Chi was born in Phan Rang, Vietnam, to Chinese parents. Three years after the Fall of Saigon, two-year-old Chi and his family escaped by boat to the United States. Upon their arrival, Chi and his family were placed in the Indian Town Gap Refugee Camp where they became sponsored by the Jewish League of America and moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was there that Chi was raised with his nine brothers and three sistersBy the ninth grade, Chi knew that acting was in his blood, and he entered the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts as a drama major. He received a scholarship for Pennsylvania Governor School for the Arts. At Temple University, he was a theater major but grew restless after one year and decided to accept a full scholarship from San Francisco's esteemed American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.). It was unprecedented for an eighteen year old to be accepted to the Master's program there. Fluent in three languages, Chi has won numerous honors for his acting and directing.