
On June 1, 2017, Bùi Huy Thiện Trí, 54, passed away during his daily swimming routine in Saigon, Viet Nam. He was born in Vinh Binh, Viet Nam to Mr. and Mrs. Bui Huy Hai. He was the youngest of five children, with three older sisters and one older brother. Throughout his childhood, his family moved to various places in Viet Nam. They lived in Vinh Binh, Da Lat, Bien Hoa, and Saigon. Tri attended Le Van Duyet Elementary School and Vo Truong Toan Middle School.
On April 29,2015, Trí left Viet Nam with his family to move to the United States. He attended Peter Burnett Middle School and Independence High School in San Jose, California. His passion for sports and recreation was evident – he earned a second-degree brown belt in Aikido (at age 12), played water polo and was on the swim team all throughout high school. He was even crowned champion of the intramural ping pong team.Tri then got accepted to the University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in Computer Science. He was a leader in all aspects of his life and strived to elevate those around him. As president of the Vietnamese Student Association, he inspired others and was dearly loved by many. As part of the swim team, he helped UC Berkeley win the Vietnamese Collegiate Swim Meet, which brought dozens of Vietnamese swimmers from across the country to compete at UC Berkeley. One of his fellow classmates even dubbed him the “Vietnamese Michael Phelps.”
Upon graduating college, Tri worked at Sun MicroSystems. He then moved on to work at Mitta, Harvey Nash, Paragon Solutions, Anh Hai and Anh Mot and received an online MBA. In 1995, he moved back to Viet Nam and continued to feed his desire for adventure by du lịch bụi through SouthEast Asia.
Outside of work, Tri was an avid antique collector of stamps, coins, lighters and artworks.. He was also kind-hearted and charitable, volunteering his time teaching Vietnamese to young children at Truong Viet Ngu Tuoi Xanh (Vietnamese School) and donating money to help further the education of children living in third-world countries. We remember what a significant influence he made in these children’s lives as we read their thank you letters to Tri. He also loved his two cats, Blackie and Kitty.
All throughout Tri’s life, he created and left a lasting impact through his generosity, charm, passion, and authenticity.
Quote: " I think that if you can convince your children about Newton 3rd law and Nhan Qua (Karma), they will do well in the future."
He is survived by:
Mẹ : bà quả phụ Bùi Huy Hải
Chị: Bùi Thị Thuận và chồng Phan Bá Linh cùng các con
Chị: Bùi Thị Hòa và các con
Chị: Bùi Thị Hiền và chồng Lại Văn Khiêm cùng các con
Anh: Bùi Huy Thiện Mỹ và vợ Nguyễn Anh Thơ cùng các con
Tri will be dearly missed by all.