About Us

Our Story:

The Dream of a Servant’s Heart

Ann Huynh - UAN Founder and President

​Suffering and the desire to be free from suffering are universal.

For many, suffering results from a lack of basic resources such as food, water, shelter, and healthcare.  Day-to-day survival for those people depends upon the kindness and compassion of fellow human beings who not only recognize and understand their suffering but care enough to take action.

This recognition and understanding, guided and inspired by examples of mercy, compassion, and unconditional love demonstrated by friends, family, and spiritual traditions from both the East and the West, have led to the formation of Universal Angels Network (UAN), a nonprofit, humanitarian relief organization.  Although blooming in Austin, Texas, the seeds for UAN were sown in the war-ravaged country of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

For Ann Huynh, Austin acupuncturist and traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, intense suffering and distress was a part of everyday life as a young child in North Vietnam during the height of the Vietnam War.  Born Tue Anh Phan in 1964, Ann was separated from her parents in Hanoi in 1966 and relocated to a remote area in the countryside, where she remained under the care of her twelve-year-old sister and villagers in the area.

As U.S. involvement in the war escalated, bombing soon engulfed the entire country. Some of Ann’s earliest memories include fearing for her life and those of her older brothers and sisters as they huddled together in bomb shelters.  They walked carefully to school each day, making sure to avoid undetonated cluster bombs hidden along their path. The slightest misstep would lead to death.

Miraculously, Ann and her siblings were eventually reunited with their parents, having survived seven years of frightful terror, hunger, and illness from unsanitary conditions in the rural area.

After the war and now a teenager, Ann and her family joined over 130 survivors for a dangerous boat trip to a refugee camp in Hong Kong, where they would live and wait for acceptance into the U.S.  Ann worked on a factory assembly line and to prepare for her new life in America, she began teaching herself conversational English from a book sent by an Uncle in the U.S.

Two years later, Ann and her family arrived in Houston.  Struggling with severe anxiety and culture shock from her new home in the 4th largest city in the U.S., Ann courageously began her formal education and successfully graduated high school.

Born into a long line of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, Ann acquired, from an early age, an aptitude and a keen interest in the many aspects of oriental medicine and the art of healing with natural remedies.  After high school, Ann continued her education and eventually enrolled at Texas Health and Science University, where she graduated at the top of her class and established an all-time high record for patient treatment, nearly doubling the previous record.   Ann graduated with a Doctorate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She is licensed by the Texas Medical Board and certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

“Compassion is born from understanding suffering.”  – Thich Nhat Hanh

Besides the lessons learned from the difficult circumstances of her early years, God’s divine plan for Ann has included many teachers who have watered the seeds of compassion in her soul, a gift lovingly planted and nurtured by her mother, Lien Phan.   For over 25 years, Ann has followed the guidance and teachings of Master Cheng Yen, founder of Tzu Chi, a Buddhist Compassion and Relief Foundation.

With a kind heart and a tireless dedication to serve humanity, Ann embodies the belief inspired by Tzu Chi and others that true compassion requires concrete action.  By helping others, we can all activate compassion within ourselves and find inner peace and joy, regardless of our circumstances or painful past.

Click here to learn more about UAN's projects.