Appointing a new Director of the France - Vietnam Research Department of Mathematics and Application

The ceremony to award the Decision to appoint the Director of the France-Vietnam International Research Department of Mathematics and Application International Research Laboratories: France-Vietnam in Mathematics and its Applications, IRL - FVMA took place on the morning of August 28, 2025 at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, between the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (Vietnam Academy), the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Mathematics (VIASM). Accordingly, Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Thi Ha Duong officially received the position of Director of IRL-FVMA from Prof. Ngo Bao Chau.

The highest form of cooperation

The appointment of Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Thi Ha Duong not only recognizes the contributions and leadership capacity of a scientist but also marks an important milestone in the development process of IRL. With solid professional experience and strategic vision as Director of the International Mathematical Research and Training Center (UN UNESCO), she is expected to lead IRL to achieve breakthrough achievements in the coming time. The goal of IRL is to promote Mathematical cooperation between Vietnam and France, support research exchanges in Master's and Doctoral training programs, and organize international conferences, courses and summer schools.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prof.VS. Le Truong Giang - Vice President of the Academy acknowledged: This is the highest form of cooperation in the system of international research departments of CNRS, and is also the first model to be implemented within the framework of cooperation between the Academy and CNRS.

Notably, the new director of IRL is a female academic at the Academy. I believe that with an excellent scientific foundation and experience in international cooperation, Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Thi Ha Duong will lead IRL to many new successes, contributing to promoting Vietnam - France scientific cooperation and enhancing Vietnam's scientific position in the international arena".

Professor Frederic Herau, representative of CNRS, said: I would like to thank Professor Ngo Bao Chau for his important contributions to the IRL FVMA International Research Center FranceVietnam in Mathematics and its Applications over the years.

The construction of this research room is part of the strategy to promote Mathematical cooperation between France and Vietnam. The current IRL form is the highest level of cooperation in five international cooperation forms of CNRS. This is the only model that allows CNRS researchers to work in Vietnam in similar conditions to those in France, and welcomes Vietnamese scientists to work at French universities, thereby promoting long-term research and training cooperation.

I am very pleased to welcome Associate Professor Phan Thi Ha Duong, who will continue the work that Prof. Ngo Bao Chau has worked with CNRS to build and implement new plans to further develop IRL FVMA.

Take advantage to overcome challenges

In response, Prof. Ngo Bao Chau shared: The domestic Math team once had generation gaps, for example, in the late 1960s, few people returned to the country to do Math, and in the early 1970s, it was supplemented, then there was the risk of disappointment when many students born in the late 1970s did not choose to major in Math. In that context, the cooperation between French and Vietnamese Mathematics, with opportunities to study and research in France, and the opening of international graduate programs in Mathematics at the Institute of Mathematics, has played an important role in attracting and training young generations of Mathematicians.

I also want to emphasize the role of Vietnamese physicists abroad since the 1960s and 1970s such as Frederic Pham, Nguyen Thanh Van, Le Dung Trang..., and then domestically such as Ha Huy Khoi, Ngo Viet Trung and many other colleagues, who have contributed to maintaining and developing the tradition of cooperation with France for decades. I hope and believe that this precious tradition will continue to be strongly promoted by Associate Professor Phan Thi Ha Duong in the coming time.

Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Thi Ha Duong expressed: For me, this is a great responsibility - the responsibility to maintain and develop the research lab. This responsibility includes both opportunities and challenges.

The first opportunity is similarity: France and Vietnam are both countries with a tradition of Mathematical learning, where people love and respect Mathematics.

The second opportunity is the special cooperation between French and Vietnamese Mathematics. Most of the prestigious Mathematicians of Vietnam have cooperated with France. From there, the PICS program, the LIA For Math program were formed, and by 2023, IRL FVMA - the highest form of cooperation in French science - was officially launched. Currently, there are only 14 IRLs in Mathematics in the world.

However, the challenge is not small, as many excellent young people have chosen other paths, not continuing to study and research Math, or choosing to develop in other countries. To overcome these challenges, we need to take advantage of the current advantages.

Firstly, the Institute of Advanced Mathematical Research (VIASM) is increasingly expanding its activities, with the participation of many international scientists.

Second, the Institute of Mathematics has programs to strengthen cooperation with countries in the region, such as the UNESCO Mathematics Center; VAST has a USTH University that has opened a degree in applied Mathematics for the bachelor's degree and this year will open a Master's degree in Mathematics.

FVMA's programs should target not only researchers at institutes but also university lecturers, to create more cooperation opportunities. We should also consider cooperation with other organizations not as competition, but as companionship, to have more and more new activities and cooperation.