Throughout his young life, he lived in Hanoi, Vietnam before settling in his hometown of Danang in 1955. He attended the Lycee’ Blaise french school in Vietnam and graduated with the top honors in his class. In order to obtain permission to study abroad, all Vietnamese students must pass the national examination either in their native or foreign language of their choice. Kiet was determined to take the test in both French and Vietnamese knowing that this would open doors for his future. He was the first student in Danang, Vietnam who passed both tests. He choose an engineering career and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering at the Polytechnique de Mons in Belgium. Kiet was the first of the Diep family to have graduated from college. While in Belgium, the fall of Saigon occurred in summer of 1975. This made it difficult for Kiet to keep in contact with his family temporarily so he found a way to support himself working as a technician while in the process of completing his degree.
In 1979, he reunited with his family in Seattle, WA . During this time, his engineering degree from Belgium was in review so he took a technician job at ELDEC in Lynnwood, Washington . After his diploma from Belgium was accredited by University of Washington, he applied for an engineering position and joined Boeing in 1985. While at Boeing, Kiet held several positions including designer, project manager, lead engineer and customer support engineer for many crucial projects. He was recognized for his contribution and outstanding work on supporting NASA, B1 program and the first space shuttle program. He was promoted to a international Boeing liason and traveled overseas to support seven different foreign airlines. His clientele included Hainan Airlines in Hainan,China. During this time he had the opportunity to visit and pay respects to his ancestors.
Kiet was a charitable person. Giving back to his hometown in Danang was a promise that he made to his father and had become one of his passion in life. After twenty years, he finally returned home to Vietnam in 1991 with the mission of helping people who were in need. He collaborated with his brother and started a handcrafted Vietnamese ceramic pottery import business to the United States. This business helped preserve the Vietnamese heritage, and also created jobs for many back home. For many years, he continued to return to Vietnam with his mother dedicating their time to charity work at orphanages and centers for autistic individuals. He was also dedicated to supporting children through a college fund program. He gained a personal attachment to the community and people through his continued humanitarianism and charitable efforts. His ultimate goal after retiring was to reside in Vietnam and help create a better place for his community.
Kiet T. Diep will be remembered as a loving father, son and compassionate man who loved to give back to others in need. He is survived by his mother Nhan, daughters (Alyssa and Carolyn), sisters (Ann and family, Myanh and family & Tina and Family), brothers (Paul and family, Hali and family & Han and family).
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