Professor Phan Luong Cam, the one who sowed the seeds for the School Support Program

Professor Phan Luong Cam, the one who sowed the seeds for the School Support Program - Photo 1.

Professor - Doctor Phan Luong Cam once awarded the "Tiep suc den truong" scholarship to a new student with difficult circumstances - Photo: DUYEN PHAN

Information from her family said that Professor - Doctor Phan Luong Cam - wife of the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet - passed away in the early morning of April 9 at the age of 82.

Professor Phan Luong Cam is one of the people who "sowed the seeds" for the Tuoi Tre Newspaper's "Tiep Suc Den Truong" scholarship. Right in the first season of awarding scholarships to new students at the headquarters of Tuoi Tre Newspaper (at that time on Ly Chinh Thang Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City in 2003), Professor Phan Luong Cam proposed to immediately establish the "Tiep Suc Den Truong" fund.

From this scholarship, tens of thousands of new students from difficult circumstances across the country have continued their dreams in university lecture halls.

Every time we met, she told me that since my family was poor, I had to work harder than my friends. I had to focus on studying, not worry about food and clothing, and if I needed anything, just tell her.

Doctor VO VAN THUAN (Thu Duc City Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City)

Priceless support for poor students

On April 9, in the hospital hallway, Dr. Vo Van Thuan (Thu Duc City Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City) shared his feelings upon hearing the news of Mrs. Phan Luong Cam's passing. His eyes were filled with tears and he was bewildered. Dr. Vo Van Thuan acknowledged Professor Phan Luong Cam as his grandmother and himself as his "adopted grandson".

Admitted to the medical school of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City in 2013, Mr. Thuan was one of the poor new students who received the scholarship to support them in school. Doctor Thuan said that at that time, his family was very poor. In his hometown of Kien Giang , his father did not have much land to cultivate, and his job was unstable, so his income was unstable.

However, Vo Van Thuan was a very good student and always full of determination to overcome his fate. Thanks to that, that year, freshman Vo Van Thuan was selected by Professor Phan Luong Cam to support his university studies.

Every year during his six years at university, Professor Phan Luong Cam met Thuan and personally handed him 5 million VND in living expenses. "That was invaluable support for me," Dr. Thuan recalled.

In addition to financial support, Dr. Thuan confided that he also received teachings and advice from Professor Phan Luong Cam. "Every time we met, she told me that since my family was in a difficult situation, I had to work harder than my friends. I had to focus on studying, not worry about food and clothing, and if I needed anything, I could just tell her," Thuan confided.

Upon hearing the news of Professor Phan Luong Cam’s passing, on Facebook, Mr. Tran Thanh (born in 1963, Ho Chi Minh City) posted a heartfelt message of condolence. Knowing that he cannot escape the laws of birth, aging, sickness and death, the news of his exemplary teacher’s passing still moved Mr. Thanh.

Mr. Thanh was a student of class K26 (1981-1986, Hanoi University of Science and Technology), a student of Professor Phan Luong Cam in the subject of chemical corrosion. After nearly 40 years, Mr. Thanh said he still remembers her memories and images clearly. That is the image of a talented, intellectual and youthful female lecturer. In winter, she often appeared in front of the whole class wearing a knee-length coat. "She has a very strong personality, but lives very emotionally" - Mr. Thanh shared.

First female professor and doctor

Professor - Doctor Phan Luong Cam was born on March 5, 1943 in Thua Thien Hue, is the wife of the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet. She is the first female professor - doctor of Hanoi University of Science and Technology (now Hanoi University of Science and Technology).

Professor - Doctor Phan Luong Cam is famous for her role as a scientist in the field of electrochemistry - metal corrosion in Vietnam. She is one of the founders and first president of the Vietnam Association of Science - Technology of Corrosion and Metal Protection.

She was also the president of the Asia-Pacific Association of Materials and Corrosion for the 1999-2001 term, president of the 11th Asia-Pacific International Corrosion Conference held in Ho Chi Minh City in 1999, and a member of the international advisory board of many other Asia-Pacific international corrosion conferences.

During more than four decades of teaching and scientific research, Professor - Doctor Phan Luong Cam has trained many courses of undergraduates, masters, and doctors. She has also presided over many meaningful scientific projects, including many national-level scientific topics and projects, international cooperation topics on scientific research. She is also the author of invention patents and utility solution patents.

Professor - Doctor Phan Luong Cam received the Kovalevskaia Award in 1995, the Labor Medal and many medals and certificates of merit for her contributions to education, science and technology, women's advancement and child protection.

Funeral from 4pm today 10-4

The Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee have announced the funeral of the wife of the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, Professor - Doctor Phan Luong Cam.

The coffin will be laid to rest at the Southern National Funeral Home (No. 5 Pham Ngu Lao, Ward 3, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City).

* Visitation: 4:00 p.m., April 10, 2025 (Thursday).

* Memorial service: 8:15 a.m. April 12 (Saturday).

* Funeral ceremony: 9am April 12.

Burial at Ho Chi Minh City Cemetery (Thu Duc City). Family exempted from condolence. Funeral organizers prepared wreaths.

Caring for every new student

In December 2022, Tuoi Tre newspaper organized a ceremony to award scholarships to poor students in 7 provinces and cities in the Southeast. As always, she always wore a dark ao dai and had a smile on her lips. Every few steps, she stopped. She kindly asked about the health, family, and circumstances of each new student. When she heard about a difficult situation or a certain determination, she cried. Tears just kept rolling down...

Professor Phan Luong Cam's way of accompanying poor students is also very special. In addition to the hundreds of scholarships she has awarded over the years, every year she always carefully reads the list of new students receiving scholarships.

She carefully sifted through the list, selected a few particularly difficult cases, and accompanied them throughout their university years.