Return to make a greater contribution

After 9 years of studying and working in France, Dr. Nguyen Viet Huong (born in 1990) decided to return to Vietnam with a compelling thought: "I must have bigger ambitions and make bigger contributions to my homeland."

Dr. Nguyen Viet Huong is the pioneer in bringing the SALD technology of atmospheric pressure atomic monolayer deposition to water. At the age of 34, Dr. Nguyen Viet Huong is the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Phenikaa University. He owns 1 international patent; has 39 scientific articles published in international scientific journals in the ISI - Q1 category (the most prestigious scientific journal today), of which 32 are Q1 articles.

Dr. Nguyen Viet Huong (2nd from left) and the team building the SALD system in Vietnam

Study to make the country famous

The first turning point in Dr. Huong's academic path was when he, a student from a village school in Can Loc district (Ha Tinh province), passed the entrance exam to the specialized Math class A1 - Specialized High School, Vinh University (Nghe An).

“My motto in life is to contribute. I always think that the best mark I can leave on the world is meaningful scientific works, generations of excellent students who know how to live for the community. I suddenly thought of the image of the hardest material in the world - diamond, in which each carbon atom has "selflessly" shared its 4 electrons to firmly bond with the 4 surrounding carbon atoms. Perhaps everyone's contribution, sharing, and cooperation will create a sustainable society.”

Dr. Nguyen Viet Huong, Phenikaa University

In the new learning environment, with the dedicated guidance of teachers at school, he had a strong development of thinking about nature. This was the motivation and great foundation that helped him build scientific and technical knowledge later.

At the end of his high school journey, he was admitted as valedictorian (29 points) of the Faculty of Engineering Physics and Nanotechnology, University of Technology (VNU Hanoi). At the end of his first year of university, he received a scholarship from Project 322 - sending students to study at foreign institutions using the state budget. The Ha Tinh boy began his study abroad journey at the age of 19. He chose INSA de Lyon (Lyon National Institute of Applied Sciences) - the leading engineering school in France to continue pursuing the major of Materials Science and Nanotechnology.

“In the first days of studying abroad in France, I was shocked because the general engineering program was very heavy. At that time, my French level was only able to understand 30% of what the teachers taught in class. When I got home, I had to re-read, re-study and research a lot to understand the lessons in class and make an effort to learn French quickly with many difficulties,” Mr. Huong recalled. However, with his strong subjects: Math and Physics, he was often in the group of 1-3 people who studied best in the class.

After a period of time when his French gradually improved, Mr. Huong made more international friends, helping him to explore more cultures, expand his exchanges and learn. “And above all, I have the opportunity to nurture my feelings and aspirations with the two sacred words “Vietnam”. In difficult times when I felt like I was about to collapse, I reassured myself and pulled myself together with the thought that what I am experiencing today is thanks to the State budget scholarship. That is the tax money of the people. Studying abroad is no longer a personal matter, but I must strive to make the two words Vietnam famous in the international arena, so that I can return to build the Fatherland later”, Mr. Huong shared.

Those thoughts gave the young man a strong motivation to break through and excel with an impressive academic record. He was the valedictorian of the entire course of the Faculty of Materials Science - INSA de Lyon. “There were 82 students in my class, of which only 3 were Asian, including me and two Chinese students, the rest were French, European and American. Those were the difficult but glorious years of my twenties,” Mr. Huong said emotionally.

Dr. Nguyen Viet Huong, Phenikaa University, working in SALD laboratory

Step out of your comfort zone

After completing a 5-year engineering/master's program in France, Viet Huong decided to pursue a long-term scientific research career. However, to be able to take a firm step on this path, English proficiency is needed. "During my 5 years in France, I was trained entirely in French, and my English was very weak. Therefore, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and find a lab outside of France to do research and practice to improve my English," he shared.

He was introduced to IMEC, Leuven (Belgium) - one of the largest nanotechnology research centers in Europe. "I regretted my time at IMEC so much that I spent every weekend in the lab, taking advantage of every moment to immerse myself in this top-notch international research environment," said Dr. Nguyen Viet Huong.

After his time in Belgium, in October 2015, he returned to France to do research at the Materials - Physics Laboratory (LMGP), CNRS & Grenoble Polytechnic School.

“In the early days of my PhD, I thought I would immediately start with advanced research, but no, I started with the smallest things, from soldering anti-interference electrical cables, writing code to control air flow, temperature, design... Along with that, there was very strict guidance and instruction from my supervisor,” said Mr. Huong.

That rigorous training helped him shape his research identity early, pursue and conquer some difficult ideas. This was the time that helped him successfully build the SALD system - the first domestic atmospheric pressure atomic monolayer deposition system. As a result, his doctoral thesis received the Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award from the French Chemical Society.

Return home to contribute

After 9 years of living, studying and researching in France, Dr. Nguyen Viet Huong was offered a long-term job position by several research institutions, where he could easily settle down and live quite comfortably, but he refused those attractive invitations and decided to return to Vietnam with a compelling thought: "I must have bigger ambitions and make bigger contributions to my homeland."

In 2019, he joined Phenikaa University.   and led the project to build and design the SALD system - the first domestic atmospheric pressure atomic monolayer deposition system. SALD is one of the most advanced nanofabrication technologies today.

After 3 years of tireless work, he and his colleagues launched the SALD technology laboratory in February 2022. “This is the first atmospheric pressure atomic monolayer deposition (SALD) system in the country, marking a major milestone, allowing the fabrication of semiconductor metal oxide nano-thin films with thickness control down to each atomic monolayer. In particular, we are proactive in the technology and can completely expand to a large scale,” Dr. Huong shared.

This equipment system costs many times less than commercial purchases (an ALD device imported from abroad to Vietnam costs at least 5 billion VND - PV). The initial success of him and his research team is attracting the attention of the scientific research community and receiving cooperation from universities in Korea, France, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and Malaysia, opening up many opportunities for extensive development in the future.

“Honestly, I spend a lot of time and mind on research. Since returning to Vietnam, I have not had a proper vacation. With the 2024 Golden Globe Award, I feel more clearly my responsibility in leading research; I will try harder to realize research projects that bring value to serve society,” said Dr. Huong.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nhung-tien-si-tre-va-khat-vong-doi-thay-bai-1-tro-ve-de-dong-gop-lon-hon-post1688201.tpo