Dao Hong Tuyen, Chair of Tuan Chau Group has expressed his willing to give Professor Ngo Bao Chau a villa worth three million dollars as a present. Dao Hong Tuyen, Chair of Tuan Chau Group, well-known in Vietnam as Tuan Chau Island’s “Lord”, has expressed his willing to give Professor Ngo Bao Chau, the Vietnamese mathematician who was recently awarded the Fields Medal, a villa worth three million dollars as a present.

Professor Ngo Bao Chau and Vietnamese students in India

Some days ago, before Professor Ngo Bao Chau was awarded the Fields Medal at the 2010 International Congress of Mathematics in India, local newspapers reported that Dao Hong Tuyen wanted to give Professor Chau a villa as a gift. Later, Professor Chau, officially refused the present on his blog, saying that he does not intend to receive gifts from individuals.

However, in a recent interview with Dan Viet newspaper on August 23, Tuyen said he still intends to give the villa to Professor Ngo Bao Chau. The offer originated from Tuyen’s admiration for Professor Ngo Bao Chau’s mathematical intelligence.

Talking to Dan Viet newspaper, Tuyen said: “I am an admirer of talent. I adore rare young talents like Professor Ngo Bao Chau.”

“I talked about my intentions with leaders in the Government. I said I wanted to give a villa worth three million dollars to Professor Ngo Bao Chau, either a villa on Tuan Chau or in Hanoi,” he added.

Tuyen hopes that the villa will be the place where Professor Ngo Bao Chau will stay when he returns to Vietnam and receives scientists from all over the world as guests.

Tuyen said he talked about his intentions with Professor Ngo Bao Chau twice. When Tuyen mentioned the villa offer, Professor Ngo Bao Chau said he thanked Tuyen and would think about how to use the gift. On August 12, when a Gala Dinner to raise a charity fund was organized during the Miss Vietnam pageant, Tuyen expressed his wish to invite Professor Chau to attend the Gala Dinner. It was expected that the Ngo Bao Chau Scholarship Fund would be launched at the Gala Dinner to encourage the study of mathematics.

However, Professor Ngo Bao Chau could not attend the event because he had to prepare for the trip to India to attend the International Congress of Mathematicians.

On August 13, Professor Chau was on the way to the airport when he called Tuyen and said he would not accept the present. After that, Chau officially refused the gift on his blog.

However, Tuyen said that he still intends to give the villa to Professor Ngo Bao Chau and that he hopes the professor will rethink the offer.

Regarding Professor Ngo Bao Chau’s working conditions, Tuyen said he personally thinks that it would be better for Chau to work overseas and spend a reasonable amount of time in Vietnam. “Professor Chau is a Vietnamese person and is grateful to his country,” he said.

In related news, the Ministry of Education and Training has officially proposed to award the Ho Chi Minh Medal to Professor Ngo Bao Chau.

The ministry has said that on August 28, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan, Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan, and excellent students will meet Professor Ngo Bao Chau at Noi Bai Airport. A ceremony to celebrate Professor Ngo Bao Chau’s Fields Medal will take place on August 29 at the National Convention Center.

Source: Dan tri, VietNamNet