According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, a memorial service will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on 18/9, followed by a funeral service from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. the same day at the National Funeral Home, 5 Tran Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi.

Le Huy Ngo, former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment). Photo: Agriculture and Environment Newspaper

Le Huy Ngo, former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment). Photo: Agriculture and Environment Newspaper

Le Huy Ngo was born in 1938 in Tinh Hai commune, Tinh Gia district (formerly), now Hai Binh ward, Thanh Hoa province. He was an alternate member of the 6th Central Committee, a member of the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Central Committees; and a National Assembly representative for the 9th and 10th sessions.

In 1956, he studied at the Central College of Agriculture and Forestry and later worked in Phu Tho. He was a staff member of the Phu Tho Department of Agriculture. After graduating from Hanoi University of Agriculture I, he held various positions in Vinh Phuc, including Head of the Planning Department of the Department of Agriculture, Member of the Provincial Administrative Committee, Deputy Head of the Agricultural Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, then Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and Secretary of the Vinh Phu Provincial Party Committee.

In 1988, he was appointed Secretary of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee, then served as Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Party Central Committee's Organization Commission. In 1997, he was assigned as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Head of the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control. After retiring in 2008, he continued to advise the Central Committee and the Government's New Rural Development Program.

During his tenure as Minister, Vietnam became a leading agricultural exporter. He also initiated the "50 million/ha field" movement, promoted the program to reinforce canals and expand irrigation to hundreds of thousands of hectares; and directed the project to plant 5 million hectares of forest, increasing forest coverage from 33% in the late 1990s to nearly 40% in the late 2000s. Under his leadership, the wood and forestry processing industry surpassed USD 1 billion in export value for the first time in 2004, paving the way for Vietnam to become a leading wood exporter in the region.

Dr. To Van Truong, former Director of the Southern Institute of Water Resources Planning, shared that Ngo was often called the "flood minister." This was not only because he was often seen working amidst floods, directly leading rescue efforts for people, rice, and villages, but also because "his whole life was like a journey through storms, keeping his heart with farmers and the countryside."

According to Truong, since his time as Secretary of the Vinh Phu Provincial Party Committee, Le Huy Ngo initiated household and forest contracts, contributing to the liberation of productive forces. As Minister, he pioneered the New Rural Program with the aspiration to change the face of Vietnamese villages and elevate the position of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market.

Former Minister Le Huy Ngo was awarded the 60-year Party membership badge; the Second-class Independence Order; several First, Second, and Third-class Labor and Resistance Orders; the Labor Order for the Vietnam-Laos cooperation; the Senegal Lion Order; along with certificates of merit from the Prime Minister, the United Nations, and many other medals and commemorative medals.

Vu Tuan - Gia Chinh