Inner Sanctum

Geology mapping gives power to enrich

Dr Pham Van Quang is known as ‘King of Geological Maps’. He devoted more than 50 years to his profession and discovered many mineral deposits. He talks with Trung Hieu about his work.

Dr Pham Van Quang was born in 1934. He was a student in the first class at the Ha Noi University of Technology. He was deputy head of the Institute for Geology and Environment and director of the Centre for Geology and Remote Sensing.

Quang and former President Tran Duc Luong were two of the authors of the country’s first book of geological maps, which is considered the handbook of Viet Nam’s geological industry.

Quang also helped other countries such as Laos, Thailand and India develop their geological maps. For his contributions, Quang was awarded a Ho Chi Minh Award for Science and Technology in 2005.

Inner Sanctum: Some people call you a utopian scientist, others call you the "king of the maps". What do you like to be called?

I don’t care what people call me. There are times when some people in the geological sector call me crazy or a boaster. What’s most important for me are the things I have achieved.

I recently realised that I have made more than 160 geological maps.

Geologists in general, both domestic and foreign, make about ten maps in their lifetimes. I never expected that I would make such a big number!

Drawing maps is my main job. When I began working in the geology sector in 1955, I was so young. I was enthusiastic, and I loved to travel around looking for mines for the country.

But after taking a number of field trips, I realised that mines have their own principles. Geological maps help to manifest that principle. They are the key to finding gold.

Inner Sanctum: What are some of the difficulties of your job?

Viet Nam’s geology is very complicated. Good maps are a great help for people looking for mines.

It is very hard to take field trips in mountainous areas. We face a variety of dangers, such as climbing on rocky mountain tops and being bitten by snakes or getting dengue fever from mosquitoes.

Our equipment is not as technologically advanced as the equipment in foreign countries. Drawing a geological map is different from creating a normal map. I have to draw these maps by hand because they require very minute details. The details are very difficult to draw on a computer.

Terrain is varied, so when we draw by hand we can analyse and omit any unnecessary details. This means we have to really think about what we’re going to draw.

Today the job is easier because we have remote sensing photos and photos taken from planes. I have to buy these photos from the US. Once I bought a colour photo for VND1 million (US$54), but I told my wife that the photo had been a gift from friends.

Over the past 30 years I’ve had to roast coffee beans twice each day, then carry them to cafes around Ha Noi on my bicycle in order to earn enough money to buy the remote sensing photos I need and to support my family.

Inner Sanctum: Does your wife complain about your job?

Luckily, she’s a very good woman. In the 1970s our lives were very hard. She had to work during the day and sell tea at night to raise our four children. Many people advised her to divorce me to avoid misery, but she did not listen to them. She just complained to me, "how can you hold your maps every day?"

When I was invited to be the guest on Nguoi Duong Thoi (People of Our Time – one of the most watched TV shows) meeting in April, she stopped complaining.

Inner Sanctum: Have you had any interesting experiences?

Yes. From 1965-69 we studied a coal basin in the northeastern region of the Northern Delta.

The basin has four seams of coal, the largest and most important located in Quang Ninh Province. I discovered the fourth coal seam under the Bac Bo (Tonkin) Gulf in 1969. Experts from the former Soviet Union and many Vietnamese scientists estimated that the basin only had about 1.5 billion tonnes of coal.

But according to my study, the basin had up to 15 billion tonnes.

Many people in the field said I was an idiot when I made this claim.

But I based my analysis on the earth’s layers to find the mines. The coal industry recently implemented studies with modern equipment and concluded that the Quang Ninh coal seam alone has about 12 billion tonnes, not to mention the other three coal seams.

Now people said: This was predicted by Quang about 30 years ago.
Inner Sanctum: Are you a lucky man in your job?

Yes, I was very lucky because I learned from very good teachers and worked with strict experts.
I worked with Russian mapping experts for one year before I registered at the Ha Noi University of Technology.

They very carefully taught me the basic techniques used by geologists.

From 1976-77, I studied geological remote sensing in India with some very strict teachers. I was only given a new assignment when I had finished the previous one, although other classmates could complete 10 assignments at a time. I had to study very hard, and as a result my knowledge is firm.

Inner Sanctum: Can you talk a bit about your daring ideas?

I have a passion to conquer rivers for two reasons: First, when I was a boy I read the legend of Son Tinh-Thuy Tinh about the human struggle against nature, particularly flooding, and I felt hurt everytime I hear the news of damage caused by floods.

Second, my geological knowledge helped me understand more about the rules of the rivers.
In 1970, some hydro-meteorology experts asked me to draw maps for them. I have paid more attention to hydro-meteorology ever since.

In 1992, the Lao Government invited me to draw maps of the Mekong River for construction of a hydro-electric dam. I also helped Thailand draw maps of mines. Thanks to these trips, I have had many opportunities to study Southeast Asian rivers.

I mapped out a plan to control Mekong River floods. The project could help reduce flooding in the southeastern region of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia.

The project could also help fight drought troubles in the central province of Quang Binh.

Other daring projects include: improving and expanding coastal areas in the northern Quang Ninh Province by filling in about 800sq.km of land into the sea and controlling floods from the Hong (Red) and Ma rivers.
I spent many patient years working on realising my ambition: to improve and control rivers in Viet Nam to reduce the misery of the people.

Inner Sanctum: What is your aspiration?

I would like to establish a showroom to exhibit all the maps that I’ve drawn for everyone to enjoy. The showroom would also be a library to preserve scientific materials for the geologists to study.
If there is a next life, I will still be a geologist.
Geology helped me use the power of science and knowledge to find natural resources to enrich our country. — VNS