Ordained with the Dharma name Thich Linh Tan, Venerable fled Vietnam in 1983 as a refugee, as one of the 2 million people who escaped Vietnam after 1975. Even though born into a Buddhist family by tradition, Venerable Thich Linh Tan took refuge in the Triple Gems and became an upasaka in 1991 and studied the
Dharma, eventually becoming a monk and studying under Most Venerable Thich Huyen Vi, in France. Venerable Thich Linh Tan studied Sanskrit and Pali in India and then returned to Melbourne and founded Nalanda Institute UK and Nalanda Institute Australia in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Venerable Thich Linh Tan conducts Dharma classes in both Vietnamese and English with a focus on supporting laity in the pursuit of the Dharma.