Conquer the challenge

Recently, Nguyen Van Trung, a former student of The University of Da Nang (UD), an engineer at Vietjet Airlines, clearly demonstrated his expertise and technical skills in handling and updating emergency software during the "32-hour Airbus A320 rescue operation".

Earlier, at 11 PM on November 28th (Vietnam time), Airbus issued an emergency warning, and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) immediately required all A319, A320, and A321 aircraft to update or replace their ELAC (Electronic Altitude and Direction Control) software before 6:59 AM on November 30th to ensure flight safety. This was because the software could be affected by solar radiation interference, causing the aircraft to "plunge"—a fault that previously forced an A320 in the US to make an emergency landing.

EASA then announced that from 6:59 AM on November 30th, almost 32 hours later, aircraft that had not updated their software would not be allowed to take off. Nearly 6,000 aircraft worldwide were affected, including 69 Vietjet and 18 Vietnam Airlines aircraft in Vietnam.

On the night of November 28th, Da Nang had 5 aircraft requiring immediate maintenance, and on the morning of November 29th, another 4 were added. According to Airbus instructions, each aircraft needed 2-3 hours for a software update, but in Da Nang, Vietjet engineer Nguyen Van Trung, with over 15 years of experience, completed all procedures in a record time of just 45 minutes. This reduction in maintenance time from 3 hours to 45 minutes is considered a "record-breaking collaborative technology and engineering campaign in the history of Vietnamese aviation engineering," said Mr. To Viet Thang, Deputy General Director of Vietjet.

Engineer Nguyen Van Trung shared that in the aviation industry, every moment is precious because a technical decision can affect the safety of millions of passengers. Therefore, this profession requires a thorough understanding of every technical detail and mastery of high-tech processes. This is not like pressing an update button on a laptop or phone, but requires performing a series of complex, interconnected operations with absolute precision, tailored to the specific situation and configuration of each aircraft.

Thanks to years of diligent study and passionate research in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Science and Technology (DUT) - UD has accumulated and honed the skills and qualities necessary for engineer Trung to master modern technology and solve high-level technical problems.

Creative spirit

A graduate of the Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications, UD-DUT, former student Nguyen Bao Anh made his mark by successfully designing a 3nm Multidie chip with his colleagues at Synopsys. This product was introduced to the public by Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger at the "Intel Innovation - 2023" event. This is IP Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express (UCIe) PHY technology designed by Synopsys Vietnam. With over 20 years of pursuing his passion for semiconductor chips, and having previously served as the Technical Director of Synopsys Danang, Nguyen Bao Anh has now successfully started his own business as the Chairman and General Director of Mixel Vietnam.

According to former student Nguyen Bao Anh, the aspiration to "pave the way" in the semiconductor chip field has helped young Vietnamese engineers strive to integrate deeply into global production networks and supply chains. Previously, foreign experts assigned tasks to Vietnamese teams; now, Vietnamese team leaders have been assigned tasks to engineers from other countries. This force is the core and pioneer contributing to the development of the country's promising semiconductor chip industry.

Persistent research, entrepreneurship

One of the first Vietnamese scientists, along with colleagues at the University of British Columbia (Canada), to successfully develop and apply an advanced expandable battery is Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Tan, a former student of the Vietnam-France High-Quality Engineering Program (PFIEV) at UD-DUT. 

According to Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Tan, this type of battery has a long lifespan (up to more than 2 years compared to conventional batteries which only last a few weeks to a few months); and it can be machine washed up to 39 times without affecting its quality. The materials used to manufacture the expandable battery are zinc and manganese oxide with a low-concentration salt solution and neutral pH, making it safer than the components of conventional lithium-ion batteries, avoiding the risk of fire and explosion, and not producing toxic substances (in case of breakage or leakage), thus not affecting the health of users.

Currently, many corporations are collaborating to develop wearable technology applications (devices worn on the body with integrated microprocessors) with various products such as: heart rate monitors, fetal monitoring belts, sweat analyzers for people with diabetes, smart clothing for athletes, etc.

Other exemplary alumni of UD who have pioneered in technology and achieved successful startups include: Mr. Pham Nhu Anh - General Director of Military Bank (MB), a former student of the University of Economics - UD who not only pioneered the development of digital banking for MB but also supported the university in building the "DUE Digital Hub" for students to experience financial technology.

Another example is young CEO Le Anh Tien, who successfully started his business with Chatbot Vietnam Technology Joint Stock Company with "breakthrough" products such as: the MultiGlass smart glasses project, Chatbot technology (serving APEC Vietnam 2017); and automated sales bot technology using AI Commerce platform (serving over 60,000 businesses, ranking among the top in Southeast Asia). Le Anh Tien has won many prestigious awards: Champion of the "National Innovation Startup Talent"; Top 500 "Promising Global Startups", "Outstanding Young Entrepreneur"...

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, President of UD, it is a source of pride that wherever you go in the Central and Central Highlands regions and throughout the country, you can find successful alumni of UD holding key positions in agencies, organizations, businesses, and schools; participating in almost all major national projects.

This great honor opens up new opportunities, but it also comes with great responsibility, as the UD has just been selected by the Central Steering Committee on Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation as one of four universities to receive key investment, serving as a model for the Vietnamese higher education system. This is the "lever" for the UD to continue nurturing new generations of students, contributing to breakthroughs in training, science, and technology.

UD Media