VinFuture Prize: High expectations for Vietnamese sci-tech development

A VinFuture Prize awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on January 20 at the Opera House in Hanoi, with the event set to be broadcast live on Vietnam Television and other social networks globally.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chu Hoang Ha, vice president of Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, gave an interview to VTC News, providing an insight into VinFuture Prize and outlined his expectations for the country’s future science – technology development.

Reporter: The long awaited results of VinFuture Prize, the first of its kind in Vietnam, will be announced in the coming days. As a follower of the competition from the beginning, what are your opinions at this moment?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha: Like many others, I am extremely curious about who will be announced as the first winners.

VinFuture Prize is a great initiative of the Vietnamese people and will show the world that Vietnam may be a developing country, but Vietnam dares to do things that only wealthy countries have been doing for a long time, and that is initiating a significant science and technology award for the world.

Due to its significance, I also feel a little nervous, because the first season is very important in creating a good first impression and building the reputation of the award, that will then determine the success or failure over the following years.

Reporter: What do you predict for the winners of this year’s VinFuture Prize, especially the VinFuture Grand Prize which is worth US$3 million and is expected to make a positive change for millions of lives?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha: It is very difficult to guess the results as there are only four projects which will be selected out of nearly 600 nominations to win the grand prize, along with the three special prizes on offer. In my opinion, Biomedicine, Health Science, Computer Science, and the Environment are the most prospective fields. Over recent years, these fields have featured large-scale projects which can truly change people’s lives.

I totally believe that the awards committee comprising of world-renowned professors will fairly find a deserving winner.

Reporter: Try to be honest, as a Vietnamese scientist, do you feel disheartened if no Vietnamese project wins the prize on home turf?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha: Absolutely not. Science is a level playing field. Let’s not question that the prize belongs to Vietnam or any other countries.

It’s worth remembering that VinFuture’s mission is to make a positive change that can impact the lives of millions of people. And as I have said, an invention in the United States or Europe can also save millions of Vietnamese people and vice versa. The COVID-19 vaccine serves as a prime example that everyone can see.

Reporter: Are world-class awards like VinFuture Prize still something beyond the reach of Vietnamese science and technology?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha: That’s not exactly the case. In science, most researchers strive to reach the pinnacle of research. Whilst Vietnam has talented people, it has yet to develop large scale projects due to a number of different factors relating to investment resources, scientific development, and even social perception.

Wishing to change these factors cannot be done overnight. Indeed, if we look at Japan or the Republic of Korea, they have invested heavily into science and technology for a long period of time, but there are not so many scientists who have won big awards.

Therefore, I believe that the VinFuture Prize will create a leverage which will contribute to helping to change public awareness so that all can see how a scientist is deservedly honoured and how science can contribute to the wider world. By doing so, we can move towards a society that values science – technology and knowledge in serving the interests of Vietnamese people and humanity in a broader sense.

Reporter: What effect do you expect the VinFuture Prize to have after the first season?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha: I always believe VinFuture will create multi-dimensional effects. Many world-class scientists will get to know Vietnam, they will come here and create bridges which will connect scientists from around the world. For Vietnam, I think VinFuture will help to inspire Vietnamese scientists to work hard and make more worthy efforts to the cause of development.

I am happy that by launching VinFuture Prize, Vietnamese people are reaching out to the wider world with a global vision and responsibility.