Saint Paul Pham Khac Khoan was born in 1771 in the village of Dien Mau, which at that time belonged to the region of Hao Nho, now part of the region of Hieu Thuan, Diocese of Phat Diem.
When he was still a preacher, Father Khoan was assigned by his superiors to manage the Ke Vinh Community House. Later, Father Khoan was ordained a priest and became the parish priest of Phuc Nhac. He often reminded the parishioners about justice and pure virtue. For those who kept these two things well, their souls would be saved. Although there were three assistant priests in the parish, Father Khoan still worked hard on tasks and set a bright example for everyone.
Even though he was over sixty years old, Father still visited the parishes of Phuc Nhac, Dong Bien, Ton Dao, and the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Yen Moi once a month. After taking care of the Phuc Nhac parish for a few years, Father Khoan was arrested along with Preachers Hieu and Thanh in Dong Bien on August 24, 1837.
That day, Father Khoan went to administer the anointing of the sick in Trai Bo, and on his way back, he stopped overnight at the house of Deputy Chief Du in Dong Bien. The next morning, August 24, 1837, the village chief arrested Father Khoan along with the two preachers Thanh and Hieu who were with him, and took them to the provincial capital where they were imprisoned for nearly two years.
When arrested, Father Khoan was 68 years old. Although tortured many times and suffering greatly, he remained steadfast and unwavering. When interrogated by the mandarins, Father Khoan affirmed: "Whether living or dying, I will not abandon my religion."
Seeing that they could not subdue him, the mandarins imprisoned Father Khoan and the two preachers separately, and tried to persuade each of them individually. But Father Khoan remained resolute in refusing to abandon his faith.
The mandarins, knowing they could not make Father Khoan renounce his faith, petitioned King Minh Mang for permission to execute him. The king gave his consent. Father Khoan was overjoyed to hear this news, thinking he would soon go to heaven. But due to his old age, the king commuted his sentence to life imprisonment.
After many months of imprisonment, on January 22, 1839, King Minh Mang issued another order demanding that Father Khoan abandon his religion. But Father Khoan firmly refused, saying he was ready to die rather than renounce his faith.
On April 28, 1840, the mandarins ordered the execution of Father Paul Pham Khac Khoan along with the two preachers Hieu and Thanh at the foot of Canh Dieu Mountain. After Father Khoan's singing of the Alleluia, the executioners carried out the sentences. That night, the faithful took the remains of the martyrs for proper burial.
The priest Paul Pham Khac Khoan was beatified on May 27, 1900. On June 19, 1988, he was officially canonized a saint.