GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan Born in 1948 in Hanoi, at the age of 6, he moved with his family to Saigon to live. As a child, he attended Jean-Jacques Rousseau High School (now Le Quy Don School, Saigon). GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan Graduating from high school in 1966, Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan went to Switzerland to study engineering. He then decided to study astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology, then at Princeton University, New Jersey, USA. For the first time in his life, at the observatory on top of Mount Palomar, California, young Trinh Xuan Thuan observed the magic of the galaxy, moon and light from billions of stars through the telescope. The largest telescope in the world at that time with a diameter of 5.1 m. His life has been associated with cosmic astronomy since then. After completing his doctoral thesis at Princeton, GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan teaches at the University of Virginia since 1976, and has become a world-renowned expert on extragalactic astronomy. In which, the most prominent event is the GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan is the youngest known co-discoverer of the galaxy in the universe today, thanks to the study of observations made by the Hubble space telescope. That is galaxy I Zwicky 18. Called I Zwicky 18, this galaxy appeared just 500 million years ago. This discovery is shocking because the word I Zwicky 18 allows people to understand the first small galaxies in the early universe. Writing about the universe in a special way In addition to research, Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan writes a book. From the research results, extremely attractive and interesting findings of astronomy, Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan wishes to share with everyone about the beauty, harmony of the universe and the creation of nature. GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan is highly appreciated for his ability to popularize science. He began to write his first book ‘Mysterious Melodies – La Mélodie secrète, published in 1988′. Currently, there are about 20 books of GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan was translated and published in Vietnam as Origin, nostalgia for the early days; The Paths of Light, The Fullness of Nothingness, One Night… GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan writes three times more popular science books than specialized research books. He confided: “Because I want to meet more readers. If I write a book on a complex subject, only a few hundred people can understand it. I want the knowledge of science and astrophysics to spread in many readers. So I write books for the masses. If I’m lucky, my books will be read by hundreds or thousands of people.” When writing the book, Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan wants to explain to the general public about the stars, the universe, about what astronomers have discovered; phenomena of the sun dying into a dwarf star, or stars ten times more massive than the sun, the sun becoming a black hole… In particular, when writing books, he did not use science but wrote about the universe in a literary way. GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan explains: The voice of the universe is math. Scientists all use math equations to understand the universe. But when I write the book, I do not use it, but use images in everyday life, to let the public understand the ideas that scientists find in the universe. Therefore, although writing about distant planets, cold galaxies, mysterious black holes… GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan always tries to use a simple but clear language. He refrains from using overly technical terms. For difficult concepts, he often refers to images in everyday life as an example. For example, in the latest book titled “One Night” (Pham Van Thieu, translated by Pham Viet Hung, Youth Publishing House, 2020), Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan brings readers into a vast world, explores the night sky with easy-to-understand explanations. As a lover of poetry, he also quoted many verses and poems of famous poets. For example, when writing about the Moon, Professor Trinh Xuan Thuan quotes John Keats’ “Song of the Nightingale”: “The night is gentle/ And maybe Hang Nga is on the throne/ Among the stars of fairies/ But in Here, nowhere is it clear / Except for the breezes / On the dark and mossy leaves of the winding roads. He even quoted W. Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliette”: “Come, night, come here/ Romeo me, come back to me!/ I’m the sun in the dark/ Because I’ll lie under the night darkness of the night…”. In the spring of 2007, the famous work “Paths of Light” (Les Voies de la lumière) was awarded the Moron Prize by the French Academy. Two years later, Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan also became the first Vietnamese in history to be awarded the prestigious Kalinga Prize by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Soon after, the Institut de France awarded the Prix mondial Cino del Duca, recognizing the persuasive transmissions of complex knowledge of arid space science, yet blended under a contemplative, rich gaze. literature in his outstanding works. GS review. Trinh Xuan Thuan, Mr. François Delattre, French Ambassador to the US, respectfully called the Vietnamese-born astronomer a “world asset” when he devoted his life to the goal of “popularizing science”. Invite readers to watch the video:Fish at the fried statue. Source: VTV24.

Diplomat Marc Knapper is likely to replace Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink as the new US ambassador to Vietnam. Photo: The White House

The White House announced the list quickly on April 16. Since taking office as US president, this is the first time Mr. Biden has selected an official as a representative abroad.

Notable in this list is the change in ambassador position in Vietnam. Accordingly, Mr. Knapper is expected to replace Mr. Daniel Kritenbrink after more than 3 years working in Vietnam. President Biden also nominated Mr. Kritenbrink to assume the position of assistant foreign minister in charge of East Asia and Pacific.

According to the process, after receiving the nomination of President Biden, Mr. Knapper will have a hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the necessary step to reach the ratification of the Senate of this country.

In the list of nine nominees, it can be seen that the Biden administration gives priority to professional diplomats. CNN assessed this as a signal that Mr. Biden wants to change the way of former President Donald Trump, who has a tendency to appoint officials (not professional diplomats) as ambassadors in many countries.

In addition to Mr. Knapper, the remaining 8 nominees include Larry André as Somalia’s ambassador, Elizabeth Moore Aubin as Algerian ambassador, Steven Bondy as Bahrain’s ambassador, Maria Brewer as ambassador of Lesotho, Christopher Lamora as Ambassador of Cameroon, Tulinabo Mushingi is ambassador to Angola and Sao Tome & Principe, Michael Raynor is ambassador for Senegal and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, and Eugene Young as ambassador to the Republic of Congo.

Mr. Knapper is currently the deputy foreign minister in charge of Japan and Korea at the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since September 2018.

Before in charge of Japan – Korea, Mr. Knapper was the Representative from 2017-2018 and the Deputy Head of the US diplomatic mission from 2015-2016 at the US Embassy in Seoul, Korea; Indian Affairs Director; The director is in charge of Japanese affairs and has had many other diplomatic positions in Iraq and Japan.

Candidate for the position of US Ambassador to Vietnam has worked twice in Korea. In 2017, he was the State Department representative in the Spent Fuel Team at the Yongbyon nuclear facility. In 2000, he was a member of the delegation of Foreign Minister Madeleine Albright to visit Pyongyang.

In the period 2004-2007, Mr. Knapper served as political counselor at the embassy in Hanoi. The White House website states that Mr. Knapper can speak Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese.

The nominee for the new ambassador to Vietnam received the Secretary of State for Distinguished Award, as the highest diplomatic honor of the United States.

Mr. Knapper graduated with an excellent degree from Princeton University and studied at the University of Tokyo, the intensive Japanese program of Middlebury College, the American Army War College and the XXI Thematic Research program of the Institute of Technology. Massachusetts.

Mr. Marc Evans Knapper was nominated by US President Joe Biden as Ambassador to Vietnam. Photo: US State Department.

US President Joe Biden on April 15 nominated a new ambassador to Vietnam – Mr. Marc Evans Knapper.

As a senior officer of the US State Department, who is expected to succeed Ambassador Daniel J. Kritenbrink, Mr. Knapper is currently serving as an assistant secretary to Japan and Korea in the US State Department.

Previously, Mr. Knapper worked at US embassies in Seoul, South Korea, Baghdad, Iraq and Japan, and the US State Department’s Office of Indian Affairs and Japan Affairs.

From 2004 to 2007, he was a counselor for political affairs at the US Embassy in Hanoi and is fluent in Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese. Mr. Knapper graduated from Princeton University and holds a master’s degree from the US Army War College, which offers postgraduate training for military officers and elite citizens to prepare them for duties and leadership positions. high level. He has also received many awards, such as the Foreign Minister’s Excellence Award, the Foreign Ministry’s Linguist of the Year Award, and the Presidential Distinguished Excellence Award.

The decision to officially appoint the ambassadors nominated will be effective after being approved by the US Senate.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink will become Assistant Secretary of State in charge of East Asia and Pacific Affairs.