A PAIR OF PROMINENT Orange County doctors has pledged $1 million to create an endowment for the ongoing maintenance and care of Christ Cathedral’s Our Lady of La Vang Shrine.
The generosity of the philanthropist couple, Dr. Michael Dao and Dr. Linh Bui, was facilitated by the OLLV Foundation, which fundraises for the shrine, adjacent Marian Gardens and St. Callistus Chapel and Crypts. The shrine, which features a large Italian marble statue of the Virgin Mary as she is believed to have appeared in Vietnam in 1798, has become among the most popular destinations of the Garden Grove cathedral campus, drawing many thousands each month for Mass, tours and quiet reflection. Though the shrine has Vietnamese-Catholic heritage, since its 2021 dedication it has served as the outdoor focal point for large-scale celebrations for Filipino, Mexican, Peruvian and Polish communities in the diocese, making it truly a multicultural destination.
Dr. Dao and Dr. Bui own AMD Medical Plaza in Garden Grove, a 40,000-square-foot multispecialty clinic offering a variety of healthcare needs, including urgent care, primary care, physical therapy and radiology. The duo has donated smaller amounts to Catholic priests and parishes over the years, and to missionary causes abroad, but the $1 million is by far their most significant contribution to the church to date.
“We need money to keep it beautiful, keep it nice and keep it sacred so that people can come and pray,” Dr. Dao said.
OLLV Foundation CEO Dr. Elysabeth Nguyen called the donation “an act of generosity that will have a lasting impact for hundreds of thousands of people, making it a legacy gift that will continue to serve year after year.”
Dr. Michael Dao and Dr. Linh Bui are pictured with (from left) Dale Washington, Sid Tran, Dr. Elysabeth Nguyen and Bishop Timothy Freyer.
Dr. Dao and Dr. Bui said they were particularly influenced to give after attending the May premiere of “Our Lady at the Center,” a new documentary about the history of the shrine and Our Lady of La Vang. Nguyen executive produced the film, which was presented by the OLLV Foundation and the diocese.
“I think the movie really hit us,” Dr. Dao said, adding that even though he had donated some toward the shrine’s construction, he didn’t feel as connected to it until recently. His wife agreed.
“After the movie, just standing in front of her, I felt something so spiritual in that spot, just looking at her,” Dr. Bui said.
What further helped seal their decision was a private dinner with Nguyen and Bishop Timothy Freyer, who also serves as an OLLV Foundation board member.
The couple was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States in their teens. They first met at a Vietnamese student club while attending Santiago High School. Michael, a Catholic convert, was a senior while Linh, a fourth-generation Catholic, was a freshman. They further connected when Michael mentored Linh in math.
But today, the duo laughs trying to recall their early shared history which they can’t precisely remember — especially after the decades growing their business and raising three children, all of whom attended Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic School in Huntington Beach. Their two oldest are following in their parents’ footsteps, attending medical school and pharmacy school. The youngest is studying business and may someday manage the older siblings.
But Dr. Dao and Dr. Bui can agree that their first date was to the movies, possibly to see 1983’s “Flashdance.”
As they both went their separate ways in college and medical school — Michael becoming a doctor of internal medicine and Linh a doctor of pharmacology — they continued to write to each other. Theirs is an old fashioned love story, culminating with a traditional Catholic marriage ceremony at St. Barbara parish in Santa Ana.
Now, their saga is continuing with contributing to the legacy of Our Lady of La Vang at Christ Cathedral.
“It’s a sacred place,” Dr. Bui said. “People can come to pray for miracles, pray for peace, pray for calmness, whatever they need.”
“God has answered all our prayers,” Dr. Dao added. “We wanted to give back to the community.”