Viet Nam should strenthen cooperation in R&D with India

A special affection for India

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Chau, former Director of the Southern Fruit Research Institute, pursued both his master’s and PhD studies in India nearly 40 years ago. He recalled that in 1987, he was sent to India to undertake a master’s program in plant physiology at the Department of Plant Physiology of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI). In 1989, he completed his master’s degree and continued on to doctoral studies at ICAR-IARI, earning his PhD in plant physiology in 1992.

His time studying in India left Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Chau with many beautiful memories, especially of his Indian professors and classmates. He noted that both his teachers and friends shared a common trait of deep affection for Vietnamese people, always treating Vietnamese students with warmth and sincerity.

His professors often invited Vietnamese students to their homes for meals to help ease homesickness. Indian classmates from various states across the country would also share traditional dishes from their hometowns.

In particular, Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Chau was deeply impressed by India’s policy of fully waiving tuition fees for Vietnamese students. He regarded this as a noble gesture by India, especially at a time when poverty was still widespread in the country.

Such support from the Government of India created opportunities for many Vietnamese agricultural scientists to pursue studies in India over several decades. During his tenure as Director of the Southern Fruit Research Institute, Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Chau also recommended and facilitated many scientists from the institute to study in India. To this day, India continues to offer numerous scholarships for Vietnamese students.

After decades of service, Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Chau successfully fulfilled his duties as a scientist and as the first Director of the Southern Fruit Research Institute before retiring. He continues to hold fond memories of India and of his professors and classmates from nearly 40 years ago during his studies there.

Cooperation in agricultural education and scientific research

Speaking about Indian agriculture, Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Chau highly appreciated the country’s efforts in training high-quality human resources and conducting agricultural scientific research.

India provides highly specialized training for agricultural scientists and professionals. For example, the country has a dedicated university for vegetables, flowers, and fruits. Those who wish to pursue in-depth studies in horticulture can apply directly to this institution. In addition, most agricultural universities in India also have a faculty specializing in vegetables, flowers, and fruits.

At the postgraduate level, students and researchers are trained in very specific disciplines such as entomology, nematology, plant physiology, genetics, soil physics, and others, with in-depth specialization introduced from theoretical foundations rather than only during thesis work. As a result, India has developed a large pool of highly skilled experts across various specialized fields.

In agricultural research, India has developed a system of specialized research institutes dedicated to key commodities, such as institutes for rice research, spice crops, and mushrooms. These institutes play a crucial role in promoting the development of India’s major agricultural products.

Indian agricultural science closely follows the latest advances in agricultural research from the U.S. - one of the world’s leading countries in agricultural science and technology. Publications on newly released scientific achievements in the U.S. are quickly reissued in India shortly afterward, at significantly lower prices than in the U.S.. This helps scientists, researchers, and students gain easier access and promptly update global trends and breakthroughs in agricultural research.

From India’s outstanding strengths in agriculture, Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Chau noted that within the cooperation framework between Vietnam and India, the two sides could further enhance collaboration and exchange in agricultural human resource training and scientific research. This would contribute to promoting agricultural development in both countries, which share many similarities in agricultural production systems.