Farewell to Professor Le Dung Trang, the man who brought Vietnamese mathematics to the world

On the morning of November 20, the Vietnamese mathematics community was shocked to announce to each other the sad news that Professor Le Dung Trang had passed away. Although Professor Le Dung Trang lived in France for most of his life, he is a part of the memory of Vietnamese mathematics.

According to Professor Ngo Viet Trung, former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Mathematics, Professor Le Dung Trang passed away in Pau (France) on the evening of November 19 (French time), at the age of 78.

Professor Le Dung Trang

PHOTO: TL

Professor Le Dung Trang defended his doctorate in science in 1971 at the age of 24, under the guidance of mathematicians Chevalley and Deligne (Fields Medal 1978, Abel Prize 2013).

He was a professor at the University of Paris 7, the Polytechnic University of Paris, the University of Provence-Marseille. Before retiring, he was Head of the Mathematics Department of the ICTP Center for Theoretical Physics from 2002 to 2009.

Since the 1970s, he has been spending his own money to teach in Vietnam almost every year. He was the one who helped Vietnam join the International Mathematical Union in 1974. Thanks to his efforts, many famous mathematicians came to give lectures in Vietnam, and many Vietnamese mathematicians were able to study abroad. He can be considered the one who brought Vietnamese mathematics into the world mathematics.

The news of Professor Le Dung Trang’s death shocked many Vietnamese mathematicians. Although Professor Le Dung Trang lived in France for most of his life, he is a part of the memory of Vietnamese mathematics.

Professor Ha Huy Khoi (former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Mathematics) said this was "really sad news". He called Professor Le Dung Trang "a great friend of Vietnamese mathematics, a bridge connecting Vietnamese mathematics with the world in difficult days". Professor Nguyen Khoa Son (former Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology ) also called Professor Le Dung Trang "a precious friend of Vietnamese mathematics".

Mr. Dao Kien Quoc, former Director of the Center for Information Technology Applications, Hanoi National University, said: "I knew him when I listened to his lectures in 1976. At that time, at the proposal of Minister Ta Quang Buu, people established a major in theoretical singular mathematics at the Faculty of Mathematics, Hanoi National University, and I was one of the first students. Honestly, at that time, I did not understand much of his lectures. Later, I switched to IT so I was no longer interested in singular mathematics. But the impression of the lectures of the group of 4 mathematicians from France including Malgrange, Chenchinaire, Le Dung Trang and Federic Pham is still strong".

Professor Nguyen Tu Siem, a leading expert on Vietnam's mountainous soil, also mentioned a lovely memory of Professor Le Dung Trang but not related to... mathematics: "In 1971, I met him by chance at Lomonosov University (Russia). At that time, he went to Russia to teach for a long time. Handsome, scholarly, always holding a notebook to learn Vietnamese. So I often sought him out to... practice Vietnamese. So cute, so respectable!".

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vinh-biet-gs-le-dung-trang-nguoi-dua-toan-hoc-viet-nam-den-voi-the-gioi-185251120163538274.htm