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Since 6am this morning (August 20), thousands of people have come to Can Tho City Funeral Home to burn incense and pay their last respects to Professor Vo Tong Xuan.
On the morning of August 19, Prof. Dr. Vo Tong Xuan, Vietnam’s leading expert in the field of agriculture, passed away at the age of 84. The Professor’s coffin was then taken to the Can Tho City Funeral Home (No. 30A, Mau Than Street, Ninh Kieu District).
Mr. Vo Tong Xuan was born in Ba Chuc town, Tri Ton district, An Giang province. He is a Vietnamese scientist who has received many titles and major awards domestically and internationally.
The funeral committee includes representatives of the An Giang Provincial People’s Committee, Can Tho City People’s Committee, Can Tho University and many departments and branches of An Giang province.
Mr. Le Van Nung, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People’s Council of An Giang province (standing in the middle), Head of the funeral committee came to pay his respects and wrote in the condolence book: “Deeply mourning Mr. Vo Tong Xuan – a son of An Giang homeland, a talented and intelligent party member and scientist…”.
Mr. Tran Viet Truong, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Can Tho City, wrote in the condolence book: “The delegation of civil servants of the City People’s Committee deeply mourns the passing of Hero of Labor, People’s Teacher, Professor, Dr. Vo Tong Xuan – an outstanding scientist, a devoted teacher, a sincere friend of millions of Vietnamese farmers! We respectfully bid farewell to him with infinite sorrow.”
The delegation of Ho Chi Minh City National University and An Giang University led by Mr. Vo Van Thang – Rector of An Giang University came to pay their respects and express condolences to the family and relatives. Mr. Vo Tong Xuan was the Rector of An Giang University from 1999 to 2007.
Mr. Hua Chu Khem (73 years old) is a former student of the Professor. Hearing the news of his teacher’s death, he and more than 20 students over the age of 70 came to pay their respects early, hoping to say goodbye to their respected teacher for the last time.
“Professor Xuan taught us many subjects, mainly about rice plants. Throughout the course of our studies, he was always attentive and taught with great enthusiasm. He passed away peacefully, and generations of students will forever miss him,” Mr. Khem said sadly.
Ms. Truong Kim Ngan (49 years old) – a specialist of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Can Tho University, emotionally shared a photo taken at Professor Vo Tong Xuan’s house 27 years ago. “That year, I was a student of the 22nd course, Faculty of Pedagogy of the university, and was instructed by the teacher himself. He was very knowledgeable, his teaching method was close and easy to understand,” Ms. Ngan recalled.
Farmer Ngo Minh Giau (62 years old, living in Ke Sach district, Soc Trang province) heard about the Professor’s death and went to the funeral home yesterday afternoon. Mr. Giau knew the Professor since 2015, when he attended a conference in Lai Vung district (Dong Thap province). Attending the conference, he brought longan fruit and was praised by Mr. Vo Tong Xuan, who encouraged him to produce organic agriculture.
“The following year, Professor Xuan came to the farm to find me and give me instructions on how to care for plants in the direction of clean agriculture. While I was nurturing a project to produce about 200 hectares of organic agriculture in Hau Giang province, the Professor passed away,” Mr. Giau confided.
Professor Vo Tong Xuan’s coffin will be buried in his hometown of Ba Chuc town, Tri Ton district, An Giang province. In the photo, people are crying when visiting the Professor. Photo: Pham Trung
