Lawrence Ting Shan-li (Chinese: 丁善理; Vietnamese: Đinh Thiện Lý; January 25, 1939 – September 23, 2004) was a Taiwanese decorated soldier and businessman who became one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam.
[1] As founder of Phu My Hung Corporation and Saigon South Urban Development Project, Ting was instrumental in the southward expansion of Ho Chi Minh City.
[6][7][8] In the 2013 Harvard Business Review article The Big Idea, Building Sustainable Cities, John Macomber of Harvard Business School chose Phu My Hung's Saigon South Development Project as one of the leading sustainable urban development examples in the world.
[21] At the request of the government, Ting also served as a Director of the China External Trade Development Council.
[23] Ting was awarded a Merit Citation by the Minister of the Interior Wu Po-hsiung for services rendered.
[24] Lawrence Ting was instrumental in negotiating the re-entry of Olympic Games for athletes from Taiwan.
[27] In 1981, Henry Hsu (徐亨), Shen Chia Minh (沈家銘)(zh) and Lawrence Ting, finally were able to secure the re-entry of Olympic Games under the name Chinese Taipei.
[31][32] For other services rendered to the government, Ting received the Order of Hua Hsia (華夏三等獎章) in 1979.
[33] In 1993, Ting was awarded an Honorary Certificate of Merit (榮譽狀) by President Lee Teng-hui, the chairman of KMT.
[42] In March 2006, the first 140 Lawrence S. Ting Scholarships amounting to VND 850 million were granted by the foundation to students of high schools and universities in Ho Chi Minh City.
[56] Up to September 2020, nearly 117,000 scholarships, with a total value of VND 125 billion (US$5.4 million) have been provided by LSTF.
[56] Starting in the 2005–2006 academic year, Saigon South International School (SSIS) in Ho Chi Minh City chooses a Vietnamese student, who has demonstrated a strong commitment to academic excellence, proficiency in English, embodies SSIS core values, demonstrates an interest in global and international affairs along with a willingness to serve others by bettering his/her country.
[35] He set up the scholarships to encourage cadets of ROCMA to achieve proficiency in English and to master Sun Tzu's Art of War military strategies.
From 2006 to 2023, the Lawrence S. Ting Charity Walk has raised over VND 44 billion, approximately US$1,700,000, for the poor.