France has awarded the Legion of Honor to Professor Tran Thanh Van and his wife.

The French President has decided to upgrade the Legion of Honor medal awarded to Professor Tran Thanh Van and Professor Le Kim Ngoc from Knight to Officer rank.

Professor Tran Thanh Van (right) and Professor Le Kim Ngoc (left) pose for a photo with the French President and his wife at a reception in Hanoi during the French President's visit to Vietnam - Photo: ICISE

On July 14th, representatives from the Quy Nhon International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) confirmed that the French President had decided to posthumously award the Legion of Honor to Professor Tran Thanh Van and Professor Le Kim Ngoc.

Accordingly, on the occasion of the French National Day (July 14), the French President signed a decision on July 11 to promote and appoint individuals to the National Legion of Honor.

Among the individuals awarded, the French State recognized and awarded the Legion of Honor, Officer Class, to Professor Tran Thanh Van and Professor Le Kim Ngoc.

Previously, Professor Tran Thanh Van, a physicist , was awarded the Legion of Honor with the rank of Knight by the Republic of France on February 23, 2000.

Similarly, Professor Le Kim Ngoc, a biologist, was awarded the Legion of Honor with the rank of Knight by France on September 6, 2016.

For many years, Professor Tran Thanh Van's name has been associated with the following activities: the Vietnam Meeting Organization; the Quy Nhon International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education; the Vallet Education Scholarship; and the SOS Children's Village.

He was instrumental in connecting influential international scientists to Vietnam through the Vietnam Meeting Organization and events such as the "Blois Meeting" and "Moriond Meeting".

Meanwhile, Professor Le Kim Ngoc introduced the concept of "thin-layer cell slicing" (TLC), a discovery that revolutionized the field of plant biotechnology.

The TCL invention has been widely applied in plant breeding, mother plant homogenization, and gene grafting technology to create new varieties.

Professor Le Kim Ngoc is also the president of the Association for the Assistance of Vietnamese Children in France and contributed to the construction of SOS Children's Villages in Da Lat and Dong Hoi, and the Thuy Xuan Children's Protection Center (Hue).

Professor Le Kim Ngoc is the wife of Professor Tran Thanh Van. She is also a key collaborator with Professor Van in founding the Vietnam Meeting Association and establishing ICISE in Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh.

TAN LUC - Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phap-thang-cap-huan-chuong-bac-dau-boi-tinh-tang-vo-chong-giao-su-tran-thanh-van-20250714072125423.htm