Hello Vietnam!

While floating in space, Amanda Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American, turned towards the camera and sent a brief but deeply proud greeting: "Hello Vietnam!"

Recently, in West Texas ( USA ), the technology company Blue Origin, owned by American billionaire Jeff Bezos, conducted its 11th crewed flight aboard the New Shepard spacecraft in the NS-31 mission, with an all-female crew.

According to USA Today, this was the first all-female crewed flight since Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova's solo three-day space flight in 1963, marking a significant step toward gender equality in the space industry. The six crew members of the NS-31 mission included: Lauren Sánchez – journalist, pilot, and fiancée of billionaire Jeff Bezos; Katy Perry – famous pop singer; Gayle King – CBS Mornings television host; Aisha Bowe – aerospace engineer and former NASA employee; Kerianne Flynn – independent film producer; and Amanda Nguyen – civil rights activist and founder of the non-profit organization Rise.

Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dung presents the President's letter to Amanda Nguyen. Photo: World and Vietnam Newspaper.

During this journey, Amanda Nguyen carried 169 lotus seeds (Nelumbo nucifera) – a symbol of purity and vitality in Vietnamese culture – provided by the Vietnam Space Center (VNSC) of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST). Selected from the Center for Research and Development of Flowers and Ornamental Plants under the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, these lotus seeds, upon their return from their mission, will open up research on the influence of space on growth, contributing to plant science and space exploration.

The New Shepard spacecraft's journey was a resounding success, reaching an altitude of 100km in space and returning safely. The success of the mission also marked Amanda Nguyen as the first Vietnamese-American woman to fly into space. "When I flew, I wasn't just thinking about myself; I was really carrying my community with me. I may be the first, but I won't be the last," Amanda Nguyen was quoted as saying by People magazine.

Amanda Nguyen was born in 1991 in California, USA. According to Blue Origin, she graduated from Harvard University and conducted research at the Harvard & Smithsonian Astrophysics Center, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NASA, and the International Space Science Institute. In 2014, she founded Rise, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting civil rights. Amanda Nguyen was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 and named Time Magazine's Woman of the Year in 2022. "As the first female astronaut from Vietnam and Southeast Asia, Amanda Nguyen's flight is a symbol of reconciliation between the United States and Vietnam, and highlights the role of science as a tool for peace," Blue Origin stated.

Having witnessed the New Shepard spacecraft's flight firsthand, the Vietnamese Ambassador to the US, Nguyen Quoc Dung, presented a letter from President Luong Cuong to Amanda Nguyen. In the letter, President Luong Cuong expressed his joy and pride that, for the first time, a Vietnamese woman had flown into space, affirming the talent and intelligence of Vietnamese people in the US and around the world. President Luong Cuong emphasized that in 2025, Vietnam and the US will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and within the overall bilateral relationship, Vietnam highly appreciates the positive contributions of the Vietnamese community in the US to the development and progress of the country, as well as promoting cooperation between the two countries. President Luong Cuong highly valued the cooperation between Amanda Nguyen and VNSC, which helps to promote cooperative relations between the US and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper met with Lieutenant General Pham Tuan—the first Vietnamese person to fly into space—and representatives from VNSC to witness the moment Amanda Nguyen became the first woman of Vietnamese descent to fly into space. "On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Vietnam, Amanda Nguyen's journey—carrying lotus seeds from Vietnam into orbit—is not just a milestone. It is also a symbol of the journey the two countries have taken and the future they will both strive for together," the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam affirmed.

HOANG VU

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Source: https://baodaknong.vn/xin-chao-viet-nam-249971.html