Vietnam’s eminent agriculturalist Vo Tong Xuan passes away
Monday, August 19, 2024, 14:24 GMT+7
Professor Vo Tong Xuan, honorary rector of Nam Can Tho University in Can Tho City, southern Vietnam passed away in Ho Chi Minh City at 7:00 am on Monday.
Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung, chairman of the board of Nam Can Tho University, said that the honorary rector died of illness.
People’s Teacher Prof. Xuan was revered as a leading expert and an active contributor to Vietnam’s agricultural research and science.
He was Vietnam’s agricultural master who helped many nations in the region with food security.
Born in An Giang Province in the Mekong Delta region in 1940, Xuan secured a scholarship to study at the University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Agriculture and Food Science in 1961.
In 1966, he graduated from the university and earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural chemistry.
He then served as a postgraduate at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.
While his career was at its peak at the Philippines-based institute, he decided to return to Vietnam for work in June 1971.
After going back to his country, he worked at Can Tho University, teaming up with Japanese researchers to carry out multiple projects related to rice-growing techniques and debuting numerous scientific articles to popularize agricultural techniques and policies.
In 1974, he traveled to Japan to study rice-growing techniques in tropical areas at Kyushu University.
He completed his agronomy curriculum there and earned his PhD in 1975.
In addition to his expertise in agriculture, he was also a dedicated and talented educator.
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| Professor Dr. Vo Tong Xuan is pictured at an educational event in 2019. Photo: Trong Nhan / Tuoi Tre |
He compiled a slew of textbooks and reference books as well as documents that are useful for agriculture at home and abroad.
He authored multiple research projects on the use of acid sulfate soil in the delta, hybrid rice production, and an agricultural mechanism transition system between 1980 and 1992.
In 2003, he authored two books, co-authored another, published a series of scientific reports, and mentored 150 agricultural engineers, eight PhD students, and 12 postgraduates.
Notably, he popularized the IR36 and MTL30 rice varieties in the 1980-85 period.
The Japanese government bestowed the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon on Labor Hero Vo Tong Xuan in 2022 for his great contributions in various fields.
He held many key positions, including serving as a Vietnamese National Assembly delegate in the seventh, eighth, and ninth terms.
Speaking at a seminar themed ‘Water Resource Security in the Mekong Delta Region’ held on June 29, 2024, Prof. Xuan pinpointed some challenges over water resource security and presented several measures to help Vietnam’s agriculture develop sustainably.
Prof. Xuan served as vice-rector of Can Tho University from 1982 to 1997.
He was the rector of An Giang University from December 1999 to November 2007.
He worked as a member of the State Council for Professor Titles of Vietnam, now the State Council for Professorship, between 1996 and 2006.
He served as rector of Tan Tao University in Long An Province, just outside Ho Chi Minh City, from 2010 to October 2013.
Before his passing, he was the honorary rector of Nam Can Tho University.
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