The Vietnamese-French coupleestablished the Support Association for Vietnamese Children in France in1970 which called for donations to set up SOS Children’s Villages in DaLat (1974) and Dong Hoi (2005) and support the SOS Village in Hue(since 2000).
The two professors also managed topersuade French Professor Odon Vallet from Sorbonne University toestablish the Vallet Scholarship Fund, which has presented 25,000scholarships worth about 120 billion VND (5.5 million USD) to studentsacross Vietnam, including those living in SOS villages, since 2001.
They have organised ten “Meet Vietnam” events since 1993 alongsidedozens of international conferences on particle physics andastrophysics, hosting renowned overseas scientists and a number of Nobellaureates.
“Meet Vietnam” is intended toprovide an opportunity for Vietnamese researchers, particularly youngones, to meet with the world’s well-known scientists and encourage themto work harder.
Professor Tran Thanh Vanexpressed his thanks to the Party and State for the orders, adding thathe and his wife will continue to devote their efforts to not onlydevelop the homeland and support children but also promote the image ofVietnam globally.
He plans to work with theMinistry of Science and Technology to launch another science conferencein 2016, bringing together leading scientists in the region.
Addressing the event, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan said theFriendship Order is presented to foreigners who have made greatcontributions to Vietnam’s development.
Professor Van has inspired her and those who joined the award ceremony to love humanity and hold national pride, she added.-VNA