16/12/2025
💖Some reflections shared by Nguyen Toan Thang after taking part in relief efforts to support flood-affected communities in Khanh Hoa:
“These past few days (November 24-25), I temporarily left the VinUni Lab to visit the people of Nha Trang ward, Khanh Hoa.
Standing in the midst of the devastation after the storm, what haunted me was not only the terrible devastation of nature, but also the eyes and smiles of the people here. They lost a lot, their houses were devastated, but strangely, they still welcomed our group warmly, with firm handshakes and an extraordinary spirit of optimism. I came to contribute a small part, but it was those people who taught me a great lesson about the will to live.
As a researcher at COSMOS, I suddenly realized: Science or research, if it only exists on paper or on a computer, is meaningless. I do science not only to satisfy my passion, but also for these flesh-and-blood people.
Thanks to the trip with Ms. Phan Thi Thuc Anh (Vice Principal of VinUni), Mr. Dinh Van Dung, Ms. Bui Thu Dung, Mr. Cong (Nha Trang University), colleagues and stakeholders for allowing me to touch this stark but humane reality. I promise myself that the upcoming research or policies will have to be more practical, to somehow protect people from the wrath of heaven and earth.”
