The Prime Minister of Mongolia, Zandan Shatar Gombojav, met with Pham Tuan, a fighter pilot and the first cosmonaut of Asia, who is also a Hero of the Soviet Union and the People's Armed Forces of Vietnam.
Lieutenant General Pham Tuan expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and noted that he has a deep connection with Mongolia. He shared his impressions from numerous trips to the country, having first visited it in 1965, and even mentioned that he observed Mongolia from space. Pham Tuan is happy to return to participate in the celebrations dedicated to the 45th anniversary of Mongolia's first manned space flight.
For his part, the Prime Minister emphasized the significance of meeting with Pham Tuan, who made his space flight in 1980, and highlighted that he is not only a national hero of Vietnam but also an important figure for the entire Asian region. Zandan Shatar stressed that their friendship symbolizes the strong ties between the peoples of Mongolia and Vietnam and inspires further cooperation.
Lieutenant General Pham Tuan is attending an international scientific conference on aerospace technologies titled "Space Cooperation," dedicated to the 45th anniversary of Mongolia's first cosmonaut. This was reported by MiddleAsianNews.
Pham Tuan, born on February 14, 1947, in the village of Quoc Tuan in Thai Binh province, became the first Vietnamese cosmonaut and a Hero of Labor (1980) and of the Soviet Union (1980). He began his career in the Vietnam People's Army after graduating from high school in 1965, initially serving as a technician in the Air Force.
In 1967, he underwent pilot training in the USSR and flew MiG-17 and MiG-21 fighter jets as part of the 921st Fighter Aviation Regiment "Sao Do."
During the "Christmas bombings" of the DRV by US aviation on December 18, 1972, Pham Tuan made an unsuccessful attempt to intercept B-52 bombers, resulting in his MiG-21 crashing during landing. However, on the night of December 27 of the same year, he managed to shoot down a B-52 bomber, becoming the first to destroy it in aerial combat (although the US claims this victory belongs to the anti-aircraft missiles).
In 1977, he entered the Gagarin Air Force Academy and completed his studies in 1982.
Pham Tuan was selected for the "Intercosmos" program in 1979, marking the beginning of his training for space flights.
In July 1980, he participated in the flight aboard "Soyuz-37," "Soyuz-36," and the orbital station "Salyut-6."
From 1989 to 1996, he served as the deputy commander of the Air Force for political affairs, and from 1996 to 2000, he was the deputy chairman of the Main Directorate of Defense Industry of the Ministry of Defense. In 2000, he headed this directorate, and in 2002, he became the chairman of the Military-Commercial Joint Stock Bank.
Since January 2008, he has been retired and resides in Hanoi.
His wife, Chang Thi Phuong Tien, worked as a paramedic, and they have two children (daughter Pham Thi Hang Thu and son Pham Anh Tuan) and an adopted daughter Vo Thi Cong Mi.
Both of his older brothers died during the First Indochina War: one was killed by French punitive forces, and the other fell in battle at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
