Ngụy Như Kon Tum: The first Vietnamese Master of Physics

Professor Ngụy Như Kon Tum was a pioneering Vietnamese physicist and educator who served as the president of a leading Vietnamese university for 26 years. Born in 1913, he was the first Vietnamese person to earn a Master of Physics, achieving this distinction at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

While conducting doctoral research under the guidance of the renowned French physicist F. Joliot-Curie, the outbreak of World War II and the requisitioning of his laboratory prompted him to return to Vietnam in late 1939. His decision followed advice from Joliot-Curie, who suggested that his home country needed him more than France.

Throughout his career, Professor Kon Tum was recognized not only for his academic leadership but also for his dedication to his students and the development of higher education in Vietnam, even during periods of conflict.