Professor Odon Vallet's kind heart
Odon Vallet is a Professor of Law, History, and Religion at the world-renowned Sorbonne University. He is also a well-known essayist and philosopher, popular with readers in France and many other countries. He inherited a large fortune from his father and deposited all of it in a bank, with the intention of using the annual interest to provide scholarships for underprivileged but talented students.
Odon Vallet is a Professor of Law, History, and Religion at the world-renowned Sorbonne University. He is also a well-known essayist and philosopher, popular with readers in France and many other countries. He inherited a large fortune from his father and deposited all of it in a bank, with the intention of using the annual interest to provide scholarships for underprivileged but talented students.
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The General Director of Nghe An Sugar Company presents gifts to first-grade students. |
Professor Tran Thanh Van, one of the 10 outstanding scientists for Vietnam in 2006, played a major role in connecting and fostering scientific exchange between renowned Nobel Prize-winning physicists from around the world and Vietnamese physicists. He, along with Professor and Academician Nguyen Van Hieu, initiated and coordinated the organization of many international physics conferences in Vietnam. With a deep affection for his homeland, Professor Tran Thanh Van, along with Professor Le Kim Ngoc, President of the Association for the Assistance of Vietnamese Children in France, persuaded Professor Odon Vallet to visit and support underprivileged but talented students in Vietnam.
The Odon Vallet Scholarship has been available to Vietnamese students since 2001, with the number and value of scholarships increasing annually; from 800 scholarships in 2001 to 900 in 2002, and reaching 2100 in 2007. Each scholarship is worth 2,700,000 VND for high school students and 4,200,000 VND for university students, totaling over 6 billion VND.
The scholarship recipients are students from disadvantaged backgrounds such as orphans, disabled individuals, and those living in poverty, who have excelled academically and demonstrated good character; these students are outstanding and exemplary students at high schools and universities.
Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Lat, Da Nang, Hue, Quang Binh, and Vinh-Nghe An are some of the stops on the annual cross-Vietnam journey of the Odon Vallet scholarship.
The Odon Vallet scholarship has also been awarded to outstanding underprivileged students in Nghe An province since 2001, through the recommendation of Mr. Nguyen Dinh Ba, lecturer at Vinh University; and Mr. Tran Quoc Cuong, principal of Hermann School in Nghe An.
In 2007, a grand scholarship awarding ceremony for 137 outstanding poor students was held in Nghe An on September 5th, with a total budget of 393 million VND.
This meaningful gift helps alleviate the hardships faced by the children, encouraging them to continue striving for academic progress and self-improvement. Among them, some have achieved remarkable results: Nguyen Tat Nghia won a Gold Medal in the International Physics Olympiad; Le Van Thanh, a doctoral student in mathematics, has published numerous papers in scientific journals in France, the United States, South Korea, etc.
Speaking at the scholarship awarding ceremony at the Nghe An Guest House, Professor Odon Vallet expressed his heartfelt gratitude, saying: "You don't need to thank me, but you should thank your parents for giving you life; thank your teachers for educating you and shaping you into who you are..." The professor hoped that the students of Nghe An would uphold the fine traditions of "love of learning and respect for teachers; encouragement of learning and appreciation of talent," continue to study well, strive hard, and in the future, become successful and serve their homeland well.
The outstanding underprivileged students in Nghe An who were awarded the Odon Vallet Scholarship are always grateful to the generous French professor and scientist who showed kindness to the students of Nghe An.
Nguyet Hung
