Mathematician from Hanoi
About one thousand of foreigners study at Moscow Aviation Institute. Following them, a number of scientists from various countries all over the world joined our faculty. We interviewed Ha Manh Thang who specialized in sensory technologies.
The Vietnamese authorities pay attention to policy towards young people. They have made a bet on fostering technical thinking for schoolchildren and students. Many young Vietnamese are are really keen on mathematical Olympiads. Strong mathematical skills (as well as skills in programming and English language) have become a key factor for making good career, allowing young people to enter the best universities in Vietnam or go to study abroad.
Having graduated from Le Quy Don Technical University in Hanoi, Ha Manh Thang applied to Ph.D. program at LETI Electrotechnical University in Saint Petersburg. Having successfully completed the program he joined the faculty of Moscow Aviation Institute. Now he teaches a course on Control Systems and Information Processing and is also responsible for intercommunion between our university and LQDTU.
Vietnam is one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, with more than 100 million of the population that constantly increases.
This long and coastal country is located on the eastern Indochina Peninsula having more than 3000 kilometers in length. High river density and landscape roughness make it difficult to build rail or highway networks so air transportation seems like the most efficient kind of transport and has widened in the last few years, having about 20% annual growth.
Recently, in addition to state-controlled Vietnam Ailines, a new private company VietJetAir has appeared. Also, Vietnam has sent several satellites to space orbit and, according to the national media news, develops its own launch vehicle.
Tech Cultural Revolution
Highly qualified engineering team is a keystone of any prospective aerospace program. The Government of Vietnam actively supports talented students and graduates, granting them scholarship for full-degree programs in the universities located in the United States, Europe and Russia. Ha Manh Thang has been interested in Russian culture from an early age. His father, a jet propulsion engineer, was taught by Russians in Hanoi years ago.
The Vietnamese people have had a special attitude towards Russia because about 50% of Vietnam infrastructure (hydroelectric plants, roads, factories) has been built under the guidance of Soviet engineers; all those objects are still in service.
Friends of Ha Manh Thang, who have also been fond of mathematics, went to the countries of the West — Great Britain of France.
«They have higher salaries, sure, but my love for Russian culture is stronger than love for money», — Ha Manh Thang said ironically.
"The Vietnamese usually study hard,"—Yuriy Sledkov, Dean of Faculty of Control Systems, Computer Science and Power Engineering commented,—"They often receive awards at various Olympiads. Vietnamese students are more persistent that gives them an advantage."
Young Vietnamese choose studying abroad in order to comprehend better the thought pattern of their foreign colleagues. Technical design works is a very complicated process; so they need to collaborate with international partners.
"Russians are one of the greatest nations in Europe,"— Ha Manh Thang said,—"Since the Napoleonic Wars they has dominated in world politics as well as in high technologies. Russian machines and devices are incredibly reliable. They can work for decades although they are not as compact as ones made in Asia."
Arriving in Russia, any foreigner needs to understand the features of local culture in order to communicate correctly with the natives. Within afew years, Ha Manh Thang made many friends in Moscow and Saint Petersburg that allowed him to get used quickly to living in Russia.
At Moscow Aviation Institute, Ha Manh Thang teaches a sensory technologies course . He plans to stay in Russia for five years or more, write some manuals on teaching methods, and gain a degree of Associate Professor.
