A lifetime of dedication to the country's science

DAUGHTER OF MINISTER IN THE GOVERNMENT BACH

Professor Ngo Kieu Nhi (80 years old this year) was born right after the Southern Resistance War. Her father and mother were Saigon students in the pre-revolutionary days, and they joined the 9-year resistance war against the French. Her father was former Minister of Agriculture Ngo Tan Nhon, one of the first ministers of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Professor Ngo Kieu Nhi at the age of 80

PHOTO: THUY HANG

After 1954, her whole family gathered in the North. After graduating from high school, she was sent to the Soviet Union to study Dynamics and Machines at university, then continued her training to get a doctorate in engineering, graduating in 1975. At the end of 1975, she was sent to work at the Phu ThoEducation Center, which later became the University of Technology (Ho Chi Minh City National University).

"The day I returned to familiar Saigon, everything was peaceful as if the fierce war had never passed. To achieve this, many people had sacrificed, and I felt a deep sense of gratitude. At the same time, I was aware of the great responsibility of having to fulfill the wishes of those who had sacrificed, and of having to contribute my part in the construction and development of the city," Professor Ngo Kieu Nhi shared with Thanh Nien Newspaper reporters , in the garden of the University of Science and Technology one morning in April 2025, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the country's reunification.

DIRECT PRODUCTION SUPPORT

As soon as she started working in Saigon after the country's reunification, Ms. Nhi realized two major problems that needed to be urgently solved. The country in general and Saigon (officially named Ho Chi Minh City since 1976) in particular had very few universities, especially no school similar to Hanoi University of Science and Technology. The second was that after the war, production needed to be restored, but in the closed-door conditions, factories were all stagnant, lacking materials, equipment, and spare parts...

Professor Ngo Kieu Nhi talks with Thanh Nien Newspaper reporters on the campus of the University of Technology.

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Implementing the policy of the Ministry of Education and Training and the leadership of the school, Ms. Ngo Kieu Nhi and the teachers immediately established a university training system, changing the name of Phu Tho Education Center to Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. In 1977, the first university admission course was conducted, in addition to traditional majors, the school opened a number of new majors. After that, she and the teachers of the Mechanics Department opened the Mechanical Engineering major with the first course in 2002. Realizing very early the need for human resources who had a good grasp of both calculation theory and research and had the ability to apply well to diverse technical problems, Ms. Ngo Kieu Nhi and the teachers of the Mechanical Engineering Department improved the content of the Theoretical Mechanics subject to suit the training of technical majors, and at the same time opened the Mechanical Engineering major at all three levels: university, graduate, and doctorate.

Up to now, Mechanical engineers have been present at many facilities such as schools, research institutes, factories in many localities, and their professional skills are highly appreciated.

Ms. Ngo Kieu Nhi is particularly interested in building laboratories. Mechanical Engineering students are directly instructed in manufacturing mechatronic devices at a high level of automation, such as robots, manipulators, 4D processing machines, 5D processing machines, etc. Thanks to that, the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory unit in Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (currently the Laboratory of Applied Mechanics - LAM) under her charge is a place to produce and solve many practical problems. The clearest evidence is that the dynamic balancing machine product - an essential need of the mechanical engineering industry - has been delivered nearly a thousand units.

Professor Ngo Kieu Nhi with students at the Laboratory of Applied Mechanics (LAM)

PHOTO: THUY HANG

From 1993 to the early 2000s, when Ho Chi Minh City was in great need of digitally controlled multi-purpose processing machines, the Laboratory's technology department manufactured thousands of controllers that allowed the conversion of semi-automatic to automatic machine tools. With these products, Ms. Ngo Kieu Nhi's research team effectively supported the city's production development process.

In particular, what made her feel successful was that not only did she create products, but her unit also created a new manufacturing industry for the city. At that time, Ho Chi Minh City was the only locality in the country with mechanical manufacturing facilities and businesses producing dynamic balancing machines.

RECEIVE KOVALEVSKAIA AWARD

During her career, Ms. Ngo Kieu Nhi received many noble awards: the State Prize for Science and Technology "Research, design and manufacture of some measuring and control devices for production" awarded by the President in 2005; third prize of the Vietnam Science and Technology Innovation Contest in 2000 for the project "Manufacture of dynamic balancing machines and manufacture of controllers for machine tools"... In particular, she was honored to receive the Kovalevskaia International Prize in 2002 - a prestigious international award for female scientists, recognizing the outstanding contributions of women in research and application of science and technology, especially in natural sciences.

Professor Ngo Kieu Nhi talks with students about scientific research

PHOTO: THUY HANG

Up to now, at the age of 80, Professor Ngo Kieu Nhi still teaches at the graduate level at the University of Technology (Ho Chi Minh City National University), guides graduate students and writes textbooks. Her training motto is to give students the ability to self-study new, advanced knowledge, and at the same time have the ability to create high-level products.

The female professor shared with young people to maintain their passion for scientific research, and research must create products. Products are formed after the process of researchers closely following real life, struggling with the problems that people and producers are facing to solve problems for them. Products must also be accepted through technology transfer, economic contracts, not just for display, on paper...

Dr. Ngo Kieu Nhi received the title of Professor of Mechanics in 2004. Her typical scientific topics include "Balance of rotating parts and vibration reduction of machines and equipment in production" in 1991-1993; "Research on design and manufacture of balancing machines" in 1994-1996; "Manufacture of CNC models on lathes" in 1996-1997. CNC is the abbreviation of Computer Numerical Control, understood as "computer control". This term is used in mechanical lathe systems, cutting machines... that are fully automatically controlled. The goal of CNC is to optimize work, helping to reduce time, cost and labor.

Besides, she also carried out many projects of great practical significance such as "Trial production project: computerization of some machines and equipment" in 1997-2000; "Design and manufacture of strain measuring equipment using Straingauge wire resistance sensors" in 1998-2000; Trial production project "Manufacture of Controller for CNC machines" in 2001-2003; Design and manufacture of 4D CNC machine type C with soft material processing table 2014-2015...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tron-mot-doi-cong-hien-cho-khoa-hoc-nuoc-nha-185250429163654687.htm