{"id":9010,"date":"2021-09-02T11:31:21","date_gmt":"2021-09-02T03:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=9010"},"modified":"2021-09-14T20:07:44","modified_gmt":"2021-09-14T12:07:44","slug":"professor-hoang-tuy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/professor-hoang-tuy\/","title":{"rendered":"Professor Ho\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y: The Man Who Put Vietnamese Math On The Global Map"},"content":{"rendered":"

Professor Ho\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y\u2019s inspiring journey in search of knowledge<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\u201cAt age 15, I quit school for one year because I had respiratory problems and was partially paralyzed,\u201d said Professor Ho\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y in an interview with Professor Koblitz for <\/span>The Mathematical Intelligencer<\/em> <\/span>magazine in 1990.<\/span><\/p>\n

This man, despite his challenging physical conditions and the Vietnam War, rose above his challenge and became a math professor. In the spirit of Vietnam’s National Day, we’d like to bring you an inspiring story of the man who helped create Vietnam’s modern math system.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the life story of Professor Ho\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y<\/strong>, a distinguished Vietnamese mathematician and one of the most recognized scientists of the 20th century.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Professor Ho\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y\u2019s original story can be found in his book Xin \u0110\u01b0\u1ee3c N\u00f3i Th\u1eb3ng, or Let\u2019s Speak Truth (2019). Here it has been adapted and edited for brevity and clarity.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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He grew up in a family of patriots<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nHo\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y (center)<\/em>
\nImage adapted from: \u0110\u1ea1i h\u1ecdc Qu\u1ed1c gia H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i VNU<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Ho\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y was born in 1927 in \u0110i\u1ec7n B\u00e0n, Qu\u1ea3ng Nam. Even though he was from an aristocratic family during the Nguy\u1ec5n dynasty, he grew up in poverty. His family members, most of whom were mandarins and governors, were known to have led a life of humility and integrity.<\/span><\/p>\n

His uncle was Ho\u00e0ng Di\u1ec7u, the governor of Hanoi and the most famous patriot of his time.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the age of 4, his father died, and the pressure of raising a family of seven kids fell on his mother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the wars between revolutionists and French colonists became more intense, his siblings were fired from their jobs for refusing to serve the colonial government.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage adapted from: \u0110\u1ea1i h\u1ecdc Qu\u1ed1c gia H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i VNU<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Since young, he had developed an interest in mathematics.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, his studies were constantly interrupted by his chronic ailments.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the age of 15, his respiratory condition worsened and left his limbs paralyzed. Thankfully, he was cured 3 months later after acupuncture treatment and taking eastern medicines.<\/span><\/p>\n

During his homebound period of time, he studied math all by himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

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His self-study skills helped him excel and graduate early<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"\"
\nHo\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y (third one from the left, front row)<\/em>
\nImage adapted from: \u0110\u1ea1i h\u1ecdc Qu\u1ed1c gia H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i VNU<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Obviously, his self-study skills and passion for knowledge paid off big time.<\/p>\n

After returning to school, he excelled in his academic performance and even graduated one year earlier compared to his peers. During this time, he planned to go to Hanoi to pursue his higher education in math and gave summer tuition to earn money.<\/span><\/p>\n

In late 1946, he went all the way to Hanoi, only to find that all schools had been closed as Hanoi fell into the hands of French colonists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As his college dream fell apart, he used the rest of his college fees to buy math books and returned to his hometown.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage adapted from: <\/span>CAND<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Fortunately, opportunities are still reserved for those who are prepared.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A 1,000KM journey for math lessons<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nMathematician L\u00ea V\u0103n Thi\u00eam<\/em>
\nImage adapted from: Qu\u00ea H\u01b0\u01a1ng<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

At the age of 24, he received life-changing news while working as a teacher in Qu\u1ea3ng Ng\u00e3i.<\/p>\n

Professor L\u00ea V\u0103n Thi\u00eam, his favorite mathematician, would return to Vietnam from France and open an advanced math class in the north.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though Ho\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y was a married man by then, the sound of learning math still set his heart on fire.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without hesitation, he packed a bag of books, rice, and a cooking pot. That was quite a modest set of belongings for a long journey that spanned 1,000KM and that would require months to complete.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThe Tr\u01b0\u1eddng S\u01a1n mountains<\/em>
\nImage credit: Bi\u00ean Ph\u00f2ng<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Major parts of his voyage were through the Tr\u01b0\u1eddng S\u01a1n mountains, which are known for their lethal waters and rugged wilderness. From Th\u1eeba Thi\u00ean to Qu\u1ea3ng Tr\u1ecb to Qu\u1ea3ng B\u00ecnh, his journey was filled with bombing encounters, malaria, and wild animals. During mealtime, he would cook rice inside a cave.<\/span><\/p>\n

After 3 months of trekking across Vietnam\u2019s most dangerous mountains, he completed his journey and reached his destination.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, fate didn\u2019t give him an easy win.<\/span><\/p>\n

He found out that the advanced class spearheaded by his favorite professor would not open. Nonetheless, another door opened for him as he was sent to Guangxi, China to study math.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nHo\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y with L.V.Kantorovich, one of the world\u2019s leading professors in mathematical economics<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Ng\u01b0\u1eddi Lao \u0110\u1ed9ng<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

6 years later, the rudimentary government of then-North Vietnam sent him to the Soviet Union for higher education in mathematics. Within only 2 years, he studied Russian all by himself and received a PhD in math from the Moscow State University.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: Ng\u01b0\u1eddi Lao \u0110\u1ed9ng<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

After graduating from one of the world\u2019s most prestigious universities, he returned to Hanoi to teach mathematics. Aside from teaching, he was also responsible for developing Vietnam\u2019s Institute of Mathematics where he trained a new generation of mathematicians and teachers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He and his favorite professor, L\u00ea V\u0103n Thi\u00eam, who then became his colleague, were credited with founding Vietnam\u2019s modern math system.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: Ng\u01b0\u1eddi Lao \u0110\u1ed9ng<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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The founding father of Global Optimization<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit: B\u00e1o Tin T\u1ee9c<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In 1964, he gained global recognition after his groundbreaking invention, <\/span>T\u1ee5y\u2019s Cut<\/span><\/em>, a tour de force that marked the birth of <\/span>Global Optimization<\/b> – a branch of applied mathematics and numerical analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n

This accomplishment, after being published in renowned scientific journals, made him a world-class scientist and professor.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was also the author of the <\/span>Tuy-type algorithm <\/span><\/em>and <\/span>Tuy\u2019s inconsistency theorem<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span>\u0110\u1ea3ng B\u1ed9 \u0110\u00e0 N\u1eb5ng<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

During his lifetime, he published over 170 journals and articles, most of which were published in international magazines and forums such as <\/span>Mathematical Programming<\/span><\/em> and <\/span>Nonlinear Analysis Forum<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nProfessor Ho\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y in Sweden<\/em>
\nImage credit: <\/span>T\u1ea1p Ch\u00ed Tia S\u00e1ng<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In 2011, he received the Constantin Carath\u00e9odory Prize<\/span> for his pioneering work in\u00a0<\/span>Global Optimization<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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He was not afraid to speak his mind<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit: Ng\u01b0\u1eddi Lao \u0110\u1ed9ng<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

For an intellectual widely respected and someone working in the teaching profession, he was more outspoken than most people expected.<\/span><\/p>\n

He pointed out the disadvantages of the education system at the time, such as low pay for teachers, outdated curriculum, and lack of opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He proposed changes and faced a lot of backlash. Despite being misunderstood, he refused to stop. In his late 80s, he was still pitching changes to the education system.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his book, Ho\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y wrote, \u201cAn outdated education system will stymie our growth.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On 14th July 2019, he passed away at age 92.<\/span><\/p>\n

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An epitome of courage and passion<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Even though he has passed away, the legacy that Professor Ho\u00e0ng T\u1ee5y has left behind is larger than life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only has his tireless pursuit of knowledge against all odds inspired many, but his unwavering dedication to develop and prosper our education system will continue to be an example among those in the teaching profession.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also check out:<\/span><\/p>\n