Professor Dang Van Ngu

Professor Dang Van Ngu: Heroic Physician and Pillar of Vietnamese Medical Parasitology

Professor Dr. Dang Van Ngu (1910–1967) was one of the most distinguished scientists and medical parasitologists in Vietnam. He laid the foundation for medical parasitology in Vietnam, successfully produced Penicillin under harsh wartime conditions during the First Indochina War, and remains an enduring symbol of selflessness in service of national independence and public health.

1. Background and Academic Distinction (1910–1943)

• Early Life: Born on April 4, 1910, in An Cuu village, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue Province, he grew up in a studious farming family.

• Valedictorian Graduate: In 1937, he graduated valedictorian from the Indochina University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Hanoi. Upon graduation, he was retained as a teaching and research assistant to Professor Galliard (Head of the Parasitology Department).

• Early Scientific Achievements: Working in the Indochina Medical Laboratory, he published 19 internationally recognized scientific papers on parasitic fungi, mosquitoes, and vector-borne pathogens across Indochina, establishing his reputation as a brilliant young researcher.

2. International Research and Service to the Homeland (1943–1949)

• Research in Japan: In 1943, he was selected as a research scholar at Tokyo Imperial University in Japan, focusing his studies on microbiology and antibiotics.

• Penicillin Production in Wartime:

  • In 1945, he isolated a strain of Penicillium mold capable of producing Penicillin—the era's revolutionary "miracle drug" against bacterial infections.

  • In 1949, answering President Ho Chi Minh's call to serve the nation, he gave up a comfortable life in Japan and navigated strict blockades to bring his Penicillin mold strain to the Viet Bac resistance base during the war against French forces.

  • Operating in extremely primitive jungle conditions, he successfully formulated "Penicillin filtrate liquid," saving countless lives by effectively treating infected wounds among thousands of soldiers and civilians on the battlefield.

3. Founding Father of Parasitology and Epidemiology

• Establishing Academic Parasitology: Following the liberation of Hanoi in 1954, Professor Dang Van Ngu became the Head of the Department of Parasitology at Hanoi Medical University.

• Founding the National Institute of Malariology:

  • In 1957, he founded and served as the first Director of the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology, and Entomology (NIMPE).

  • He designed and led nationwide public health campaigns aimed at eradicating malaria, helminthiasis, and insect-borne infectious diseases across Vietnam.

4. Sacrifice on the Battlefield and Enduring Legacy

• Passing on the Truong Son Frontline (1967):

  • During the Vietnam War, severe malaria outbreaks severely compromised the operational strength of liberation forces along the Truong Son Trail and in the South.

  • Despite his advanced age and senior scientific standing, he volunteered to go directly to the fierce Tri-Thien battlefield (Route 9 - Northern Quang Tri) to conduct field research on malaria vaccines and local mosquito control methods.

  • On April 1, 1967, Professor Dang Van Ngu fell in action following a heavy air strike by U.S. forces at Ro Hill, Phong My Commune, Phong Dien District, Thua Thien Hue Province.

• Posthumous Honors:

  • The State posthumously awarded him the title Labor Hero and the inaugural Ho Chi Minh Prize in Science and Technology (1996).

  • Major avenues in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hue, alongside schools nationwide, bear his name. His son, People's Artist Dang Nhat Minh, is recognized as one of Vietnam's most iconic film directors.