This is only the third screening worldwide of the 90-minute documentary film by filmmaker Stephane Kleeb on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of Yersin’s discovery of the deadly Bacillus virus responsible for the bubonic plague. He was credited with making up a vaccine that saved the world from the biggest-ever scourge then.
The film reminds us of the great scientist’s hard work, perseverance and a lifetime of devotion to science and humanity, Swiss Ambassador Andrej Motyl said at the opening of the show, which attracted more than 500 scientists and students from local research institutes and universities.
Born in 1863 in Switzerland, Yersin studied medicine at prestigious institutions across Switzerland, Germany, and France. In 1888, he became a naturalized French citizen, and two years later, he was shipped off to Vietnam to become a physician for the Messageries maritime company.
Ultimately, he chose the coastal city of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa province as his living place throughout the rest of his life.
As founder of Nha Trang Pasteur Institute, co-founder and the first principal of the Indochina Medical College, the predecessor of the current Hanoi Medical University and the Hanoi University of Pharmacy, Yersin made the list of the world celebrities for his colossal number of research pieces.
