VietNamNet Bridge - "I have spent part of my life serving foreigners, and now, it is time to serve my compatriots", declared agriculturalist Doctor Nguyen Quoc Vong, a Vietnamese Australian, as he decided to leave Australia for Vietnam.

It has taken Doctor Nguyen Quoc Vong nearly 20 years to turn his wish of returning to Vietnam and contribute to national development into a reality.

In 1969, Vong left his native city of Hue for Japan to study with a hope of gaining useful knowledge to take home.

After successfully defending his doctorate thesis in agriculture in 1977, Vong stayed in Japan and worked for the Thakii Seeds Company where he recieved a high salary and kept a stable job. However, his passion to deepen his research in agriculture urged him to work as an assistant to Professor Muraka, chairman of Japan’s Planting Research Association, part of Japan’s Agricultural Institute.

Unfortunately, Japan at that time did not allow foreigners to work in state agencies, therefore, despite his great contributions, Vong could only serve as an assistant.

The decision to migrate to Australia in 1980 was a life changing experience. Setting foot in New South Wales, Vong was informed that the New South Wales’ Agriculture Ministry was looking for an expert in cross-breeding plants. Humorously, Doctor Vong missed out on the job due to being over-qualified. A week later, he was admitted by the same Ministry as a research specialist. It seemed that the Ministry had spotted him and had given him a more suitable job.

In 1996, the Australian government started to carry out programmes and support projects mapped out by developing countries, including Vietnam. These projects normally last 2 years.

Doctor Vong is in charge of a clean vegetables project in Vietnam. After two years, these projects can be continued with other related projects.

In a visit to Australia by a deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Doctor Vong was asked to develop a project for Vietnam. That project has been extended until today and Doctor Vong has turned his wish of contributing to his homeland into a reality after a long period of time spent working abroad.

Thanks to Vong’s initiatives, Asian fruits and vegetables have been produced in Australia and then exported to other potential markets such as Japan. Australia’s fruit and vegetable export turnover was AUS $55 million in 1995 and more than AUS $135 million in 2003. That impressive figure was due to Doctor Vong’s project. His efforts won him a very high salary. A rarity in Australia.

Doctor Vong’s fondest achievement was while he was doing research in Australia, he put the information to good use in terms fruit and vegetables for Vietnam. He always gets up-to-date information on Vietnamese agriculture from FAO’s website.

During his return to Vietnam in 1994, Vong wrote an article pointing out the disadvantages of rice mono-culture which was the main reason for crop pests and recommended the cultivation and vegetables and fruit for export.

Through Australia’s technical assistance, exchanges between Vietnamese and Australian experts taken in the two countries have helped both sides accumulate more practical experience. Experiments on producing clean safe vegetables have been carried out on a large scale in Vietnam.

Doctor Vong has spent more time working in Vietnam. He advised his second son who specializes in environmental concerns to make more of a contribution to the homeland in future.

His prime concern now is how to improve the infrastructure of Vietnam’s research institutes, so that doctors can bring their talents and experience to life after being trained in Australia.

(Source: CPV/TP)