Professor Trần Thanh Vân (right) and Professor Lê Kim Ngọc (left) take a photo with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife at a reception in Hà Nội during Macron's visit to Việt Nam. — Photo courtesy of the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education

HÀ NỘI — French President Emmanuel Macron has officially approved the promotion of the National Order of the Legion of Honour previously conferred upon Professor Trần Thanh Vân and Professor Lê Kim Ngọc.

Representatives of the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) in Quy Nhơn City, Gia Lai Province confirmed the announcement on Monday.

To mark France’s National Day (July 14), the French president signed a decree last Friday promoting and appointing new ranks within the National Order of the Legion of Honour.

Among the honourees, Professors Trần Thanh Vân and Lê Kim Ngọc were awarded the Officer rank of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, a prestigious recognition by the French government.

Professor Trần Thanh Vân, also known as Jean Trần Thanh Vân, is a Vietnamese-born French citizen.

In 1953, at the age of 16, he left his hometown in what is now Quảng Trị Province to study in France.

A leading theoretical physicist in the field of atomic physics, he was one of only three Asians to receive the Tate Medal from the American Physical Society in 2012.

Professor Vân had previously been appointed a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour on February 23, 2000 by the French Republic.

His name has long been associated with a range of impactful initiatives, including the 'Rencontres du Việt Nam' programme, the ICISE centre in Quy Nhơn City, the Vallet Scholarship Foundation and the SOS Children's Villages in Việt Nam.

He has played a key role in building bridges between leading international scientists and Việt Nam, particularly through initiatives such as the 'Rencontres de Blois' and 'Rencontres de Moriond' scientific meetings.

Professor Lê Kim Ngọc, Vân’s wife, is a native of Vĩnh Long Province. She also moved to France in 1953, where she studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

Graduating with honours in Natural Sciences in 1956, she later undertook doctoral research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Her contributions to science include groundbreaking work on plant cell sectioning, considered a pioneering development that opened a new era in plant biotechnology.

Ngọc, a distinguished biologist, was appointed a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour on September 6, 2016.

She also serves as President of the Association for the Support of Vietnamese Children in France and has contributed significantly to the establishment of SOS Children’s Villages in Đà Lạt City and Đồng Hới City, as well as the Thủy Xuân Children’s Protection Centre in Huế. — VNS