Vietnamese professor receives coveted 'Nobel Prize of Asia'
Sunday, November 17, 2024, 11:58 GMT+7
Vietnamese professor and doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong on Saturday night received the 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Award, referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize of Asia,’ for dedicating her life to studying the harmful health impact of Agent Orange (AO) and helping seek justice for victims of this toxic defoliant.
The awards ceremony was held at the Manila Metropolitan Theater in the Philippines to honor this year’s five awardees.
Among them were Prof. Phuong, Karma Phuntsho, a former monk and scholar from Bhutan, Farwiza Farhan, an Indonesian forest conservationist, Japanese anime filmmaker Miyazaki Hayao, and Thailand’s Rural Doctors Movement, a group of doctors advocating healthcare in rural areas.
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| From right: Kenichi Yoda on behalf of Japan’s Miyazaki Hayao, Professor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong of Vietnam, four doctors from the Rural Doctors Movement of Thailand, Karma Phuntsho of Bhutan, and Farwiza Farhan of Indonesia at the awards ceremony on November 16, 2024. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
These winners had previously met students at some universities in the Philippines such as De La Salle University, Far Eastern University, and Lyceum of the Philippines University.
At the meetings, Prof. Phuong briefed these students on her journey of researching the devastating impacts of AO/dioxin specific to general and reproductive health.
Maria Katrina, a university student, said that she was touched by Prof. Phuong’s efforts in seeking justice for victims of the defoliant dioxin.
Many individuals asked her for ways to help these victims.
After being honored, Prof. Phuong, 80, transferred the entire prize money totaling some US$50,000 to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to support AO victims.
Established in 1957 to honor Ramon Magsaysay, the seventh president of the Philippines, the award celebrates individuals and organizations in Asia for their outstanding contributions to public service and social justice.
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| Professor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong (in blue) talks to university students in the Philippines. T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
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| Two Philippine students ask for Prof. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong’s signature after the awards ceremony in the Philippines on November 16, 2024. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
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