Hoang Thi Than facts for kids

Hoàng Thị Thân was born in 1944 in Phú Cường, South Vietnam. She is a very important person because she was the first woman to graduate with a degree in Geological Engineering from Laval University in Quebec, Canada. She was also the first female Vietnamese geological engineer and archeologist. She is also known as a boat person, which means she left Vietnam by boat during a difficult time.

Her Early Life and Studies

Growing Up in Vietnam

Hoàng Thị Thân grew up in Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh City). Her father was from North Vietnam, and her mother was from Central Vietnam. She went to elementary school at Da Kao and high school at Gia Long. Both of these were schools just for girls. In 1964, after finishing high school, she started college at the University of Đà Lạt.

Studying in Canada

In 1965, Hoàng Thị Thân received a special scholarship from the Canadian government to study at Laval University in Quebec. She could choose from subjects like chemistry, electricity, geology, and mechanics. She chose geology. However, Laval University only offered geological engineering. This meant she was the only woman in her class, with 12 young men.

It was a big challenge! She had a very busy schedule and had to learn two new languages, French and English. Also, at that time, Canadian mining laws stopped women from working in mines. This meant she couldn't do practical training there. But after four years of hard work, she became the first woman to graduate from the Geological Engineering Department at Laval University.

Her Work as a Geologist and Archeologist

Working in Vietnam

In June 1969, Hoàng Thị Thân returned to Vietnam. A few months later, she started working at the Geological Survey of Saigon. This was part of the Ministry of Economy. Two French expert geologists helped her there. One took her to different places to teach her about Vietnam's geology. The other taught her how to study minerals using X-rays.

One of these experts, Henri Fontaine, later became her advisor for her advanced degree. She studied the different types of clays found in southern Vietnam. She also looked into how these clays could be used in industries, like making porcelain or ceramic products, bricks, and roof tiles. She used a special machine called a diffractometer to analyze many clay samples.

She also discovered something new in Vietnam: a special type of clay called bentonite. She found it in different areas like Di Linh, Bảo Lộc, and Tuy Hoà. Her studies helped people understand more about Vietnam's natural resources.

Discovering Ancient History

Hoàng Thị Thân often joined Dr. Henri Fontaine on his archeological trips. Archeology is the study of human history through digging up old things. In 1971, they found and dug up an ancient burial site at Phú Hoà. This site was about 500 years old and belonged to the Sa Huynh culture. By studying this site, Hoàng Thị Thân became the first Vietnamese woman archeologist!

From 1972 to 1974, she also taught at two universities, one in Huế and another in Cần Thơ.

Changes in Vietnam

In May 1975, the government in South Vietnam changed. Hoàng Thị Thân, like many others, had to attend short political re-education courses. For four years after this, she couldn't do much of her usual research work, except for some short trips with new colleagues.

A New Life in France

Leaving Vietnam

In May 1979, Hoàng Thị Thân decided to leave Vietnam by boat. She left her family with only a small bag. After a few days, her boat arrived in southern Malaysia. She helped other people on the boat by being an interpreter, and she was chosen as the leader of her boat and the whole camp, which had about a thousand people.

Later, everyone moved to another camp in Mersing, where about three thousand refugees lived in an old football field. It was very crowded. One day, a French group visited the camp. Even though she didn't ask for anything for herself, they offered to take her to France. She was surprised but accepted, even though she had hoped to go back to Canada or join her brothers in the United States.

Starting Over in Paris

On August 31, 1979, she arrived in Paris with just her flip-flops, her bag, and a small amount of money. In October, she received a scholarship from the University of Paris (Sorbonne) to work on a new thesis. She joined the Albert de Lapparent Geological Institute and worked to get its X-ray lab working again.

On March 10, 1980, she started a new job at Cogéma, a large company that later became Areva. Even though her Canadian degree wasn't fully recognized in France at first, she was hired as an engineer. She worked as a documentary geologist, preparing weekly reports on specialized news. Later, she became an analyst for the metal market and then worked in financial strategy. She wrote many important reports on different topics.

After Retirement

Continuing Her Research

After she retired in 2009, Hoàng Thị Thân dedicated her time to research. She worked with her former thesis advisor, Dr. Henri Fontaine, and other geologists from France and Thailand. Together, they published eight scientific papers about the geology of Thailand.