Recently, the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS) officially announced that the 2025 ISSAAS Matsuda Award had been conferred upon Prof. Dr. and People’s Teacher Tran Duc Vien, former President of Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA), currently being the Chairman of the University’s Council for Science and Education, Member of the National Professorship Council, and Chairman of the Interdisciplinary Professorship Council for Agriculture and Forestry, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to scientific development, research, and education in agriculture and rural development in Vietnam.

The ISSAAS Matsuda Award is the most prestigious honor of the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS). It is presented annually to recognize outstanding scientists who have made significant contributions to science, education, and agricultural and rural development.

The award is named after Professor Toshiro Matsuda, former President of Tokyo University of Agriculture (TUA/Tokyo NODAI), the founder and first President of ISSAAS, in tribute to his great contributions to the establishment and growth of the Society.

This marked the second time a Vietnamese scientist had received this distinguished award, reaffirming the prestige and international standing of Vietnam National University of Agriculture in the global agricultural science community.

Throughout his career, Prof. Dr. Tran Duc Vien had made tireless contributions to research, education, and international cooperation, focusing on key areas such as ecological and sustainable agriculture, rural development policy and management, and international collaboration in agricultural science education and research. His efforts significantly enhanced the quality of research and training at VNUA and strengthened scientific cooperation networks between Vietnam and the global community.

The ISSAAS Matsuda Award 2025 is presented to Prof. Dr. and People’s Teacher Tran Duc Vien in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the development of science, research, and education in agriculture and rural development in Vietnam.

Sharing his feelings about this honor, Prof. Dr. Tran Duc Vien expressed with deep emotion that this was not only a personal joy but also a source of pride for VNUA as a whole, especially for the members of ISSAAS VNUA’s Chapter since its establishment in 1998.

"I would like to express my deep gratitude to the teachers, colleagues, and friends in the ISSAAS network who have always supported me and collaborated with VNUA over nearly 30 years. I hope that the younger generation, especially VNUA’s young scientists and students, will continue the traditions of previous generations, promote practical and effective cooperation with ISSAAS member universities, and continuously enhance the position and stature of VNUA within ISSAAS in particular and within the global university system in general, by creating real value, real products, and real technologies, and by realizing the aspirations of each nation and the region as a whole," emphasized Professor Tran Duc Vien.

Throughout his life as a teacher and researcher, Prof. Dr. Tran Duc Vien held firmly to the belief that science only truly matterred when it was closely connected to human life and to the sustainable development of society.

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"The ultimate purpose of scientific research is not merely to achieve inventions or discoveries, but, more importantly, to nurture humanity, to honor and appreciate the human condition, to understand and empathize with our fellow beings, and to make increasingly meaningful contributions to social progress—so that today is better than yesterday, and tomorrow better than today," Professor Vien emphasized.

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Prof. Dr. Tran Duc Vien also emphasized that the future of Vietnamese agriculture, as well as the future of agriculture in the Southeast Asian community, would be shaped by the younger generation of scientists—people full of passion and creativity.

He expressed his confidence and high expectations that the younger generation will honorably continue the proud traditions of previous generations, constantly learning, innovating, and engaging in broad, practical, and effective cooperation to enhance the position and stature of ISSAAS member universities.

"I also have a strong belief that ISSAAS will continue to serve as a sustainable bridge connecting scientists across the region and the world, linking knowledge, friendship, collegiality, and shared responsibility for a green, humane, and prosperous agriculture," Professor Tran Duc Vien conveyed.

 

Prof. Dr. People’s Teacher Tran Duc Vien was currently the Chair of the Scientific and Training Council at Vietnam National University of Agriculture; a member of the State Professorship Council; and Chair of the Interdisciplinary Professorship Council for Agriculture and Forestry.

Prof. Dr. Tran Duc Vien was the former Rector of Vietnam National University of Agriculture I, former Director of Vietnam National University of Agriculture, and former Chair of the University Council of Vietnam National University of Agriculture. He had served as a member of the management board of the Southeast Asian Centre for Tropical Biology (SEAMEO BIOTROP), Vice President of ISSAAS, visiting professor at Kyoto University and Keio University (Japan), and Senior Research Fellow at Kyoto University and the East-West Center (USA). He had also served as a member of doctoral dissertation defense committees at AgroParisTech (France), Wageningen University (Netherlands), and the University of Liège (Belgium).

In addition, Prof. Dr. Tran Duc Vien published nearly 80 scientific papers in reputable international journals and around 200 papers in domestic scientific journals. His books were published by leading academic publishers worldwide, including Kyoto University (Japan), UC Berkeley (USA), and Elsevier (Netherlands).

Notably, Professor Vien had served as principal investigator for numerous national and ministry-level science and technology projects, as well as multiple international collaborative projects with prestigious universities in the United States, Japan, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Thailand, Belgium, and other countries.