Nguyễn Ngọc Ký was born on 28/6/1947 (Nam Định) When he was 4 years old, he got a fever. After that severe illness, his hands became paralyzed.
Despite the paralyzed arms, Teacher Ký still insisted on going to school. He started to learn how to write when he was 7 years old. At first, he tried to hold the pen with his mouth like a bird using its beak to collect food. But it didn’t work. Seeing the chicken used its feet to dig for food, he thought about using his feet to write. He practiced everyday. Finally, he was able to use his feet to hold the pen. With persistence, he managed to use his feet not just for writing but for many other tasks as well (daily activities, cutting, typing…)

He chose Literacy as his major in high school. • In 1966, Ha Noi University offered him a scholarship. • He graduated in 1970 and came back to his hometown to work as a teacher. • 1994, he became a member of the Education Department in Go Vap, HCMC.

In his life, he had received 2 medals from the president Ho Chi Minh. In 1962, when Uncle Ho heard about his perseverance in learning how to write by feet and keep up with the classmates. In 1963, Teacher Ký was promoted to attend a national math competition and he came at 5th place. In 2005, his name was written in the Vietnam Genius Book for the first person to write by feet. Since he moved to HCMC, he has delivered about 1,500 speeches among primary, secondary, high schools and universities.