Dr. Nguyen Cong Phu reports at the discussion about management consulting, quality checking and granting a safety certificate for the Metro system (August, 2008).  Dr. Nguyen Cong Phu (3rd from left) working at the French Embassy in Hanoi.  With his colleagues at Apave Vietnam & Southeast Asia. Addressing the training course for experts on evaluating the quality management system under the standards of ISO 9000 and ISO 1001 (October 1997). After many years of working and living in France , Dr. Nguyen Cong Phu returned home with the ambition of paving the way for the Vietnamese brainpower to reach out to the world. In 1980, during his first return to Vietnam after almost ten years of studying and researching the engineering geology and underground projects in France, Dr. Nguyen Cong Phu worked with the Vietnamese Ministry of Energy, present-day the Ministry of Industry and Trade, on technical measures to solve the problems at the boiler at the Yen Phu Thermal Power Plant in Hanoi and the Thu Duc Thermal Power Plant in Ho Chi Minh City. But opportunity for his success did not come until 1995 when, with his personal expertise and scientific arguments, he was able to persuade the Executive Council of the Apave Corporation of France to approve his idea of using Vietnam as the starting point of its strategy to develop service activities in the Asia-Pacific region. Apave Corporation is one of the world’s five leading corporations in the field of consulting and checking quality of civil and industrial projects and construction works. Apave Vietnam & Southeast Asia was established in 1997 with Dr. Nguyen Cong Phu as its General Director. Over the past years Dr. Phu has spent time and energy in training hundreds of engineers, experts and technicians who have professional qualifications leading the country, particularly in the fields of non-destruction test at the mainland and offshore oil and gas projects, and providing consultancy for establishing a quality control system under the International Standard Organization coded 9000 (ISO 9000). With his devoted management, Apave Vietnam & Southeast Asia has achieved considerable results in quality check up and assessment of major projects in Vietnam and overseas including the International Conference Centre, the Can Tho Total Gas joint venture, the Dinh Co LPG Plant in Vietnam, the Maoming Petrochemical Plant in China and the Stadium Australia in the Sydney Olympic Sydney Park. Apave Vietnam & Southeast Asia co-operated with the Vietnamese Directorate for Standards and Quality (STAMEQ) in training and transferring technologies in construction consultancy under the ISO 9000, and supporting domestic businesses in taking part in bidding on international projects. The Company also introduces and transfers technologies, provides consultancy in quality and environment management with international standards to clients worldwide.  During a working session with directors of Apave Vietnam & Southeast Asia’s branches in Vietnam. Living far from home for a long time, Dr. Nguyen Cong Phu is well aware of the value of the Vietnamese intellectual abilities. He said: “I wonder if the Vietnamese people are superior to someone else, but I am sure they are not inferior to anybody.” According to Phu, the Vietnamese are clever and innovative. With a population of more than 85 million at present, Vietnam ’s potential of brainpower is huge. To invest in the intellectuals is the basic trend that will bring in great economic value. Vietnam should boost up construction of its intellectual source imbued with the Vietnamese characteristics and value. To achieve this goal, Vietnam will have less need to import brainpower from abroad, and can even export its intelligence. With his confidence in the Vietnamese brainpower that has been proved through Apave Vietnam-Southeast Asia, Dr. Phu has paid special attention to training its manpower. The Company’s engineers, experts and technicians have reached international standards with broad and deep professional capabilities. In recent years, the Company sent its staff to foreign countries to work, including France, Germany and Malaysia , which not only brought in considerable amount of hard currencies to the country, but also confirmed the Vietnamese brainpower to the world. Story by Nguyen Tuan Long - Photos by Phung Nam Suong