Morning June 10, 2020, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc visited at Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (VIASM).

Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Phuc chaired a working session with the Expert Team - Executive Board of the National Program for the Development of Mathematics (hereafter referred to in short as the NPDM) until 2020 on the Program activities in 2021 - 2030. The meeting attendees included Professor Ngo Viet Trung - President and Associate Professor Vu Hoang Linh - Secretary of the Vietnam Mathematical Society (VMS), Professor Ngo Bao Chau - Scientific Director of VIASM (joined online from Chicago, USA), Mathematicians in the Expert Team - Executive Board of the Maths Program (Associate Professor Thai Thuan Quang attended online from Quy Nhon University), representatives of Department of Science, Technology, and Environment, Ministry of Education and Training, PhD. Tran Nam Tu and VIASM Board of Directors.

Based on the achievements and results of the NPDM during the 2010-2020 period, all members confirmed the necessity to continue implementing the NPDM in the period 2021-2030. Speaking about the strategy and orientation of the NPDM for the period 2021-2030, Professor Ngo Bao Chau said that even though in recent period, Vietnam Mathematics has made great progress but is also facing enormous challenges, requiring practical solutions to ensure sustainable development. In particular, we should pay attention to solutions for the new high school education program, higher education, towards the development of Applied Mathematics and Industrial Mathematics. We should focus on improving the quality and strong application of mathematical tools in other science and technology fields.

Under direct leadership of Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Phuc, members of the Expertise Team - Executive Board of the Maths Program have openly exchanged and contributed details on the objectives, tasks, and solutions of the NPDM period 2021 - 2030. In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution as well as the implementation of the new general education program, the role of Mathematics is becoming more important, with a direct effect on improving the economy's competitiveness. Therefore, it is necessary to concentrate on investment and support for building and improving human resources in Mathematics, especially Applied Mathematics and Statistics. Therefore, the continued implementation of the NPDM in the 2021 - 2030 period is extremely necessary, with new goals and focus relevant to the practical situation, but still aiming to sustainably build high-quality human resources in Mathematics.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Phuc - Chief Executive of NPDM period 2010-2020 confirmed that this is a very important program that leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training highly support. Because the role and importance of Mathematics in science and life can not be simply measured by products such as articles, topics, but actually Mathematics has a great impact, though sometimes not clearly shown externally, to all other scientific and technological fields. Therefore, developing Mathematics also contributes to build a solid foundation for science. To be able to build and successfully implement the NPDM in the period of 2021 - 2030, it is necessary to have collective efforts of the whole Mathematics community. Based on the comments, VIASM and the Department of Science, Technology and Environment urgently completes the Draft of NPDM 2021 - 2030 for the Ministry of Education and Training to submit to the Government right in June 2020.

On this occasion, the Deputy Minister visited the Institute's new headquarters at 157 Pho Chua Lang Street, Dong Da, Hanoi. Talking with officials and researchers working at the Institute, the Deputy Minister congratulated VIASM for initially establishing a spacious facility, creating favourable conditions for scientists from different regions of the country to come and work, focusing on scientific research. It is hoped that VIASM will develop the achieved results and continue to play the role of "the common home of Vietnam Mathematics".

The NPDM 2010-2020 period was approved by the Prime Minister on August 17, 2010, under Decision No. 1483/ QĐ-TTg. The objective of the Program is to find breakthrough solutions to develop strong Vietnam Mathematics in all aspects: research, application, and teaching, both in quantity and quality, commensurate with Vietnamese intellectual potential, meeting the country's development needs in various fields such as science, technology, education and training, economics and reinforce defense; To strive by 2020, our country's mathematics may rank among the advanced countries in the world; Ensuring Vietnam's Mathematics develop sustainably, creating a basis for strong Mathematics in the next stage of our country's development. This is the first national key program specifically issued for the Mathematics field. Accordingly, the Ministry of Education and Training is the executing agency for the Program implementation; VIASM is responsible for operating the Program.