Professor Vo Tong Xuan (Photo courtesy of Nam Can Tho University)

Vo Tong Xuan was born in 1940 in the southern province of An Giang. In 1961, he received a scholarship to study at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos. In 1966, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in agricultural chemistry and was accepted as a research fellow at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines.

In 1971, Vo Tong Xuan returned to Vietnam and worked at Can Tho University. He later earned his Ph.D. in Japan in 1975.

He is particularly known for his work from 1980 to 1985 in Vietnam, where he introduced rice varieties such as Than Nong, IR36 and MTL30, which became widely cultivated throughout the Mekong Delta provinces.

He compiled many valuable textbooks, books and reference materials serving agricultural production. Xuan was awarded an honorary title of Professor of Agronomy in 1980, Labour Hero in 1985, and People's Teacher in 1999. He was also elected a National Assembly deputy for three tenures.

Professor Vo Tong Xuan became the first Vietnamese scientist to win the VinFuture Prize for his work on "Invention and Dissemination of Disease-Resistant Rice Varieties". He was also bestowed with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by the Japanese government for his contribution in various fields.