At a reception for Prof. Tran Thanh Van, Director of the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE), and his spouse Prof. Le Kim Ngoc, Mr. Hung affirmed that the Government will continue reviewing, amending and improving policies to enable those contributions. Professor Van said science and technology organisations want to be managed and supported in ways that drive initiative and creativity, allow them to operate under the law, and assess performance by tangible outcomes, helping them succeed and contribute more effectively to national development.
Professor Tran Thanh Van, 90, is a renowned French physicist of Vietnamese origin with major influence in the global physics community. His spouse, Le Kim Ngoc, 92, is a leading plant molecular biologist.
Beyond academia, they have devoted themselves to charitable and educational work. They founded Aide à l’Enfance du Vietnam in 1970, helped establish SOS Children’s Villages in Vietnam, and initiated ICISE in Quy Nhon in 2008.
From 2017 to 2020, IFIRSE consistently ranked among Vietnam’s top five research facilities by the Nature Index. In April 2020, a neutrino research team led by the institute published in Nature, marking the first time a domestic Vietnamese research group co-authored a high-profile global scientific publication.
Professor Van was awarded Vietnam’s Friendship Order in 2015. A decade later, the French President promoted both professors to the rank of Officer in the Legion of Honour for their contributions to science and Vietnam-France friendship.
