Lê Văn Thiêm facts for kids

Lê Văn Thiêm (born March 29, 1918, died July 3, 1991) was a very important Vietnamese scientist. Many people call him, along with Hoàng Tụy, the "father of Vietnamese mathematics." He was the first person to lead the Vietnam Institute of Mathematics. He also served as the first headmaster of two big universities: the Hanoi National University of Education and the Hanoi University of Science.

Biography

Early Life and Education

Lê Văn Thiêm was born in 1918 in a place called Trung Lễ Commune. This was in Hà Tĩnh Province, Vietnam. He came from a family where people valued learning. He was the youngest of 13 children!

When his parents passed away in 1930, he moved to live with his older brother. He went to school in Quy Nhơn. Thiêm was really good at science and math. He finished a 9-year education in just four years. This is like finishing all of elementary and high school quickly.

After that, he went to the University of Indochina. At that time, the university did not offer math courses. So, he studied Physics, Chemistry, and Biology instead.

Studies Abroad

In 1939, Thiêm did very well on his final exams. He earned a scholarship to study at a famous school in France. This school was called the École Normale Supérieure. His studies were paused because of World War II. He started again in 1941.

He earned his bachelor's degree in Mathematics in just one year. This usually takes three years! He then worked with Professor Georges Valiron. In 1945, he successfully defended his Ph.D. paper in Germany. A Ph.D. is a very high university degree.

After that, he moved to the University of Zurich in Switzerland. There, he worked with another famous mathematician, Rolf Herman Nevanlinna. His work in Paris and Zurich made him one of the best math researchers in the 1940s.

Return to Vietnam

In 1949, Hồ Chí Minh asked him to return to Vietnam. Thiêm came back to help his country. He worked in many science and government jobs in North Vietnam. In the mid-1950s, he became the headmaster of two important schools. These schools are now the Hanoi National University of Education and the Hanoi University of Science.

In the 1960s, he helped start two national high schools. These schools were for students who were very good at mathematics. They helped find and train young math talents in Vietnam.

In 1970, he became the first director of the Vietnam Institute of Mathematics. He also started two math journals. These journals were Acta Mathematica Vietnamica (in Latin) and Vietnam Journal of Mathematics (in English). He also hosted Neal Koblitz, another famous mathematician, for his talks in Vietnam.

Lê Văn Thiêm passed away in 1991 in Hồ Chí Minh City. He was 73 years old.

Public Recognition

Lê Văn Thiêm received many important awards for his work. These included:

• The 3rd degree Nation Liberation Decoration
• The 2nd degree Labor Decoration
• The 1st degree Independence Decoration
• The Hồ Chí Minh Award

A special scholarship for young Vietnamese math talents is named after him. This helps new students who are good at math. He was also the first modern Vietnamese mathematician to have a street named after him in Hanoi.