Dr Nguyen Van Khai, known in Vietnam as the “Ozone man” because he initiated the use of ozone technology in Vietnam, lives in a 70 square meter house in a densely populated quarter of Hanoi, where he grows vegetables and raises fowl. He believes that he is one of the richest man on the planet.

People call you “Ozone man”. Why?

In January 2003, I went to Ha Giang province to help farmers fight against sowbug which was destroying their  maize. When I came to the commune’s people’s committee, the children exclaimed “The ozone man!”

In April 2003, when I came to Bac Ha district to help farmers preserve their tea leaves? Trees? and plums, I saw the children who suffered from efflorescence on their heads and I washed their hair with ozone water. When children saw me, they would say: “Ozone man, please give us ozone water”.

You have two patents on laser receiver, but it seems that people do not know about this?

I was jobless when I was 35. It was because the job was not highly appreciated in Vietnam. Then I had to look for away to earn my living. And I realized that farmers needed help so I have been trying to help them. In late 1999, when the severe flood occurred, together with the university students, I helped clean 9 million liters of water.

Why do you have such a deep sympathy for farmers?

I think I need to help farmers because they are poor. If buffaloes, fowls and pigs do not die in winter, they will give birth to calves, and farmers will be able to sell them???. If animals die, people will remain poor. I’mthere to help farmers any time they need me.

People think that scientists are always poor. Are you poor or rich?

What do you mean by “poor”? When I help farmers get bountiful crops, they give me a lot of things as presents. They do not have much money, but they treat me well. They invite me to enjoy delicious meals and travel to the most beautiful places. Therefore, I am rich.

I do not have enough money to open a laboratory, but I can work in any laboratory in Vietnam, because I am welcomed there.

How about power?

“Eating too much will make you die early, playing too much will make you corrupted”. I think so. Honestly , I wish to see my neighbors getting richer. This way they will not look at me with envious eyes. This will be good for both them and myself. For example, if they get richer, they will not use coal to do their cooking and so the environment will not be so polluted and we will be healhier.

,What is you joy then?

I have no big joy. I only have small joys. I rejoice when I see farmers’ thoughts change, when houses appear on streets, and especially when children can go to school. My biggest sorrow is that there are still many issues with the quality of education. The multiple choice testing makes students lazier.

So what would you suggest to improve the education?

The most important thing in teaching is to help students enjoy studying. When I was a teacher, I always asked students to do experiments themselves. As they could do experiments themselves, they could understand the lessons better.

I think that the physics science in Vietnam is deteriorating. But to develop our economy, we need to develop sciences and technologies.

The ozone technology has been applied widely. What will be your next plan?

I plan to clean the environment and the atmosphere. I will continue my efforts so that all schools can have good textbooks and basic equipments to conduct classroom experiments.

Source: VnExpress