Geneva (VNA) – Working at one of the world’s largest and most respected centres for scientific research, a Vietnamese female scientist is positive about changes at home, particularly when seeing young people value Vietnam's vast traditional culture.
Pham Le Thu Ha, or Joni Pham, is a PhD student from the University of Melbourne and a physicist at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. CERN is home to the world's largest particle accelerator. It is renowned for its groundbreaking scientific discoveries and its goal of unraveling the mysteries of the universe such as dark matter and dark energy, while affirming the role of science in promoting peace in a world filled with turmoil.
Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Geneva on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11), Joni shared that in addition to her professional work, she also manages community outreach activities for the ATLAS experiment and other communication and educational initiatives related to CERN Science Gateway.
“Alongside my main job, I am very interested in introducing people to the ATLAS experiment being conducted at CERN. This work focuses on developing particle collision events, and through this, I find greater motivation and meaning in my research project,” she said.
In 2024, the scientist helped introduce the Vietnamese Mission in Geneva to CERN. During this visit, she described her work in detail and shared her passion for science.
She said that her passion for science is sparked by a curiosity to explore, noting she loves the world that is inaccessible and invisible to the naked eye such as atoms and subatomic particles.
She added during her recent return to Vietnam, she found it interesting to witness many changes at home. “I left Vietnam when many foreign brands, and chains like Starbucks began entering Vietnam and have now caught the eye of local youth. Vietnamese restaurants also followed trends in the US and the Republic of Korea” Joni said.
However, returning Vietnam after nearly a decade, Joni is happy to see purely Vietnamese brands emerge, with decor and culinary styles rich in national identity. Coffee chains like Cong have recreated the lives of previous generations with images that are very familiar and heartwarming for families.
In Ho Chi Minh City, many coffee shops have opened in old apartment buildings, recreating scenes from over half a century ago. This shows that the youth are increasingly appreciative of cultural and historical values, Joni opined.
She noted that she saw many young people choose drinks like egg coffee, salted coffee, coconut milk coffee, or tropical fruit teas which embody a distinctly Vietnamese style. Small cafes, not belonging to any brand chain, also express themselves uniquely, for examples, roasting coffee on-site, guiding and introducing tourists to local coffee varieties and various brewing methods. Some places even hold workshops on coffee or Vietnamese tea culture for foreign visitors to learn, enjoy, and experience the country's culinary culture.
Through these fresh experiences at home, Joni said she is delighted to see a promising signal for sustainable tourism and economic development from the youth, through their awareness of protecting nature and the environment and their efforts to preserve and promote cultural and historical values./.
