Attendees at the Nobel Prize Dialogue and Exhibition 2025 on September 15 in HCM City. Photo baomoi.com

HCM CITY — The prospect of one day seeing a Vietnamese scientist join the ranks of Nobel Prize laureates was evoked in HCM City, as Swedish Embassy and RMIT University Việt Nam co-hosted a special dialogue and exhibition on the Nobel legacy.

The gathering on September 15 formed part of the Nobel Prize Dialogue 2025, with the theme “The role of AI in the future of learning and teaching”.

It drew together Swedish scholars, including Professor Ulf Danielsson, a member of the Nobel Committee for Physics, along with lecturers, researchers and students from across Việt Nam.

Professor Danielsson told the audience that there is no standard formula for reaching the Nobel stage, but certain qualities can be discerned in those who succeed.

Passion, discipline and courage remain essential, he said, while perhaps the most vital attribute is what he called “irreverence” – the refusal to be bound by existing knowledge and the willingness to challenge convention.

In his words, the Nobel is not simply a reward for achievement but a recognition of the audacity to imagine the world differently.

Swedish Ambassador to Việt Nam Johan Ndisi emphasised that the Nobel Prize belongs to no single nation but is a global arena in which any country can shine.

“It is open to everyone in the world,” he said, adding that the day Việt Nam celebrates its first laureate will be a moment of pride not only for the country but for international science.

For many in attendance, the dialogue was less about distant ideals than about practical steps.

Việt Nam’s research community has grown rapidly in recent years, with public investment in science and technology reaching around VNĐ22 trillion (US$864 million) in 2024.

Yet challenges remain in terms of laboratory infrastructure, international publishing opportunities and long-term research funding.

Experts pointed out that while the Government has prioritised innovation, especially in digital technology and renewable energy, basic science still needs stronger policy support if Việt Nam is to nurture Nobel-calibre discoveries.

Students at the event said they were inspired by the stories of past laureates, including those who laboured for decades before their breakthroughs were recognised.

“It makes me feel that persistence matters as much as talent,” said Nguyễn Thu Hằng, a physics major at a HCM City university.

Others highlighted the importance of international collaboration, noting that joint projects with European or American laboratories could give young Vietnamese scientists greater exposure to cutting-edge methodologies.

The exhibition accompanying the dialogue traced more than a century of Nobel history, from Alfred Nobel’s original bequest in 1895 to the latest laureates in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economics.

Visitors were able to see interactive displays explaining how nominations are considered and why Nobel discoveries continue to shape the modern world.

For Việt Nam, the event underscored an aspiration that has long been nurtured but not yet fulfilled: to see one of its own scientists stand on the pretigious Stockholm stage.

With every passing year, as more Vietnamese researchers publish in international journals and secure patents, that aspiration moves a little closer.

The Nobel, participants agreed, is not a distant dream but a challenge that requires patience, creativity and an unrelenting belief in the value of knowledge.

As Professor Danielsson put it, the path may be unpredictable but it remains open to anyone bold enough to walk it.

For young Vietnamese scholars inspired in HCM City this week, the journey towards a Nobel Prize may have already begun. – VNS