A meeting was held on August 5 to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the first Rencontres du Vietnam programme that took place at the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) in Quy Nhon city, in the central province of Binh Dinh.

At the meeting.

The ICISE is situated in the Quy Hoa valley, which has transformed itself from a sleepy area into a renowned science centre of Vietnam and Asia.

At the anniversary ceremony, Professor Tran Thanh Van, the founder of Rencontres du Vietnam, recalled the arduous journey to realise an idea that many had previously considered crazy.

He said that after visiting many provinces in the search for a suitable site to achieve his dream in 2008, Professor Van finally arrived in Binh Dinh province and asked for help from the provincial leaders.

In the past ten years, ICISE has been the venue for 40 international science events, attended by thousands of scientists, including 12 Nobel-winning professors and two Fields medallists.

Professor Tran Thanh Van speaks at the meeting.

The centre has also begun work on a scientific research and interdisciplinary education institution and is hosting two groups of young researchers on astrophysics, theoretical physics and neutrino physics.

Former Binh Dinh Party Secretary Vu Hoang Ha recalled that at that time he was concerned about the organisation of the centre but after understanding the passion of Professor Van and his wife, he decided to help them.

At the ceremony, Binh Dinh Chairman Ho Quoc Dung said he highly valued the contributions of Professor Van to Vietnam’s science research and pledged to create the best possible conditions to help the ICISE to grow further in the future.

He added that the Quy Hoa Valley is planned to become the first science and education park in Vietnam.

The “Rencontres du Vietnam” Association was founded in 1993 by Professor Tran Thanh Van, with the aim to support Vietnam in terms of science and education. Since 1993, a series of “Meeting Vietnam” programmes have been held in Binh Dinh, with over 40 international workshops and 16 specialised courses participated by over 3,500 scientists.

“Meeting Vietnam” activities are chances for Vietnamese scientists and researchers to share knowledge, cooperate in research, and orient scientific and technological activities to address existing issues.

VNF/NDO