Dr Ho has been a familiar face in prominent Vietnamese media and the press. They feature her as a pioneer female scientist who is pursuing a research career in green technologies, including fuel cells and green hydrogen. Research on green technologies enables her to find new means for renewable and clean energy, resulting in the reduction in fossil fuel assumption that is the major driver of climate change. When reflecting on her decision to pursue this research stream, Dr Ho shared that only a few professors supported her research passion on cell fuel and green hydrogen at the beginning because these research areas were new and not familiar at that time.

After finishing her Ph.D. program at the Taiwan University of Science and Technology, she decided to return to Vietnam. It was a tough decision, according to her reflection. Indeed, she was an accomplished young researcher with patent applications, so there were numerous career opportunities open for her abroad. In addition, there were many obstacles to carrying out her research on green technologies in Vietnam at that moment because of the need for more research facilities and support. However, she has never regretted her decision to return to Vietnam and continue pursuing research on clean energy. Together with the global movement toward sustainability and a low-carbon economy, Vietnam has especially paid attention to green technologies and clean energy in recent years. As a result, Dr. Ho’s research stream has become the pillar of the country and international community to decarbonize and combat climate change.

Thanks to the courage that she has shown to overcome enormous barriers when pursuing research on green technologies and clean energy, she has been recognized with different prestigious awards, including the L’Oreal – UNESCO for Women in Science International Awards of the Year of 2019. Dr Ho was among the top 23 of the 100 Asian scientists in 2020. Asian Scientist Magazine voted on the list. Two years later, the UNESCO and the L’Oreal Foundation recognized her with the World Talented Young Scientist Award of the Year of 2022. Thanks to her inspiring and uplifting career, Dr. Ho was invited to be one of the keynote speakers at a prominent show called Cất Cánh, hosted by VTV1 (Vietnam Television).

Author:Bao Hoang, Ph.D.