Portrait of the first female director of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.

(NLĐO) - For the first time, the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City – the leading university system in Vietnam – has a female director.

On December 15th, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 2729/QD-TTg appointing Meritorious Teacher - Professor - Doctor Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, Deputy Director of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, to the position of Director of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.

Professor Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, Meritorious Teacher, is the first female director of a leading higher education system in Vietnam.

Professor Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, a Meritorious Teacher and Doctor of Science, was born in 1974 in Quang Ngai province. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Ho Chi Minh City (now the University of Science , Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City) in 1996. Afterward, she worked in the Department of Chemistry, continued her studies, and received a Master's degree in Analytical Chemistry in 2001 from the University of Science.

In 2002, she went to Japan to pursue a postgraduate program at Toyama University School of Medicine and Pharmacy, earning her PhD in Pharmacy in 2005. After completing her degree, she returned to Japan and continued working at the University of Natural Sciences.

Since 2007, she has successively held the positions of Head of Department, Deputy Head of Faculty, and Head of the Faculty of Chemistry. In 2021, she was appointed Vice Rector of the University of Natural Sciences and, from 2022, also served as Principal of the High School for the Gifted.

She was recognized as an Associate Professor in 2014 and a Professor in 2020; she was also awarded the title of Distinguished Educator in 2024.

On June 12, 2024, Professor Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai was appointed Vice Director of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, in charge of areas such as international cooperation, business-local relations, and management of science and technology tasks.

Professor Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai is a leading scientist in the research of medicines from Vietnamese medicinal herbs.

Professor Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai is a leading scientist in the research of medicinal herbs in Vietnam. Her research group has successfully developed two products to support the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer and arthritis using domestically sourced medicinal herbs – a direction with high scientific value and potential for application.

In the field of research on bee products in Vietnam, the research group of Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai received the Golden Globe Award (2017) and the Ho Chi Minh City Innovation Award (2019).

In 2021, she was awarded the Kovalevskaia Prize – a prestigious award for female scientists with outstanding achievements in scientific research and application. To date, she has published more than 80 articles in reputable international journals.

In October 2025, at the 17th session of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), she was recognized as a TWAS Fellow – becoming one of the first Vietnamese female scientists to achieve this title.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/chan-dung-nu-giam-doc-dau-tien-cua-dhqg-tphcm-196251215165310037.htm