I come from Vietnam.
I wasn’t born there.
My story began in a refugee camp in Malaysia after my parents fled the war in 1979, carrying their young son on a makeshift boat while I was still developing in my mother’s belly.
I do not recall my first formative years. Considering the trauma my family had to endure during that time, that’s probably for the best… Even without those memories, surviving through hardships and scarcity would shape my worldview for life.
Once you have seen, you cannot unsee.
I couldn’t look away anyway, knowing what I know.
What has been instilled in me is the resilience and joyful spirit of living passed down through my family and ancestry. For much of my life, I have struggled with the tension between adapting to the norms and expectations around me, and staying connected to what felt like the natural way of being: finding peace, wonder, and belonging in community.
Whatever life would throw at me… I refused to forget who I really was, and what would be in me to give.
So—here I am.
Khanh Mai (also known as Phil) is the artist and writer who brought the visionary world of Heima to life, and the originator of Flux Lumae (work in progress)—a philosophy for living with awareness, care, and intentional energy.
I am also an athlete, community builder, and practitioner exploring what it means to live with dignity, compassion, and purpose.
I never craved the spotlight. I simply didn’t want to become the person who knew they could have contributed… but chose not to.
I see myself as a modern-day monk without a temple — applying practice in everyday life and taking refuge among others who seek the good that is out there. For us.
I hope that you will find something that speaks to you within the work that I offer, and that it finds you well.
🙏