Nguyen Cong Tieu (1892-1976)

Nguyen Cong Tieu was a native of Tra Bo village, Phan Sao Nam commune in Phu Cu district. During his childhood, he studied Chinese characters and when he grew up, he learned the national language. His scientific research career deeply involved lives of rural people and agricultural production. He called himself Minh Nong, which meant a cock waking up people for work in the early morning.

Nguyen Cong Tieu graduated the College of Agriculture and Forestry in 1912. Phu Cu district and other districts across the Luoc river of Thai Binh province were home to water hyacinths. With his broad scientific knowledge and deep understanding of the reality of rural people’s production, he wrote an article about water hyacinths and sent it to the Open Pacific Science Conference. The article was printed in the summary records of the conference, which were sent to academies of sciences.

Nguyen Cong Tieu was the only Vietnamese member of the Indochina Scientific Research Association. He was the founder of the Science Journal (1931). This journal was published until August 1941 when its publication was suspended. He focused his efforts on scientific research and spreading the scientific knowledge about plants, especially water hyacinths. Some of his works include Secrets of water hyacinths (1934) and A study of water hyacinths (1934). He carried out research on the plants listed in “Wonders of Universe” (1929).

As a scientist, he traveled to many places in the world. Whenever he came, he always looked for plants that can be grown in his country. He carried out research on plants and generated new varieties. He also studied techniques for protection against harmful insects. He gave presentations about water hyacinths and “duc de” fish (a kind of fish that damages dykes), at tropical and sub-tropical agronomy conference in the 1930’s and presented a kind of leaves to control these fish. He found out how to tan snake skin, to colour glass and make perfume from plants.

As he focused his whole eyesight on observation and scientific research on microscope, he lost his sight gradually and became blind at the age of 50. He started to read and write with raised letters on hardcover. He became the head of the blind people’s association and made many efforts to promote the use of raised letters among the blind.

Due to spending much time on fieldwork and having good memory, despite his old age and blindness, he continued scientific research. He had his secretary write the book "The wild tree shows the wild land". It lists 171 kinds of plants, with Vietnamese name and scientific name...

Nguyen Cong Tieu died in 1976 at the age of 84.