Hai Pham was born in 1979 on Pulau Tengah in Malaysia. Pham’s family fled Vietnam by boat, and stayed in Pulau Tengah for a year before being sponsored to the United States. Hai Pham grew up in Corvallis Oregon, attending Garfield Elementary School, Highland View Middle School, and Corvallis High School before enrolling in Oregon State University. Pham attended Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Children’s Hospital for his pediatric dental residency. After completing his residency in 2009, he began Hi5 Dental, providing pediatric care to children from all over Oregon. He has served on the Children’s Cabinet as an advisor to Governor Kate Brown, and was elected the representative for House District 36 in the Oregon Legislature in 2022. Pham lives in Hillsboro with his wife and son.

Hai Pham begins the interview explaining the events that brought his family to the United States. He explains what it was like growing up in Corvallis before describing his educational background and how he arrived in Portland. Next, he discusses what his neighborhood was like in Corvallis and explained his reasoning for choosing Oregon State University. Afterwards, Pham discusses how he became interested in pediatric dentistry and how his diagnosis with Leukemia informed his approach to patient advocacy. He goes on to recount his invitation to join the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet before discussing his campaign for Oregon State Representative and work life. He ends with a reflection on the Vietnamese community in Portland and his thoughts on generational differences in the Vietnamese community.