The father of "sea" concrete

In a conversation with me, Colonel, Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, and Distinguished Educator Nguyen Tri Ta, former Director of the Institute of Special Engineering Structures (Military Technical Academy), confided in me as if I were a close friend. He said that doing science sometimes requires deep thought, strenuous effort, and even risking one's life for seemingly impossible things.

But when what seemed like an illusion, even something far-fetched, turns into an idea and yields good results, contributing to the cause of building and defending the Fatherland, then there is nothing more fulfilling.

In 2025, Dr. Nguyen Tri Ta achieved great success in the field of new materials by discovering a method and ratio for mixing sand, coral, and seawater to create a type of concrete with compressive strength comparable to traditional concrete. We tentatively call this "sea concrete."

If this product is widely applied in the practical construction of marine structures in our country, it will contribute significantly to saving costs. For example, if used only in the construction of ports, wharves, and internal roads, it would already save considerable costs for the country and businesses.

Colonel, Associate Professor, Doctor, Distinguished Educator Nguyen Tri Ta (standing) working at the site, recording material parameters.

Traditionally, when talking about concrete, people think of cement, sand, stone, and fresh water. Construction projects everywhere require bringing these materials. No one would think of using seawater and salty sand to make concrete. Simply because it's salty, and the composition of its components hasn't been tested to ensure they meet construction requirements. The visible and felt effect is that it will deteriorate from the inside out and have poor load-bearing capacity. If reinforcing steel is present, it will be corroded by the saltwater, reducing the load-bearing capacity of reinforced concrete over time.

So no one thought about using the abundant natural materials found in the sea for construction anymore. But Colonel, Associate Professor, Doctor, and Distinguished Educator Nguyen Tri Ta thought differently.

Colonel, Associate Professor, Doctor, Distinguished Educator Nguyen Tri Ta (fourth from the left) and the "sea" concrete block after testing.

For a long time, Colonel Nguyen Tri Ta has been preoccupied with a question: why not use materials from the sea and islands for construction instead of bringing materials from the mainland, which is very costly in terms of resources and time? Despite his question, he immediately answered that there have been people who have considered researching the use of sand, coral, and seawater to make concrete. Apparently, some have attempted it without success. However, no individual or scientific organization has yet published any documents evaluating this type of material.

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From those thoughts, Mr. Ta was determined to calculate and find a solution. After many experiments and failures, finally, a batch of concrete mixed from sea sand, coral rock, saltwater, and PC 400 cement hardened and bonded into an unexpectedly solid block. Finally, Dr. Nguyen Tri Ta took a big risk by casting two large concrete samples to use as targets and obtained permission from the authorities to bring them to the unit for load testing. The results showed that when 85mm armor-piercing shells were fired at the same distance, the "sea" concrete (grade 250) penetrated 1.5m, while the traditional concrete (grade 300) penetrated 1.4m.

Colonel, Associate Professor, and Doctor Nguyen Tri Ta confided that when the samples were taken for testing, no one said a word to each other because they honestly thought the success rate wouldn't be high. In reality, there was too little time to assess the load-bearing capacity of the "sea" concrete, even though the strength tests on the machines were promising. Furthermore, once installed on the construction site, besides its load-bearing capacity, it would also be subjected to intense weather, climate, and corrosion.

Colonel, Associate Professor, Doctor, Distinguished Educator Nguyen Tri Ta (standing in the middle) introduces the canvas field fortifications.

But the successful test results have opened up a new future for offshore construction. Colonel, Associate Professor, Doctor, and Distinguished Educator Nguyen Tri Ta is a person who has dedicated his heart and soul to the education and development of the Institute of Special Engineering Structures. He is a teacher, a scientist, and a leader respected and loved by many generations of officers, lecturers, and students. For more than four decades, he has been associated with the Military Technical Academy, devoting his heart and soul to training, scientific research, and building a stronger and more prosperous unit.

In September 1983, after graduating from high school, Nguyen Tri Ta left Duong Hoa commune, Hanoi City, to attend the Military Technical Academy. In September 1988, Nguyen Tri Ta graduated and was retained as a teacher in the Department of National Defense Construction, Faculty of Military Engineering (now the Institute of Special Engineering). From 1998 to 2000, Nguyen Tri Ta was sent to the Republic of France to study for a master's degree.

Upon returning to Vietnam, he continued to pursue his passion for scientific research, undertaking a doctoral program and successfully defending his dissertation in 2005 at the Military Technical Academy. In 2010, he was awarded the title of Associate Professor.

What defines Associate Professor, Doctor, and Distinguished Educator Nguyen Tri Ta's "brand" is his dedication to his profession and his wholehearted commitment to his students. On the lecture podium, he always imparts knowledge with utmost passion and responsibility. In research, he always encourages independent thinking, creativity, and academic rigor. For him, each student is a next generation needing guidance and professional development to serve the country.

Throughout his career as a teacher, Colonel, Associate Professor, Doctor, and Distinguished Educator Nguyen Tri Ta has directly supervised 28 postgraduate students and 3 doctoral candidates who successfully defended their theses and dissertations. Many of his students have become managers, lecturers, and scientists in agencies and units inside and outside the military. These are the "sweet fruits" of a lifetime dedicated to the cause of "nurturing people," the most vivid evidence of the silent but persistent contributions of lecturers at the Military Technical Academy.

His passion for scientific research has been evident throughout his career. Regardless of his position, he has always devoted significant effort to research, considering it a crucial path to improving the quality of education and addressing practical problems. To date, he has chaired and participated in the publication of 60 scientific papers domestically and internationally; led two basic-level research projects and two Ministry of National Defense-level projects; participated in four national-level projects; edited three important specialized textbooks; and contributed to the compilation of specialized monographs serving the training of military engineers in the construction field. These works not only contribute to the development of specialized theory but also directly serve the training, scientific research, and practical construction of national defense projects in the new era.

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During his tenure as Director of the Institute from 2014 to 2022, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Tri Ta, together with the Party Committee and the Institute's leadership, successfully led the unit in completing all educational, training, scientific research, and other important tasks. The Institute's efforts and achievements during this period were recognized with numerous prestigious awards, most notably the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces bestowed by the State in 2020.

With his unwavering dedication to education, training, and scientific research, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tri Ta has received numerous awards and commendations. Notably, he has been awarded the title of "Outstanding Emulation Soldier" at the grassroots level seven times, received commendations from the Ministry of National Defense five times, been awarded the title of "Excellent Teacher" at the Academy level eight times, and once at the Ministry of National Defense level. These achievements clearly demonstrate his dedication, responsibility, and significant contributions to education, training, and scientific research. In particular, in 2020, he was honored with the title of "Outstanding Teacher" by the President of Vietnam.

Since retiring from his leadership and management positions in 2021, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Tri Ta has been assigned the role of Secretary of the Interdisciplinary Council of Professors in Construction and Architecture under the State Council of Professors, continuing to contribute his intellect and experience to the development of the country's scientific workforce.

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/giao-duc-khoa-hoc/nha-truong-quan-doi/cha-de-cua-be-tong-bien-1045540