Nguyen Xuan Vinh

Nguyễn Xuân Vinh (born January 1930 in Yên Bái, Vietnam) is a noted Vietnamese-American aerospace scientist and educator. Vinh is Professor Emeritus of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, where he taught for nearly thirty years. His seminal work on the guidance, dynamics and optimal control of space vehicles and their interaction with the atmosphere has played a fundamental role in space exploration and technological development.

Nguyễn Xuân Vinh attended the French Air Force Academy at Salon de Provence where he specialised in Aeronautical Engineering. In 1954, he graduated from the nearby Aix-Marseille University in Mathematics and was commissioned as an officer. The following year, he qualified as a French Air Force multi-engine pilot.

Following his return to Vietnam, Vinh was appointed Chief of Staff in the South Vietnamese Air Force in October 1957. In 1958, Vinh became the Commander and first Air Marshal of the Vietnam Air Force at the age of 28. He served as Air Force Commander until 1962 when he resigned and emigrated to the United States ? .

In 1965, Vinh was the recipient of the first Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences conferred by the University of Colorado. In 1972, he was awarded a national doctorate in Mathematics by the University of Paris, France. He joined the University of Michigan in 1968 as an associate professor of Aerospace Engineering and was promoted to the rank of professor in 1972. During his tenure at Michigan, Vinh chaired more than 20 doctoral committees. It is estimated that over 1,000 aerospace engineers studied under him.

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