For 50 years, Professor. of Astronomy Nguyen Quang Rieu, has been passionately devoted to the study of the stars. His great desire is to bequeath his love for scientific research to a young Vietnamese generation and make a small contribution to building the fledgling field of astronomy in Vietnam.

 Prof. PhD Nguyen Quang Rieu in 2010.

Prof. Nguyen Quang Rieu was born in 1932 in the port city of Hai Phong. Since he was a school boy, he has been interested in stories about the findings through the telescope at the Phu Lien Space Observatory in Kien An, Hai Phong. Therefore, he decided to study general and plasma physics at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1950. 

Prof. Nguyen Quang Rieu (right) and his German colleague climbed Pico Veleta Mountain (Spain) to observe, using a radio astronomical telescope of the IRAM Institute in 1985. 

Prof. Nguyen Quang Rieu at the Onsala Space Observatory (Sweden) in 1982. 

Prof. Nguyen Quang Rieu, students and professors of the Paris Observatory congratulated Vietnamese students who successfully defended their theses in astrophysics in 2005.

Prof. Nguyen Quang Rieu at the ceremony bestowing the title of honorary Professor at Vietnam National University, Hanoi in 2010. 

After receiving his PhD degree in physics, he worked at the Paris Observatory where he co-operated with French and international scientific research units to successfully search for and discover many new astronomical theories. 

They include “Searching for organic substances in the Milky Way and nebulas in the galaxies”, “Explaining the mechanism of creating universal radiation” and “Researching physical and chemical conditions that are capable of leading to other life forms in the universe”. 

In 1973, he was rewarded by the French Academy of Sciences for his achievements in astrophysics. He then worked as Science Research Director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and worked in the Paris Observatory. At present, he is Emeritus Research Director there.

In 1976, he returned to Vietnam to sponsor many scientific projects for his homeland. In 1995, he called upon the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to grant money to buy equipment for him and his French astronomy colleagues so that they could observe the total eclipse of the sun in Phan Thiet, Vietnam. 

This equipment was then presented to Vietnam National University, Hanoi and Phu Lien Space Observatory. He has organized many international workshops in Vietnam and searched for scholarships from the French Government for Vietnamese students and astronomers to study in France. 

He has written many books on astronomy and the universe in both Vietnamese and French. He has also lectured and organized workshops on physics, astronomy and climatology in Hanoi with the co-operation of the Paris Observatory, Paris 6 University and Vietnam National University, Hanoi. 

At the age of 81, the Professor continues working with great zeal to discover more in the universe and making contributions to science in Vietnam.

Source: VNP