Almost 500 Vietnamese, French and international mathematicians are attending a joint congress of the Vietnamese and French Mathematical Societies that kicked off in the former imperial city of Hue on August 20.

President of the Vietnam Mathematical Society (VMS) Prof. Le Tuan Hoa said the five-day congress, the first held in Vietnam, will hear 13 reports focusing on the role of mathematics in society and the relationship between the science and other fields.

The plenary session of the congress will include presentations from Ngo Bao Chau, Director of the Vietnam Institute for Advanced Studies in Mathematics; Dinh Tien Cuong from Paris University; and Benedict Gross from Harvard University.

On this occasion, the two societies will discuss bilateral cooperation in the field.