Visitors view photographs of Louis Pasteur at the exhibition “From Louis to Pasteur” held in HCM City on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of the Pasteur Institute in HCM City

HCM CITY — The Pasteur Institute in HCM City in coordination with the French Embassy in Việt Nam and French Consulate General in HCM City this week organised a ceremony commemorating the bicentenary of Louis Pasteur’s birth with an exhibition showcasing his life and work.

The exhibition “From Louis to Pasteur” presented historical photographs of Louis Pasteur, one of the greatest French people of science.

Through 12 posters in Vietnamese, the exhibition allowed visitors to discover his major scientific works, private life and scientific legacy.

Speaking at the ceremony on Tuesday, Assoc. Prof. Nguyễn Vũ Trung, director of the Pasteur Institute in HCM City, said the institute, created in 1891, was the first Pasteur Institute outside France.

Over the past 130 years, it has inherited and promoted Louis Pasteur’s scientific excellence and vision as well as scientific achievements contributed by domestic and international scientists and physicians, Trung said.

It pursues scientific excellence and performs its role in scientific research and the application of science and technology for disease prevention and control and protection of public health, he said.

Nguyễn Thị Liên Hương, Deputy Minister of Health, said that with the support of the French Embassy, the Pasteur Institute in HCM City successfully organised a meaningful celebration and exhibition about the life and work of the scientist.

With close bilateral relations between Việt Nam and France, the cooperation in health care between the two countries will continue to grow and help improve the health of the people of the two countries, she said.

Việt Nam is the only country in the world that has three institutes that are members of Pasteur Network worldwide, including Pasteur Institute in HCM City, Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hà Nội. — VNS