Vietnam-France cooperation for science, sustainable development and innovation

On the evening of November 7, in Hanoi, the French Institute for Research for Development (IRD) held a ceremony to celebrate 30 years of operations in Vietnam and look back at the achievements of cooperation with Vietnam in the three-decade journey of commitment to science, sustainable development and innovation to serve the local community.

The French Institute for Research for Development (IRD) celebrated its 30th anniversary of operations in Vietnam at the French Embassy in Hanoi .

According to IRD Vietnam Chief Representative Sylvain Ouillon, the IRD representative office in Hanoi manages 23% of IRD's total investment in the Asia region. Vietnam is the country with the second highest number of researchers assigned to work in the Asia- Pacific region - only after New Caledonia.

Over time, the topics of joint research between the two sides have continuously developed and diversified. While the first research focused mainly on social sciences and humanities, it has later expanded to include soil science, nutrition, complex modeling, oceanography and medicine.

In particular, IRD's new Asia strategy continues to affirm Vietnam's pioneering role through four International Joint Laboratories (LMI): Integrated Modeling Research Laboratory supporting irrigation management; Laboratory focusing on antibiotic resistance research and expanding to the One Health approach; Laboratory collaborating with the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH), researching water and material transport and transformation in the Red River Delta; Laboratory collaborating with Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology to strengthen research capacity on the Saigon River and the lower Mekong River basin.

Dr. Catherine Guigue (MIO/IRD laboratory in France) guides students in a 2-week training course on water sample analysis taken at various locations in the Red River.

According to Mr. Sylvain Ouillon, together with Vietnamese partners, IRD has implemented many key projects such as: The French-Vietnamese Oceanographic Campaign PLUME, which aims to improve understanding and quantify the transport of water, particles, and natural and artificial substances, their distribution along the river-estuary-ocean chain and their impact on coastal areas. Or the STAR-FARM Project, which aims to enhance the medium and long-term resilience of Vietnamese agriculture to droughts and floods, which are key factors for agricultural production and food security of the country.

IRD is also involved in several projects under the Équipe France (FEF) Foundation, which aims to promote research results to the public and policymakers. Among them, the FEF Fleuves project will launch two major exhibitions in 2026 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Internship trip of students from Hanoi University of Science and Technology in Do Son within the framework of the cooperation program with the Institute for Research for Development (IRD).

On this occasion, IRD Chief Representative in Vietnam Sylvain Ouillon expressed his gratitude to the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH) - a strategic partner, where IRD cooperates through sending researchers, guiding students, training young scientists, academic exchanges and actively participating in the school's activities. This cooperative relationship has become a symbol of scientific and academic cooperation between France and Vietnam.

In 2025, IRD launched the Planète IRD+ initiative, an international network that connects IRD partners and associates in France and around the world.
Through this initiative, IRD wishes to celebrate the diversity and strength of the global IRD community, including Vietnam.

KIEU GIANG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/hop-tac-viet-phap-vi-khoa-hoc-phat-trien-ben-vung-va-doi-moi-sang-tao-post921522.html