Astronomy in Viet Nam
(Triennial report for IAU C46 Newsletter)
Nguyen Dinh Huan
Vice President of Vietnamese
Astronomical Society
Member IAU, Member of the TAD
Program Group for 2003-2006
I.Vietnamese Astronomy recived a many multi-national
support.
Several countries heve actively helped astronomy in
Viet Nam.
Vinh University received a 21 cm refractor telescope from
the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada with help of Prof.
A.
Batten,
and
three
telescopes
from
Nishi-Harima
Astronomical Observatory with help of Prof. T. Kogure. A
planetarium with capacity of 100 seats and a projector
received as Cultural Grant-in-Aid from Japan through the
support of Prof. Kitamura and Prof. T. Kogure. The HaNoi
Pedagogical University was received
a 40cm Meade Schmidt
Cassegrain telescopes (computer-controlled with a CCD ST-7)
and a 10cm Takahashi reflector with H-alpha filter with
help of Prof. Y. Kozai; a small solar radio intrferometer,
donated by Prof. Nguyen Quang Rieu. The Pedagogical
University in HoChiMinh city has received a 20cm telescope
and CCD through the support of Prof. Y. Kozai and Gunma
Observatory. A PC, printer, slide projector, many books,
journals were sent to many Universities in Viet Nam.
II. The IAU TAD program in Viet Nam.
In Viet Nam, TAD was carried during 1997 – 2004. The
main task for TAD has been to train the teacher of the ongroing astronomy course on the pedagogical universities.
“Teachers’
workshops”
gradually
introduced
up-to-date
astronomical topics and reviewed the associated physics. A
new text “Astrophysics”, printed in 2000 and re-published
first in 2002 and second in 2003, in Vietnamese and English
on facing pages and with books, journals, educational
softwares was main document for the teachers. Workshops
“Teaching of Astronomy” (1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004) were
intended
for
astronomy-teachers
at
universities,
for
graduate students who expect to start a career in astronomy
and for secondary school teachers with experience teaching
astronomy.
Vietnamese Astronomical Society hightly valued the
assistance of the IAU to the development of astronomy in
Viet Nam via TAD and other programs. Thanks to these
programs, some astronomers and teachers have opportunity to
study and to improve their knowledge. Universities received
many books, magazines and telescopes. Astronomical teaching
quality at universities has improved.
III. Astivities for astronomy development after the TAD.
Same universities in Ha Noi, Vinh, Qui Nhon, HoChiMinh
cities plan to build a curriculum of astrophysics courses
for students in physics who plan to start a career in
astronomy. This will be a compulsory curriculum for sush
students after the third year, when they have finished the
“Genaral Education”. Every year, each of universities will
select about 5 – 10 students to do research and write their
graduate theses in astronnomy.
Vietnamese astronomers write an astronomy textbook
appropriate for the course on the solar system to be
required in the 12th year of school in the natural sciences
branch of secondary schools.
Universities train future school astronomy teachers
provide
small
telescopes
for
observations,
carefully
selected
books,
journals
for
their
libraries,
and
effecctive
materials
for
audio-visual
and
hands-on
presentations. Universites acquire access the internet,
world wide web, so as do optimize this facility for aiding
Vietnamese Astronomy. Many uniersities has their website in
astronomy. Many astronomy-teachers from universities write
textbook, exercises and guide of practical observation for
their universities.
Published the Astronomical dictionary and Popular
Astronomy Bulletin.
Improving the activities of Vinh Planetarium with two
shows donated by Davis Planettarium (Baltimore, USA) and
many DVD vidios.
National professional worksop “ Astronomy and Culture”
was held in Ha Noi in order to disseminate astronomical
knowledge and dissipate the mysticism among the Vietnamese
people. Vietnamese Astronomical Society collaborate with
VTV3 of Vietnamese Television to carry out TV program on
Astronomy.
The
telescopes
in
Ha
Noi
and
HoChiMinh
city
universities provides a opportunity to impart to science
students the nature of science, the role of measurement,
and the need for judgment regarding the quality of data and
reliability of their interpretaton.
Vietnamese Astronomers select a few more of the best
students and send them abroad to study astronomy, towards
the M.Sc and Ph.D. Now, two young astronomers have receved
postdoctoral fellowship at University
Central Florida University, USA.
of
Notre
Dame
and