The Quy Hoa Valley (sited in Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province), a region intrinsically linked to the legacy of poet Han Mac Tu, also served as a sanctuary and provided rehabilitation for thousands afflicted with leprosy.
In 2008, on this historically significant land, Prof Tran Thanh Van (one of the only three Asian recipients of the American Physical Society’s Tate Medal) and Prof Le Kim Ngoc (a renowned scientist for her work on cell monolayers), returned from France and chose this location to establish a scientific meeting point for Vietnam and the international community.
From this decision by the two esteemed professors, the previously waterlogged and undeveloped terrain of Quy Hoa has been progressively transformed into dedicated scientific precincts, including the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE), the Center for Scientific Discovery and Innovation, the TMA Innovation Park, and the FPT Software Research, Production, and Technology Expert Training Center complex.
Deputy Director Tran Thanh Son of the ICISE Center recounted the return of Prof Tran Thanh Van and Prof Le Kim Ngoc to Vietnam:
- facilitating over 47,000 Vietnam-Vallet scholarships for exceptional domestic students (valued at approximately VND350 billion – US$13.8 million);
- securing 2,250 annual scholarships for outstanding Vietnamese students ($1.7 million annually);
- supporting over 120 talented students annually to pursue engineering studies in France (INSA);
- establishing three SOS Children’s Villages in Hue City, Da Lat City, and Dong Hoi City.
Critically, through the ICISE Center, they have organised hundreds of free conferences, seminars, and training workshops on scientific topics, hosting over 12,500 scientists from 35 countries, including 18 Nobel laureates.
Furthermore, leveraging their considerable reputation, Prof Tran Thanh Van and his wife have successfully attracted numerous distinguished overseas Vietnamese scientists to contribute to their homeland, including Prof Pham Quang Hung (physicist and former lecturer at the University of Virginia, the US), Prof Ngo Bao Chau (Fields Medalist, University of Chicago, the US), Prof Luu Le Hang (Kavli Prize laureate, Harvard University, the US), Prof Dam Thanh Son (Dirac Medalist, University of Chicago, the US), Dr Trinh Xuan Thuan (University of Virginia, the US), Dr Tran Nhan (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the US), and Assoc Prof Dr Ngo Xuan Kien (Kanazawa University, Japan).
Among these figures, Dr Nguyen Trong Hien (a key expert at NASA) holds Prof Tran Thanh Van and his wife in particularly high regard. In 2022, Dr Nguyen Trong Hien, along with two other overseas Vietnamese scientists, Dr Hoang Chi Thiem (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute) and Dr Nguyen Luong Quang (American University of Paris), established and mentored the SAGI Astrophysics Group within the IFRISE Institute (ICISE Center), providing support to Vietnamese students and young scientists.
Born in rural Central Vietnam, Dr Cao Van Son (a high-energy physicist), who had conducted research and worked in the US and Japan, also chose to return to his roots and contribute under the support of Professor Tran Thanh Van and his wife. Specializing in particle physics, Dr Cao Van Son is dedicated to exploring the enigmatic properties of the neutrino, a fundamental particle often referred to as the “ghost particle”. In contemporary physics, neutrinos provide crucial insights into the universe and the origins of life on Earth.
Since 2016, Dr Cao Van Son has managed the IFRISE Institute (affiliated with the ICISE Center) at the request of Prof Tran Thanh Van. The IFRISE Institute was conceived by Prof Jerome Friedman (1990 Nobel Laureate in Physics) and Prof Tran Thanh Van to capitalize on the intellectual exchange fostered by scientific gatherings at ICISE.
To date, IFRISE has nurtured emerging scientific talent in Vietnam, including two doctoral graduates now pursuing advanced research in Japan, one researcher in India, two doctoral candidates in the US, and two recent doctoral graduates in Europe. Since 2017, three IFRISE members have participated in two of the world’s largest neutrino detection experiments in Japan, both of which have been recognised with prestigious accolades, including the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics and the 2016 Breakthrough Prize.
The IFRISE Institute has recently submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Science and Technology to represent Vietnam in the latest and largest experiment of its kind in Japan, involving 12 countries and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). This experiment, known as Hyper-Kamiokande, is anticipated by the global scientific community to yield further Nobel Prizes in Physics and Breakthrough Prizes through new discoveries related to neutrinos.
“Through our participation in the Hyper-Kamiokande experiment, we are committed to publishing over 10 academic articles in reputable journals, authored by young Vietnamese scientists. This experiment will be instrumental in cultivating new scientific talent for Vietnam. Our paramount aspiration is to represent our nation in this world-leading experiment within a highly promising field of research, thereby elevating the standing of Vietnamese science on the international stage,” affirmed Dr Cao Van Son.
