According to ESPN, Nguyen plans to donate 10 percent of his winnings to help fight poverty and homelessness in his native Vietnam.
“[Average] Vietnamese family makes only $200 a month,” he said. “They are very poor and hungry. Some families don’t even have blankets, but I will make sure that they are taken care of. Whether I finish first or last, I plan to go to Vietnam to donate money to the poor.”
He also promised to donate 2.5 percent of his winnings to the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps out injured U.S. service members. Nguyen’s older brother, Duc, arrived in the United States in 1972, became a citizen and served in the Marines for 23 years before retiring in 2015 with a rank of major, earning multiple Purple Hearts for injuries suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I owe my brother a lot,” Qui told ESPN. “I’m not here in the U.S. without him. To honor him for serving [our] country, I’m going to donate to the Wounded Warrior Project and the Marines’ Toys for Tots, as well.”