Professor Tran Thanh Van and his wife were promoted to the Legion of Honor.

The French President decided to upgrade the Legion of Honor awarded to Professor Tran Thanh Van and Professor Le Kim Ngoc from the title of Knight to the rank of Officer.

In the Decree dated July 11, the President of the French Republic promoted the Legion of Honor Officer (Officier - fourth class) to the couple Professor Tran Thanh Van and Professor Le Kim Ngoc.

The Legion of Honor, founded by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, is a noble medal of the French State awarded to individuals and organizations with special contributions.

Previously, Professor Tran Thanh Van received the Chevalier Order of the Legion of Honor on February 23, 2000 and Professor Le Kim Ngoc was awarded this medal on September 6, 2016 in Ho Chi Minh City. French President Francois Hollande presented it directly during his state visit to Vietnam.

Professor Tran Thanh Van and his wife (middle) with relatives at the state banquet to welcome French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife during his visit to Vietnam in May 2025. (Photo: Tran Thanh Son)

Professor Tran Thanh Van (from Dong Hoi, former Quang Binh ) is a world-famous Vietnamese physicist.

He is the founder of the international physics conference series Rencontres Moriond, Rencontres Blois, Rencontres Vietnam and especially the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) in Quy Nhon.

Professor Le Kim Ngoc (from Vinh Long) went to France to study at Sorbonne University (Paris) in 1953. In 1956, she graduated with honors in natural sciences and then did research at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Professor Ngoc achieved many achievements in scientific research, especially the work "Thin cell slices" which was considered to have a pioneering meaning, opening a new era for the plant biotechnology industry when it was widely applied in purebred breeding according to mother plants, in gene grafting technology to create new varieties... Her name was mentioned a lot in the press in England and France in the 1970s.

Since 1970, Professor Le Kim Ngoc and Professor Tran Thanh Van established the Association to Help Vietnamese Children in France to mobilize and raise funds to support Vietnamese children.

In 1972, the association officially became a member of the International Association of SOS Children's Villages with the aim of contributing to the implementation of charity projects to help Vietnamese children.

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/vo-chong-giao-su-tran-thanh-van-duoc-thang-hang-huan-chuong-bac-dau-boi-tinh-ar954247.html