Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of The Rencontres du Vietnam and the International Conference “Windows on the Universe”
(BINH DINH DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS)
On the morning of August 7th, 2023, at the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE), Quy Nhon City, there were the 30th Anniversary of The Rencontres du Vietnam, 10 years of ICISE operation and the International Conference “Windows on the Universe”.
Attending the celebration, there were Mr. Huynh Thanh Dat – Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Science and Technology; Mr. Ngo Huong Nam, Vice Chairman of the State Committee on Overseas Vietnamese (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
On the provincial side, there were Mr. Ho Quoc Dung – Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Council; Mr. Pham Anh Tuan – Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee; Mr. Lam Hai Giang, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee.
The celebration was also attended by many national and international scientists. Including Professor Tran Thanh Van – President of The Rencontres du Vietnam; Professor Le Kim Ngoc – Chairwoman of the Association of Vietnamese Children in France; Professor Gerard ‘t Hooft (Utrecht University, Netherlands), Nobel laureate in Physics 1999; Professor Dam Thanh Son (University of Chicago, USA) …
According to the organizers, this international conference will provide an academic forum for domestic and international scientists to collaborate in science, exchange, and discuss the latest discoveries in the field of elementary particle physics, high energy physics, and astronomy.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Professor Tran Thanh Van, President of The Rencontres du Vietnam said that this was a special conference because it marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of The Rencontres du Vietnam and 10 years of operation of the ICISE Center. This conference was a place for young researchers to participate, providing them with the opportunities to present their ideas to scientists around the world. He added: “I hope that in the near future, ICISE Centre and Viet Nam will welcome more scientists from all over the world. I hoped the younger generations would have more love and passion for scientific research to contribute to the development of the country.”
Speaking at the conference, Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat assessed the presence of international scientists, especially the professors who won the Nobel Prize, showing the enthusiasm of international scientists for Viet Nam. “I hope that scientists will not only discuss professional issues but also discuss how science could contribute the most to socio-economic development. I hope international scientists can give many suggestions to policy makers, and managers about those methods, roadmap, and valuable experiences of developed countries for Vietnam on sustainable development”.
At the conference, Secretary of Binh Dinh Provincial Party Committee Ho Quoc Dung said: “15 years ago, no one thought that Quy Nhon city would welcome thousands of famous scientists and Nobel laureates; no one thought that Binh Dinh would form the first scientific discovery center of the country. I look forward to the coming time, Binh Dinh will welcome more scientists from all over the world. Binh Dinh young generations in particular and Vietnam in general will be cultivated and learn more knowledge about science from international scientists.”
The Rencontres du Vietnam was founded in 1993 by Professor Tran Thanh Van (French overseas Vietnamese) in France, to connect, support and help to contribute to the development of science and higher education in Vietnam. In 2012, The Rencontres du Vietnam became an official partner of UNESCO. In August 2008, Professor Tran Thanh Van and his wife, Professor Le Kim Ngoc, went to Quy Nhon to meet the leaders of the Provincial People’s Committee to survey the implementation of the ICISE project. With the consent and support of the Prime Minister, ministries, and central agencies, at the end of 2011, The Rencontres du Vietnam and Provincial People’s Committee held the groundbreaking ceremony of ICSE. This center was inaugurated and put into use on August 12th, 2013.
Until 2023, The Rencontres du Vietnam, ICISE Centre in collaboration with the Provincial People’s Committee organized nearly 150 high-quality international scientific conferences and more than 45 specialized science schools with the participation of nearly 10,000 scientists from 35 countries and territories, in which there were 18 Nobel professors, 2 professors won the Fields Prize (regarded as the Nobel Prize in Mathematics), 2 professors won the Kavli Prize (the highest award in the field of Astronomy), 1 professor won the Shaw Prize (regarded as the Nobel Prize in the Orient), 3 professors who won the Dirac Prize, 1 professor who won the Kalinga Prize (ONU) and many other famous scientists, etc… Besides the top international scientific conferences and seminars, the Rencontres du Vietnam also organized public scientific talks for students, students and those who love science; online or face-to-face exchanges with Nobel laureates and Vietnamese elite students who have won international Olympic prizes…
Also on this occasion, ICISE Centre and Prof. Tran Thanh Van were honored to receive the certificate of merit awarded by the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee for making many positive contributions in the field of science and technology, education, and training, contributing to the provincial socio-economic development of the province.
The conference is expected to take place until August 12th, 2023, including 31 sessions with plenary sessions and intensive thematic sessions on Astrophysics, High Energy Physics.