(Translated by TNT)
Dominic Kham was born around 1780 into an affluent family of seven brothers and sisters at the Village of Quan Cong, Tra-Lu, Xuan-Truong County, Nam Dinh Province, in the present-day Diocese of Bui Chu. His father, Mr. Khiem, was an honorable official respected by everybody in the village. Absorbing the virtues of his father, Dominic Kham was known as a pious son.
At the age of 18, listening to his parents, he married Anne Phưởng, a virtuous girl from the same village. They lived in peace anh hormony and were trusted and loved by the people. They especially cooperated in raising up the children and encourage them in their education. One of his son, Sargeant Thin, later became the Head of the Village, was also respected by everybody and remained steadfast to the faith till the end with his father. Three of his daughters, also went to school like other boys, a rare circumstance at the time, were also known to be very active and resourceful.
At the time of his arrest , Mr. Kham was about 80, an elder of the village, a member of the Dominican Laity, and president of the parish council. He was known as a pious man, very charitable, and zealous in his responsibility. Many missionaries, and even many bishops, heard about his reputation and came to hide in his house during difficult times. In the parish, he capably cooperated with the pastor in management and administration; in the village, he was a virtuous example, taking care of everybody’s needs, both physical and spiritual, always willing to share what he had with those in needs, and encouraging everybody to be courageous during the persecutions. “At meal time, he would eat only if his servants could find and invite some indegent people to share his meal”, his family history recorded.
With his wealth to share, there were times he would look for reasons to treat the whole village. He invited the whole village to the field for a kite-flying contest. Winning or losing did not matter; the main idea was that everybody was fed until filled.
When the soldiers surrounded the Village of Quan-Cong, he assembled the whole village and advised everyone to remain steadfast to the faith. To encourage those with weak faith: “Whoever among you steps on the cross, once the officials has left, I will banish from the village and would not even have a plot for a burial ground,” he admonished.
He was arrested together with many other people. During the transfer to the provinceal seat at Nam Dinh, he was separated and kept on he boat with the officials, for fear that he would influence others. However, throughout the whole time in prison, he always showed to be a shoulder to lean on, a comfort, an encouragement, and a source of spiritual and material necessities to others.