The Simons Astrophysics Group at the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) in Quy Nhon, Việt Nam (SAGI) aims to provide opportunities for overseas Vietnamese astronomers to collaborate with astronomers inside of Vietnam, and to teach astronomical techniques and instrumentation to students from Vietnam and the Southeast Asia region.

Since its inception almost a decade ago, ICISE has been the place to meet in Southeast Asia for international researchers across disciplines, including physics, astrophysics, mathematics. ICISE is a private entity founded by Prof. Jean Tran Thanh Van and Prof. Le Kim Ngoc, who left Vietnam in the 1950s to study in France.

We, SAGI, a group of younger Viet astronomers from overseas, join force with ICISE to establish an environment for aspiring Viet astronomers from overseas to come back home and make concrete, meaningful, and hopefully lasting contributions to the long-term development of astronomy and astrophysics in Vietnam.

The group’s key members are Nguyen Trong Hien (Caltech/JPL, instrumentation), Hoang Chi Thiem (KASI, theoretical astrophysics), and Nguyen Luong Quang (AUP/CEA, observations/instrumentation).

Events

SAGI Program

SAGI Visitors

Prospects for Collaborative Astrophysics at ICISE

This program is a starter for Astrophysics at ICISE. We anticipate the next round of support might also come from new collaborations cultivated through this program. All key members of the Simons Astrophysics group pledge to continue their research activities at ICISE beyond the three years supported by the Targeted Grants. We expect the SAGI postdoctoral program at ICISE will continue beyond 2025, with support from local and regional funding agencies. In addition, we are seeking support for making Astrophysics a regular presence at ICISE following the SAGI program. One of the options under consideration is having permanent positions for astrophysics available at ICISE. Such positions might be offered to SAGI Postdocs if they deem qualified at the end of their postdoctoral tenure.

International Center for Interdisciplinary Science (ICISE)

The non-profit ICISE locates in the coastal city of Quy Nhon, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Cham in central Vietnam. The center was commissioned in 2013 by Associations of ‘Rencontres du Vietnam’ under the direction Prof. Jean Tran Thanh Van and Prof. Le Kim Ngoc, both are Viet expatriates based in France. They were among the first expatriates to return to Vietnam and to organize the first international conference in Particle and Astrophysics in Hanoi when the country opened up in 1993. For nearly three decades that followed, they traveled to Vietnam every year (with the exception of the pandemic period) to motivate the young generations to study by glorifying learning, and by lauding scientific achievements. They are doing this through organizing scientific conferences, awarding scholarships to highschoolers, and introducing the best and brightest college students to the research groups from abroad. The physicist Van is a 2011 recipient of the Tate medal from American Institute of Physics, and the molecular biologist Ngoc received the chevalier de la légion d’honneur awarded by S.E. François Hollande, President of the France Republic. The couple’s entire lives are dedicated to the advancement of Vietnam science. Step by step, they plow the land and plant the seeds with the belief that Vietnam science will take off one day.

ICISE is Professors Van and Ngoc’s latest undertaking. The center is a private organization, and a unique body among the science and education institutions in Vietnam. One of the purposes of ICISE is to bring together scientists from developed and emerging countries by hosting conferences. ICISE has developed a close network of international cooperation for scientific research for more than two decades. These conferences make it possible for young students from Southeast Asia to meet and interact with leading scientists from around the world, including Nobel Laureates and Fields medalists. ICISE has organized public colloquia, specialized workshops, as well as selected topical schools; more than 10 such workshops and conferences were led by SAG’s key members over the years. These activities are greate opportunities for students seeking graduate training, as well as seeding future international collaborations for Vietnam scientists.

ICISE is located near the Explora Space Science Complex managed by the provincial government of Binh Dinh. Explora currently hosts a planetarium and an astronomical observatory. These facilities are within walking distance of ICISE and can be accessible to its affiliated staff if needed. In 2017, an institute was created for the center to actively support basic research. It is called IFIRSE (Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Education).