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Nguyen Van Tuan presents at a scientific meeting in Montréal, Canada |
Born in Binh Dinh, but living abroad for years, and becoming a professor after working as a cook helper and an assistant in a hospital. He is Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Tuan.
You were born in Binh Dinh province, but grew in Kien Giang before living in Australia. How did the image of your birthplace affect your life?
When being still alive, my father was taciturn. But he always talked about Binh Dinh, indirectly reminding me about my origin. In my mind, my birthplace is the countryside locating by the field and the river, Canh Van hamlet of Phuoc Thanh commune where my father was born and my relatives still live, and Phu My district where my maternal grandfather was born.
It is a driving force that betters myself. Truthfully, I always dream of doing something to help local people overcome the miserable life.
Moving to live in Australia since 1982, he worked as a cook helper to earn his living. He attended evening classes by night. He had then got an MA degree before becoming a doctor. He has continued doing research later.
Could you reveal the secret of your success?
Actually, there is no secret. It depends on each person. When I was a newcomer in Australia, I had nothing. My big question was what to do to better myself. Now looking back on those days, I learned some experiences.
It’s crucial to have hard striving. There are only two ways to strive over the others. The first way is that we need to work more effectively and intelligently than the others. If not, we need to work harder. To have much time for work, we also need to give up the individual demand.
Particular aims and patience are necessary. I often write down what I must do for the whole day in the morning and put it on my table.
We must have method. Having method means that we seem superior that the others. Alongside this, each needs to have a good teacher to be successful in science. Well-know teachers are those who often do big studies. Working with them, therefore, means that we could be more mature. Also, working in a famous scientific research center is really useful.
What’s more, working in groups is to share experiences, learn each other, and develop new ideas. English is then very important. In scientific research, I dare to affirm that English is a key of success because it has been used in most science magazines.
Who or what most affected your choices?
My father and my primary school teacher. My father seldom talked to his children. But whenever I came back home, he often said that he and my mother were poorly educated, so they wanted their children must be well-educated.
My father could be considered as an example for my striving. When he had to be demobilized due to an arm wound, all worried about my family’s future. However, my father hardly worked with his left arm and he succeeded. All villagers have admired him for he is second to none with his left hand.
When joining the revolutionary war, he was always true to his ideal. He revealed no information even though he was tortured. His lesson is that we can strive and overcome adversity and my mother’s is that we must be kind to people.
My primary school teacher strongly influenced me. He passed away for years, but I still remember he was a dedicated and thoughtful teacher.
Being a researcher, Tuan has written scores of articles on different fields, published on many newspapers like Tuoi tre, Thanh nien, Lao dong, and Nhan Dan.
Being a researcher, a teacher, and a writer, what is your main strength at heart?
Intellectuals are those who do something that is unrelated to them, but they see it’s theirs, as a saying goes. Looking back on what I’ve done, I also realized that they are mine. I seem to be a student of Nguyen Khac Vien, who also does many things that are unrelated to his speciality.
I’m a two-in-one person: social and professional. Socially, I argue such issues as education, culture, literature, science, health, environment, dioxin, and so on. Professionally, I only know osteomalacia. But above all, I’m a Vietnamese person.
His book entitled “Agent Orange and its aftermath” was published on July, 2004 and then translated into French and English. It was published when Vietnam’s AO victims is taking legal proceedings against American chemical companies.
You have spent many years on Agent Orange. Why are you concerned of the issue?
My childhood always follows me and is one of motives for doing this. When I was a child, I saw how the dioxin killed the grass. Growing up, I knew it is condemned by the whole world. I wondered why they used such a dangerous chemical in Vietnam.
I had found the information about the “Agent Orange story” over ten years and then wrote a book. I was happy to know that it was useful for AO victims. Answering the interview of the US’s Science magazine, I expressed my hope that Vietnamese AO victims will find their justice and there will be no similar story.
Have you kept track of your birthplace?
I have many friends born in Binh Dinh. Thanks to these, I’ve kept track of its development. I also read Binh Dinh Newspaper on the Internet. I’m really happy to know that Binh Dinh has had many development projects, improving the people’s living standard.
I’m still wondering what I can do to help Binh Dinh, but I have had no answer so far, truthfully. However, I also think that we can help our hometown anywhere. I hope I will have a chance to return to my birthplace and share my experiences with students. I’m going to visit Binh Dinh in late December.
Could you talk something about your family?
My wife was also born in Binh Dinh. We knew each other in a training course in Kien Giang. At that time, she was a participant. We got married in Australia in 1982 and had two sons then. They returned to Vietnam but their Vietnamese still needs practicing.
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