Dr. Ho Nhan, a pioneering Vietnamese biotechnology scientist and entrepreneur best known as the developer of Nanocovax - Vietnam’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine - has passed away at the age of 59, according to family sources.

On May 12, Nguyen Thi Son, founder of Son Kim Group in Ho Chi Minh City, shared news on her personal social media account confirming the sudden passing of her son-in-law due to heart disease.

Family members revealed that Dr. Nhan had been suffering from cardiovascular problems for the past two to three years and often complained of fatigue. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked under intense pressure and spent long hours in the lab, which led to blood pooling in his legs.

On the afternoon of May 12, Dr. Nhan experienced shortness of breath and was rushed to a hospital for emergency care but could not be revived.

Born in 1966, Dr. Ho Nhan was a prominent figure in Vietnam's biotechnology landscape. He earned his PhD from the University of Arizona in the United States and worked in the pharmaceutical and financial sectors in both the US and Hong Kong. In 2006, he returned to Vietnam with a vision to build a leading biotech company.

Dr. Nhan founded a laboratory in Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City in 2008, later relocating to the Saigon Hi-Tech Park. As Chairman of the Board of Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC (established in 1997), he led the company’s efforts in pharmaceutical development. Under his leadership, Nanogen became the first private enterprise in Vietnam to research and produce a COVID-19 vaccine.

Nanocovax entered Phase 1 trials in December 2020, followed by Phase 2 in February 2021 and Phase 3 in June 2021 with 14,000 volunteers in Hanoi, Hung Yen, Long An, and Tien Giang. The vaccine showed 57.04% efficacy in preventing symptomatic infections and 91.7% against severe illness. In August 2021, Nanogen applied for emergency approval, but as of 2023, the vaccine had yet to be licensed due to incomplete data, as required by the Ministry of Health.

Despite the vaccine's rocky path to approval, Dr. Nhan’s contributions to Vietnam’s biotechnology industry remain a landmark achievement. His work on Nanocovax marked a historic step forward in the country's scientific capacity and pharmaceutical self-reliance.

In a heartfelt tribute, Nguyen Thi Son wrote about the sudden passing of her son-in-law:
“Many times when we met, you told me about your heart condition and how tired you were. Yet you kept working with relentless passion... I knew you were a man of great ambition and a strong desire to contribute to society - and you proved that you could.

Back then, so many of my friends came to your factory asking to volunteer for the Nanocovax trials. You may not have achieved great fame, but you achieved great humanity. Today, I’m still in disbelief. How could you leave us so suddenly, my dear?”

Phuong Thuy