I first met Lawrence Ting more than thirty years 
ago, but it wasn't until 1994 that I had occasion really 
to know this remarkable man. He and his partner 
Ferdinand Tsien were trying to entice me to come 
support their efforts in undertaking a major investment 
program in Vietnam. They described their plans, sent me brochures on their projects, and tried to convince this conservative banker that putting $650 million into 
Vietnam was a brilliant idea. I thought he was crazy, but 
he did finally convince me to visit the projects in person. 
What I saw simply stunned me, even in those days when the projects were in an early stage of development, and I 
succumbed to Mr. Ting's infectious enthusiasm and joined the effort. 

　　That infectious enthusiasm is something I will always remember about him. The word “impossible”simply wasn't a word he understood. I quickly learned that nearly everyone, bankers, businessmen, and even the Vietnamese officials themselves, thought that what Lawrence Ting was leading the CT&D Group to do in Vietnam was an impossible dream. Lawrence simply ignored all these doubters-you could even say he was energized by them, and he worked with a passion far beyond mere investment returns. He never doubted that you can make money by doing good things. His belief in the rightness of his vision was so powerful and uncompromising that he inspired those around him to have no doubt that an impossible dream indeed was possible, that we could accomplish more than we ever dreamed if we put in the effort. In this way he was an effective leader, demanding yet able to motivate his people to work long hours, do amazing things, without his having to command that such be done. 

　　And he was fair to those who made their best effort to support him, even compassionate. He went to remarkable lengths to take care of people who needed his assistance. 

　　So this is what I remember about Lawrence Ting － a visionary, a leader, a demanding man who never demanded more of others than he demanded of himself. The impossible dream of those investments in Vietnam, now so successful, and the loving family he leaves behind are noble monuments to what he accomplished with the extraordinary gifts God gave him.