Professor Vo Tong Xuan is an agricultural scientist, a great teacher and the "father" of many delicious rice varieties in the largest rice granary in the country, the Mekong Delta.

According to information from Nam Can Tho University, Labor Hero, People's Teacher, Professor Vo Tong Xuan, Honorary Principal of the school passed away this morning, August 19, after a period of serious illness, at the age of 84.

Professor Vo Tong Xuan is an agricultural scientist, a great teacher in training scientific staff for the country over the past decades and the "father" of many delicious rice varieties in the largest rice granary in the country, the Mekong Delta.

Professor Vo Tong Xuan was born in 1940 in An Giang province.

In 1961, he received a scholarship to study at the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture in Los Baños and was an excellent student. In 1966, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Chemistry and was accepted as a Research Fellow at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

In 1971, he returned to Vietnam with the desire to train agricultural engineers for his homeland at the invitation of the President of Can Tho University with the message "the country really needs people like you".

At the end of 1974, he went to Japan and defended his doctoral thesis after 1 year, 1975.

He is a talented educator and dedicated researcher, always concerned with finding solutions to improve farmers' lives.

The Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City jointly awarded the “Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon” from the Government of Japan to Professor Vo Tong Xuan.

He has compiled many valuable textbooks, books, and reference materials serving agricultural production not only domestically but also internationally. Especially in the years 1980-1985, when the country was still facing many difficulties, he introduced rice varieties such as: Than Nong, IR36, IR33, IR64, MTL30 popularized throughout the Western provinces.

Not only is he famous domestically, his research also brings many benefits to poor countries in Africa...

He was awarded the title of Professor of Agronomy in 1980, Hero of Labor in 1985 and was a National Assembly delegate of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th terms.

Professor Vo Tong Xuan served as Vice Rector of Can Tho University from 1982-1997. From December 1999 to November 2007, he served as Rector of An Giang University. From 2010 to October 2013, he served as Rector of Tan Tao University.

He was a member of the Vietnam State Council of Professors for 10 years, from 1996-2006.

In October 2013, he was a member of the Founding Council and then held the position of Acting Principal of Nam Can Tho University, then Honorary Principal of this university./.