The haunting question of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam

Singapore, population is only about 5% of Vietnam, area is only slightly larger than 1 district of Ho Chi Minh City. If comparing country to country, the number of scientific works published in ISI journals of Vietnam is only 1/5 of Singapore, but if comparing on population, that ratio is below zero countless times.

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Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at the 2017 Ta Quang Buu Award ceremony. Photo: VNExpress

“The number of scientific works published in ISI journals in Vietnam in the past 5-6 years has increased by 20%. But then again, looking around, we are only 1/3 of Thailand, 1/5 of Singapore... As for patents, we are only 1/3 of Thailand, 1/1240 of Korea and 1/3170 of China... Are we worried? Are we troubled?" - Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam asked at the Ta Quang Buu Science Award ceremony that just took place.

The answer of most people is probably yes. Because it must be added that: For example, Singapore's population is only about 5% of Vietnam's, and its area is only slightly larger than a district of Ho Chi Minh City. If we compare countries with countries, we are only 1/5 of Singapore's, but if we compare the population, that ratio is countless times below zero. The problem is that Vietnamese people are not less intelligent than Singaporeans.

People are also concerned, but not because of the "few" announcements and inventions, but because even those few are very far from reality.

Just look at the hunchbacks of farmers. While the number of professors, doctors, and scientists in our country has reached tens of thousands, like for thousands of years, the farming method is still “selling your face to the ground and your back to the sky”! And although it is considered small, every year, there is still an amount of 15-16 trillion from that tax money soaked in sweat and tears spent on scientific and technological research.

Just last week, a farmer appeared in the press who made a rice-planting machine because he was worried about his wife's back pain.

Here are the specifications: The machine's capacity is 4 sao/day, as fast as 7-8 people planting. The machine costs about 3 million VND, compared to 8-15 million VND of imported "junk" goods with 0% tax rate.

What's the use of having so many professors and doctors when even farmers have to fumble around with a transplanting machine?

What's the point of science and high technology, if after research and disbursement they are immediately "put in a desk drawer"?

“Put it in the desk drawer” is the phrase used by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, when just last month, he advised scientists “Don’t spend hundreds or thousands of billions on research but the topic is in the desk drawer”.

It is not difficult to realize that in many "projects", "research" in our country is only synonymous with disbursement. Research is just research, whether it is effective or not, how it is applied in practice is "determined later".

Perhaps, to answer the Deputy Prime Minister's lingering question, we cannot just rely on the lingering thoughts of scientists but need a regulation in black and white.

Any science is only accepted and disbursed when it is applied in practice.

According to Labor Newspaper