Dr. Dao Viet Ha: Doing science requires hard work and perseverance.

TT - When I was assigned to the political economy department, a trendy major at Hanoi University at the time, I went against the grain: I requested to transfer to the biology department.

Dr. Dao Viet Ha (right) at a scientific conference - Photo provided by the subject.

I sent the school's academic affairs office a letter along with a political essay expressing my passion for that field.

Crossroads

Like other children, I was eager to explore the world around me. As a child, whenever I noticed a particular behavior in a creature, questions like "why, how?" would dance in my head... Everything around me, the little girl, seemed mysterious and fascinating. As I grew older, learning about and verifying many natural phenomena, I became even more eager to explore the vast world.

Despite having been selected for the Political Economy department at Hanoi University with a fairly good exam score, I decided to transfer to the Biology department. Many might think I was foolish, because political economy was the "trend" at the time. But the more I learned from the university, the more I believed I had chosen the right path.

Bonding

In 1991, after graduating, I left Hanoi to work at the Institute of Oceanography (Nha Trang). There, I experienced many ups and downs in various specialties before choosing my own research direction: natural toxins in marine organisms.

University only provides a broad foundation of knowledge, so when I started researching in the biochemistry lab, I had to relearn everything from the smallest things, such as how to properly wash bottles and containers in the laboratory.

When the first case of poisoning involving 83 victims in Binh Thuan province occurred due to eating blue-ringed octopus patties, the Center for Preventive Medicine, Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) contacted us requesting updated information on the nature of the toxins in this species. The challenge at that time was that knowledge about seafood poisoning incidents in Vietnam was almost nonexistent.

From there, we chose to study cases of food poisoning in Vietnam caused by marine organisms, where the cause was completely unknown. Poisoning is becoming increasingly common in coastal areas, typically due to eating pufferfish, stemming from fishermen's lack of knowledge and reliance solely on personal experience...

I remember once fishermen from the coast of Khanh Hoa province claimed that making fish sauce from pufferfish would eliminate the toxins. Their reasoning was that the fish sauce making process itself broke down the toxins. Immediately, we started making fish sauce for a whole year. The results showed that the reason the fish sauce wasn't deadly was because the toxin levels decreased after the fish sauce making process...

Whenever a new "question mark" emerges, we set out together to find answers for the community using credible scientific evidence.

Subsequently, my colleagues and I delved into the mechanisms by which organisms produce toxins, the timing of their production, and their origins (microorganisms, microplastics, or spontaneous production...). Simultaneously, I participated in international collaborative voyages to collect samples, process them, and perform crude extractions... for research purposes.

We were delighted with the new discovery about the mechanism of toxin accumulation causing memory loss in humans in microalgae found in the waters of Khanh Hoa province. This stemmed from the detail that coastal residents often felt dizzy after eating fragrant oysters.

During our research, we found that at certain times of the year, the toxin content in oysters was 15 times higher than the world's food safety standards. No other country in the world has ever recorded anything like this. This is one of our first findings regarding the mechanism of toxin accumulation in tropical waters.

Recently, our research on marine toxins has gained recognition in the region and around the world. Our experience and knowledge in this field are highly valued. I constantly travel to other countries to prove myself and learn new things.

For me, to pursue one's passion, one must endure hardship, suffering, and pressure from many sides. Only those who are not afraid to learn, persistently read and research, and accept high demands... can achieve success.

Confident

The most memorable moment in my research career, one that always brings a smile to my face, took place at the 7th IOC/WESTPAC scientific conference. I was the first and only Vietnamese among the six exemplary presenters from 20 countries in the Western Pacific region.

Initially, I faced significant pressure from dissenting reactions from some individuals. They even stated outright that the presenter in this case should at least have a PhD (even though I hadn't defended my dissertation at that time). It's understandable, as scientific competence is often judged primarily by academic qualifications.

But after my presentation, many delegates came to shake my hand and congratulate me. I was happy to have contributed to changing the way the world views the capabilities and intelligence of Vietnamese people.

I remember standing on the podium, my Vietnamese colleagues sitting below looked at me with such trust. That boosted my confidence in front of nearly 500 delegates.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tien-si-dao-viet-ha-lam-khoa-hoc-phai-chiu-kho-chiu-kho-431457.htm