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| Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Thang |
A Journey of Scientific Research
Mentioning Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Thang, many generations of students from the Faculty of Environment immediately think of a teacher with a slow, measured gait, a gentle smile, and bright eyes. Behind that unassuming appearance lies over 40 years of scientific research. His 42 research projects are 42 journeys, born from concerns rooted in real life. For him, every project seeks to answer timeless questions: “How can the environment be protected? How should humans live in harmony with nature?”…
In the late 1990s, he served as principal investigator for two research projects on environmental impact assessment for the closure of Thuy Bang landfill and the construction of Thuy Phuong landfill (now Thanh Thuy Ward), thereby contributing to the reduction of environmental pollution and the southward urban development of Hue. In the early 2000s, he was also the first to publish research on the impact of global climate change on Thua Thien Hue Province (now Hue City). “That is a study I hold in especially high regard, because at that time climate change was still a very new issue and had not yet attracted much public attention,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Thang shared.
From 2003 to 2011, he studied the Huong River through a series of projects monitoring and analyzing the river’s water environmental quality. On breezy afternoons, he stood on the side of a boat lowering measuring instruments into the current, quietly recording data as if listening to the heartbeat of a close companion.
No one knows how many times he rose before dawn to reach the Huong River at the precise moment needed to collect water samples. Thanks to the data series that he and his colleagues patiently built, Hue has gained a solid foundation for formulating sustainable environmental policies, preserving the beauty of its heritage river amid the course of urban development.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Thang rarely speaks about difficulties. Whenever being asked, he simply smiles gently: “With thorough preparation, everything becomes easier”. He recalled that while carrying out the project “Scientific Basis for Selecting and Improving Community - Based Climate Change Adaptation Models in Central Vietnam and Proposals for Replication” from 2013 to 2015, he traveled over 7,000 kilometers over 3 months across 14 provinces and cities in the central region at that time. At every stop, he engaged in dialogues with nature and residents. He overlooked no detail, whether a landslide scar, a sign of environmental pollution, or a shift in weather patterns. Those small details later became the foundation for his proposals and policies on environmental protection.
People often assume that a scientist is austere, yet in Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Thang, scholarly rigor is always intertwined with the composure of a teacher. He came to the teaching profession after years of bearing arms and directly fighting at Vi Xuyen front against the northern invading forces. In 1985, he returned and chose the lecture hall as a way to continue his service.
Inspiration
He clearly remembers his first day entering the classroom as a lecturer: “I suddenly recalled the image of my own teacher in the past, walking from the corridor into the classroom with a calm yet dignified bearing. Realizing that I was beginning in that very role, following in that image, my heart was filled with a quiet happiness”.
For Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Thang, over 40 years of teaching and research have made every lecture feel like a performance in which he lives fully with his passion. He imparts to his students not only knowledge, but also the belief that science can make the world a better place. Many of his former students have gone on to become lecturers, researchers, and environmental experts, individuals who continue along the path he paved the way.
At the age of “rare beyond seventy”, when many have chosen a more leisurely pace of life, Prof. Le Van Thang continues to write books, participate in scientific conferences, supervise doctoral candidates, and remain closely engaged with graduate classes. “Perhaps it is my passion for science that sustains me, keeping me full of energy to continue pursuing research,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Thang said. On many nights, in the quietest moments, memories of the Vi Xuyen front return. Those memories have made him cherish nature even more, treasuring every river, every forest, every breath of the homeland’s earth and sky.
“Prof. Thang is not only a teacher but also a profound role model in character, dedication, and social responsibility. From him, we learn scholarly rigor, perseverance in intellectual work, and above all, a deep love for nature and people. His contributions have continued to spread, inspiring many generations of lecturers and students of the Faculty of Environment in research and environmental protection activities,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Cong Tin, Dean of the Faculty of Environment, University of Sciences, Hue University, shared.
“And I sow those green seeds for life…”, a lyric from the song “The person who sows green seeds” by musician Hua Kim Tuyen, seems to illuminate the enduring journey of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Thang. For more than 40 years, he has quietly sown into life the seeds of knowledge, kindness, love for nature, and responsibility toward the land where he lives. In that tireless dedication, one clearly sees the figure of a devoted scientist and a respected teacher: quiet yet steadfast, simple yet profound, like the very “green seeds” he has sown throughout his life.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Thang has participated in 42 scientific research projects, serving as principal investigator for many key projects at the national, ministerial, and provincial (now municipal) levels. He has published 165 scientific works and has contributed to writing, editing, and publishing 15 books on environmental topics. He was awarded the Third-Class Labor Order by the State in 2013 and the title of National Emulation Fighter in 2016.