It was a humble and emotional verbal sharing of “The French Academic Palm Medal is a great honour for a person living and doing an ordinary job of teaching and scientific research” by Dr. Phan Thi San Ha when being awarded the French Government’s Academic Palm Medal (the Ordre des Palmes Académiques). Dr. Phan Thi San Ha is a Former Head of the R&D and International Relations Office at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT) and a Former Director of the Asian Centre for Water Research (CARE). The medal is a testimony to her tireless efforts in building and developing CARE and fostering the relationship between HCMUT and its French partners.
The delegation of the French Embassy visited HCMUT on the morning of September 19th, 2024 to present the medal to Dr. Phan Thi San Ha, and at the same time have a friendly meeting with the University leaders to highlight the intensive cooperation and strengthen the relationships between the parties. The meeting was honoured to welcome Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Vietnam Mr. Olivier Brochet, Representative of IRD, and the French National Museum of Natural History in Vietnam Mr. Sylvain Ouillon and colleagues. On the other hand, HCMUT was represented by President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mai Thanh Phong, Vice President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Tran Vu, managers of offices, centers, and faculty members.
The Academic Palm is a prestigious medal awarded by the French Republic to educators and researchers with significant academic achievements at institutes, centers, or universities, or for outstanding contributions to strengthening ties between France and Vietnam. Dr. Phan Thi San Ha is among the few Vietnamese scientists to receive this honor.
After earning her Bachelor’s degree from HCMUT in 1984, Ms. Phan Thi San Ha was awarded a scholarship to study at Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, where she obtained her Doctorate in Earth Sciences in 1993. Over more than 30 years at HCMUT, Dr. Phan Thi San Ha has contributed significantly to the university, creating numerous opportunities for collaboration with French partners through her expertise and dedication. Most notably, she established the foundation for CARE at the university in 2013, facilitating joint research projects and training initiatives between organizations in Vietnam and Europe. Today, CARE in Vietnam is recognized as the top-performing center within the RESCIF network.
Mr. Olivier Brochet admired Dr. Phan Thi San Ha with a reputation in the research community as a scientist, who was loyal to her workplace, decisive, and resourceful. She knew how to mobilize all surrounding resources to solve technological and scientific challenges.
Dr. Phan Thi San Ha is completely worthy of the Academic Palm Medal because of her valuable qualities and great contributions to education and cooperation between Vietnam and France. “I am very grateful and would like to dedicate this award to the beloved HCMUT, colleagues, friends, alumni, individuals, and organizations in Vietnam, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada who have always accompanied and supported me throughout the past journey”, Dr. Phan Thi San Ha shared in front of many faculty members and colleagues who came to congratulate her.
On behalf of the University, Assoc. Prof. Mai Thanh Phong expressed his gratitude to the French Government and the French Embassy in Vietnam for their special affection to Dr. Phan Thi San Ha and HCMUT. Today’s noble medal marks a new milestone in the relationship between the University and its French partner, following previous cooperation achievements in projects within the Association of Francophone Universities (AUF), the Vietnam-France Training Program for Excellent Engineers in Vietnam (PFIEV), the establishment of CARE and many other activities such as MOU signing, student and faculty exchanges, etc.
“HCMUT always wishes to continue to receive support from France for joint activities between relevant units to enhance the effectiveness of cooperation in the future”, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mai Thanh Phong shared.
Ambassador Olivier Brochet emphasized the strong support from the French Government and the Embassy, commending the university’s strategic foresight in joining the AUF 30 years ago. He further highlighted that an action plan for PFIEV will be developed to address the growing importance of semiconductors and artificial intelligence. Additionally, he expressed his support for initiatives aimed at positioning CARE as a leader in environmental and climate research, while planning to strengthen expert networks and secure funding for student and faculty exchange programs, among other activities.
Event photos:
Source: www.hcmut.edu.vn
