Vietnamese woman scientist honoured with L’Oréal-UNESCO International Rising Talent award

The jury of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the L’Oréal Foundation on Wednesday presented the L’Oréal-UNESCO International Rising Talent Award in 2022 to Dr Hồ Thị Thanh Vân, a chemicals scientist who is working at the HCM City University of Natural Resources and Environment.

With her research in developing new materials for the production of green hydrogen, Dr Vân has become one of the 15 young women scientists in the world to receive the award.

Since 2000, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme has highlighted the achievements of young women who are in the early stages of their scientific careers. Each year, the International Rising Talents programme selects the 15 most promising female scientists from the 250 national and regional young talents of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme.

The 15 International Rising Talents, selected by an international selection committee, receive an additional endowment of 15,000 euros (US$15,840). In addition to this financial support and international recognition, these young women also benefit from leadership training that is complementary to their academic background and essential to fighting discrimination. This programme is exclusively dedicated to the national and regional Young Talents. 

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency after receiving the award, Dr Vân expressed her hope that more Vietnamese women will pursue a career in science, making more contributions to the community as well as the development of science in Việt Nam and the world.

Ambassador Lê Thị Hồng Vân, head of the Permanent Mission of Việt Nam to UNESCO, said since 2015, three Vietnamese scientists have been honoured with the L’Oréal-UNESCO International Rising Talent.

Over the past 24 years, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme has honoured 122 women scientists and supported more than 3,800 others from 110 countries to make outstanding achievements and contribute to making the world better./.