Biography

Mr. Nguyen Doan Thang, born in 1943, is an Electrical engineer and has a Bachelor of Laws.

Having started work at Rang Dong Light Source and Vacuum Flask Joint Stock Company since 1981, he is now the company’s General Director and Director of the Lighting Research and Development Centre.

Mr. Thang is also the Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Lighting Association (VLA), Chairman of the Vietnam Energy Conservation & Efficiency in Lighting Association (VECEL); Standing member of the Hanoi Union of Science and Technology Association; Standing member of the Vietnam Automation Association (VAA) and Member of the Management Council of the Investment Fund Start up and Creation (BK-Fund), Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

Previously he was a member of the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) from 2014 to 2018.

During more than 40 years of working, he has made important contributions to developing the lighting technology, aiming for ‘High Efficiency, Energy Saving and Environment Protection’ in Vietnam in general, and advancing the successful transformation of Rang Dong's lighting in particular. The company has gone from production of traditional lighting with incandescent lapms and discharge lamps to applying new lighting technologies, namely solid lighting (known as SSL-LED in the 21st century lighting) and currently the I-4.0 LED lighting system and solutions (Smart Home, Smart City, Smart Farm).

In 2017, he compiled a report entitled “Proposal on the Roadmap for the Development of LED lighting industry to 2025” as part of the “Development and Promotion of LED technology for general lighting in Vietnam” project run by the Centre for High Technology Development – Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST). The report received all-round appreciation, contributing to the master plan for Vietnam’s LED lighting development.

With a prestigious reputation in the country’s lighting industry, Mr. Thang is an active promoter for multi- and inter-sectoral collaborations and linkages both at home and abroad. He has also established relationships with more than 45 Vietnamese and international organizations such as the International Solid State Lighting Alliance (ISA), Vietnam Lighting Association (VLA), Vietnam Energy Association (VEA), Vietnam Automation Association (VAA) as well as leading research institutes and universities in Vietnam.

Outstanding Contribution Brief              

1. Promoting the development of lighting technology with “High Efficiency, Energy Saving and Environment Protection” in Vietnam by hosting and coordinating the implementation of domestic and international scientific and technological projects and topics:

In the 2000 - 2020 period, Mr. Thang hosted and coordinated the implementation of more than 20 national and international topics/projects. Most of them have received appreciation by ministries, sectors, and agencies. The notable projects include:

(1) “Vietnam Energy Efficiency Public Lighting (VEEPL) funded by the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (GEF) and the World Bank (August 2006 - 2010).

(2) “Research and innovation in technology for manufacturing high-quality compact fluorescent lamps with a 10,000-hour lifespan” - Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam (Innovation Partnership Programme - IPP) (2012 - 2013)

(3) “Research, design and manufacture specialised lighting systems and build processes for using specialised lighting systems in the propagation and flowering control industry of some crops on an industrial scale" - Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam (December 2013 - August 2016);

(4) “Innovation/creativity to improve production capacity and develop distribution system of energy-saving, environmentally friendly LED technology lighting products towards low-income people” - Vietnam Business Challenge Fund (VBCF), funded by UK Aid and managed by SNV (January 2014 – December 2015);

(5) “Research and apply LED lights for seine fishing combined with lighting for offshore fishing” - Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) (October 2015 – April 2017);

(6) “Research and develop technology to produce, test and commercialise LED products used in high-tech agricultural artificial lighting in Vietnam’s market” – World Bank and Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam (November 2016 – June 2019);

(7) “Development and promotion of LED technology for General Lighting in Vietnam” - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/ Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (GEF) and Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) (2016 – 2018).

VBCF Project Closing Meeting

VBCF Project Closing Meeting

2. Promoting strongly the research and application of science and technology in the production process to create products with high added value.

In 2011, the Lighting R&D Centre was established, becoming the first interdisciplinary and specialised centre in Vietnam’s lighting industry. The facility gathers leading Vietnamese and foreign researchers and experts in many fields such as electronics, optics, mechanics, materials, chemistry, biology, agronomy, etc. The centre has since become the venue to gather research results, receive knowledge, and transfer scientific and technological knowledge in accordance with actual production conditions, as well as creating products with high added value, suitable for Vietnam’s context.

Notable results include:

(1) Mastering technology and successfully manufacturing 03 lighting systems using specialised compact fluorescent lamps in tissue culture of some crops, in chrysanthemum and dragon fruit production areas.

(2) Successful research and production of 08 types of LED lights in 06 specialised fields in high-tech agriculture and fisheries, which are suitable to Vietnam's agricultural conditions. Of which, 3 products are recognised as technical advances, including: LED.TL-T6- WFR/9W that controls dragon fruit flowering; Specialised LED lighting system for seine fishing combined with floating fishing light in offshore waters; LED system for fishing nets.

It brings high economic efficiency to people and society: i.e. energy saving (50%-80% compared to using traditional incandescent and fluorescent lamps), longer lifespan, and more convenient installation. In addition, the productivity and quality of crops, fruits, and fishing have been improved. Hence, productivity and added values for farmers and fishermen are achieved.

3. Promoting innovation, completing and developing the 4.0 product/service ecosystem

The establishment of LED Ecosystem 4.0 Development Centre, the New Idea Creation Centre and a Venture Capital Fund has laid the foundation for developing the “LED ecosystem 4.0” product, contributing to turning Rang Dong into a pioneering enterprise. It provides comprehensive and synchronous solutions based on core technologies of lighting and IoT, thus assisting the creation of smart homes, smart cities, high-tech agriculture, and precision agriculture in Vietnam.

Rang Dong's 4.0 product/service ecosystem takes the core technology of Lighting and IoT with 4 attributes: (i) intelligent; (ii) personalisation; (iii) platformisation and creation of data services; and (iv) co-creating, jointly adding value with customers and partners in the open business ecosystem.

Rang Dong's lighting solutions products have received the following awards:

(1) The 2^nd generation Rallismart Smart Home solution (Smart Home) won the “Vietnam Smart City 2020” Award.

(2) Smart City solution (providing smart lighting for streets and landscape architecture) won the “Vietnam Smart City 2021” Award.

(3) Smart Farm solution (involving high-tech agricultural lighting, precision agriculture and renewable energy) won the Sao Khue Award in 2021 (excellent level).

4. Enabling interdisciplinary connection, knowledge spreading, and international cooperation to promote the development of the lighting industry

Establishing relationships, linking of supply chains, production, and distribution in the value chain, in order to solve multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary problems of many specialised science and technology industries with more than 45 Vietnamese and international organisations.

(1) Building a model to link scientists with businesses. New scientific and technological research results are applied and transferred to businesses for making useful products for people and end-users. Organising a number of seminars and conferences for sharing experience, including: Scientific seminar “Turning knowledge into a driving force for sustainable development” hosted by the Foreign Trade University, the Tia Sang magazine and the Party Committee of Hanoi’s Enterprise Sector, Rang Dong coordinated.  Workshop on “Innovation/creativity of enterprises – A case study of cooperation between institutes/universities and Rang Dong” hosted by Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam.

The conference "Power-saving of LED technology - Product of the future" was hosted by Rang Dong Light Source & Vacuum Flask Joint Stock Company (Rang Dong) in collaboration with the HCMC Department of Standards Metrology and Quality, Energy Conservation Centre (May 2013). Representatives of ministries, branches of Science and Technology, agencies, scientists, and business managers who participated in the conference were introduced the cutting-edge and advantages of LED lighting products. They discussed about LED lighting products, and difficulties and barriers of the current mass use of LED products in Vietnam. Having a speech at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Doan Thang – Rang Dong’s General Director presented solutions that Rang Dong implemented to develop high-quality LED lighting products, and the results of the application of Rang Dong's LED lighting solutions in several projects that has brought high efficiency outcomes. The issues were discussed and experiences in practical application implementation had contributed to promoting the development and application of LED lighting technology in Vietnam in the future.

Speech at the 2015 Vietnam National Lighting Technology Conference

(2) At the 2015 National Conference on Lighting Science and Technology of “The status and prospects of LED lighting in the strategy of energy saving, environmental protection and sustainable development in Vietnam”, Mr. Nguyen Doan Thang presented a number of issues about the development of LED lighting in Vietnam. He also shared Rang Dong's experiences and practices in managing and ensuring the quality of LED products as well as introduced high quality, diversified, synchronous LED products at reasonable prices that had matched the market demands.

Project "Local Development and Promotion of LED Technology for

Advanced General Lighting in Vietnam"

Besides, many seminars on scientific and technological applications, technical advances have been organized. Promoting international cooperation in the field of solid lighting:

As a member of the International Solid State Lighting Alliance (ISA), the 13th ISA Technical Committee on Standardization (TCS) was held in Hanoi in July 2018 with the participation of ISA TCS members, representatives from the The Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality of Viet Nam (STAMEQ), the Vietnam Standard and Quality Institute (VSQI), the Vietnam Lighting Association (VLA), and other associations, etc.

Organising seminars on LED health lighting and classroom lighting, seminars on LED lighting for agriculture, seminars on Smart City and Smart Lighting, etc. to introduced the latest research and development achievements, technology and application progress, and enhance the cooperation between ISA and Vietnamese associations and departments.

ISA TCS 13 meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam