Professor Tran Thanh Van and his wife received the Legion of Honor as officers.

DNVN - On October 3 at the French Embassy, ​​Ambassador Olivier Brochet, on behalf of President Emmanuel Macron, awarded the Legion of Honor Officer to Professor Tran Thanh Van and Professor Le Kim Ngoc.

This is the only couple to be promoted to the Order of Merit on the occasion of France's National Day 2025, in recognition of their lifelong contributions to science, education and humanitarianism, contributing to strengthening the France-Vietnam friendship.

Ambassador Olivier Brochet awarded the Legion of Honor Officer to Professor Le Kim Ngoc.

Previously, Professor Tran Thanh Van was awarded the Knighthood in 1999, and Professor Le Kim Ngoc was directly awarded the title by President François Hollande in 2016 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Olivier Brochet expressed his pride in representing France in honoring two outstanding citizens: “The French Republic honors two wonderful people, two great scientists who have contributed to helping France shine on the international arena and deepening the France-Vietnam friendship.”

He stressed that in the more than 200-year history of the Legion of Honor, it is rare for a married couple to be honored together. That demonstrates “an outstanding journey, reaping the sweet fruits of knowledge, humanity and compassion”.

The Ambassador was particularly moved when recalling the words of Professor Le Kim Ngoc: “Money and honor can disappear into thin air, only compassion and love for humanity last forever.” At the age of 91, the couple still works tirelessly, still goes to Quy Nhon to attend scientific conferences, still takes care of children in the highlands and accompanies young students.

Those persistent efforts were recognized by the Friendship Medal of the Vietnamese Government for Professor Tran Thanh Van, and the Tate Medal of the American Physical Society in 2012 – an award for outstanding contributions to global scientific cooperation.

“You two are symbols of the light of knowledge and kindness. France is proud of you and Vietnam loves you. Thank you, two professors, two people who have dedicated their lives to science and the community,” Ambassador Brochet emphasized.

Ambassador Olivier Brochet awarded the Legion of Honor Officer to Professor Tran Thanh Van.

Born in 1934 in Quang Binh, Professor Tran Thanh Van went to France to study in 1953 and successfully defended his doctoral thesis in physics at the University of Paris in 1963. Since the 1960s, he founded the prestigious international physics conferences Rencontres de Moriond and Rencontres de Blois, gathering thousands of the world's leading scientists.

In 1993, he initiated the “Rencontres du Vietnam” (Meeting Vietnam) conference series – a bridge connecting the international scientific community with Vietnam, arousing the desire for research among young people. Since then, dozens of international conferences have been held annually, making Vietnam a prestigious scientific destination in Asia.

The pinnacle of that passion is the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) in Quy Nhon, inaugurated in 2013. Today, ICISE has become a global intellectual meeting place, welcoming tens of thousands of scientists from more than 60 countries, including nearly 20 Nobel Prize winners.

From “Meeting Vietnam” to ICISE, Professor Tran Thanh Van and his colleagues have created Vietnam’s “science valley”, turning Quy Nhon into a symbol of knowledge and peace.

Accompanying him for the past 67 years is Professor Le Kim Ngoc, born in 1934 in Vinh Long - one of the pioneering female biologists of France.

She defended her doctoral thesis at CNRS in 1965 with the work that gave birth to the concept of “Thin Cell Layer”, opening up methods of plant propagation and growth control – the foundation of modern biotechnology. Many of her works were published in Nature and Science, becoming classic documents for the scientific world.

Not only were they two great minds, they were also two kind hearts. In 1970, in the middle of the Paris winter, they founded the Association for the Support of Vietnamese Children in France (Aide à l'Enfance du Vietnam), selling each Christmas card to raise money for orphans in their homeland.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung congratulated Professor Tran Thanh Van and his wife Professor Le Kim Ngoc.

From those small cards, three SOS Children's Villages Vietnam were born: Da Lat (1974), Hue (2000) and Dong Hoi (2006) - warm homes of love and hope.

In addition, they have also opened up tens of thousands of learning opportunities for the younger generation through the Odon Vallet Scholarship Fund, with more than 57,000 Vietnamese students receiving scholarships over the past two decades – the “seeds of knowledge” continue to grow from their hearts.

Minh Thao

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/vo-chong-gs-tran-thanh-van-nhan-huan-chuong-bac-dau-boi-tinh-bac-si-quan/20251004085310695