Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha: Persistently creating value, affirming the intelligence of Vietnamese women in science and technology

With a passion for research and a desire to contribute, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha (Senior Lecturer, Department of Mining and Geodesy, University of Mining and Geology) has persevered for 5 years to turn the idea into an exclusive patent for the "Process of building a 3D geospatial database for smart cities".

That success is not only a personal milestone but also a testament to the intelligence and mettle of Vietnamese women in science and technology.

Affirming Vietnamese women's intelligence

Among the female models honored with the Vietnam Women's Award 2025, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha (Senior Lecturer, Department of Mining Geodesy, Faculty of Geodesy, Cartography and Land Management, University of Mining and Geology) is one of the typical female scientists, with many contributions in research and application of high technology in the national digital transformation process serving the field of planning and building smart cities.

Sharing her feelings when receiving the award, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha could not hide her joy and pride: “I am very proud to be the first person from the University of Mining and Geology to receive this award. Especially with the presence of the school leaders to share the joy, I was even more moved. This is a meaningful award, honoring the value of women, especially lecturers and scientists who are working day and night to research in the field of science and technology like us.”

According to Ms. Thu Ha, the results achieved are not only a personal recognition but also a testament to the efforts of the entire group of scientists and technicians in contributing to the country's digital transformation process. "The exclusive patent that I am the author of is an important step forward, applying modern geospatial science to contribute to the planning, construction and development of smart urban chains in Vietnam, which is also what we always want: Bringing science and technology to contribute to the development of the country", Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha said.

Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha was honored with the 2025 Vietnamese Women's Award.

Associate Professor, Dr. Trieu Hung Truong, Vice Rector of the University of Mining and Geology, representing the school's leadership, presented flowers to congratulate Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha at the 2025 Vietnamese Women's Award ceremony.

With a passion for research and a desire to contribute to the country's development, over the years, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha has had many highly applicable scientific works in the field of geospatial technology, contributing to promoting national digital transformation and building smart cities in Vietnam.

Currently, she is the main author of the Patent "Process of building 3D geospatial database for smart cities using geospatial technology". This project has practical significance in serving the planning, management and development of smart cities, helping localities save costs and human resources, while effectively utilizing advanced geospatial technologies that Vietnam is mastering.

In addition, she is also the author of two initiatives with a scope of influence at the Ministry of Education and Training level, including: "Research on establishing a 3D model of a high-level construction work (LOD3) by combining unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology and ground laser scanning" (2023); "Assessing the impact of mining on land cover changes, land use, using remote sensing and GIS technology" (2022). These projects are all highly practical, supporting more effective management of resources, environment and construction planning.

Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha (Senior Lecturer, Department of Mining Geodesy, Faculty of Geodesy, Cartography and Land Management, University of Mining and Geology) has many years of dedication to training and scientific research.

Not only stopping at in-depth research, Associate Professor Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha also actively participated in many scientific topics at the State, Ministry and Provincial levels, including two State-level topics on greenhouse gas emission inventory, emission reduction roadmap for the metallurgical industry, and building flash flood warning maps. Two topics at the Ministry and provincial and municipal levels such as building a flash flood warning and zoning model for Phu Tho province, applying geospatial technology to build 3D data for coastal smart cities (pilot in Quang Ninh), assessing the level of damage caused by climate change in tourism development in Thanh Hoa province...

As the head of 3 projects and the main member of 1 basic-level scientific research project, her works were all accepted with good quality, focusing on new research directions such as: Applying algorithms to improve accuracy in classifying impervious surfaces from Landsat OLI satellite images; Applying remote sensing and GIS technology to study the urban heat island phenomenon in Ho Chi Minh City; Assessing the impact of coal mining activities on tidal flat changes in the Ha Long - Cam Pha area (Quang Ninh)... In parallel with research, she is also the co-author and co-editor of 4 specialized books, published over 70 articles and scientific reports, successfully guided 18 graduate students to defend their Master's theses, and is currently the main supervisor of a doctoral student in Geodesy and Cartography Engineering.

From idea to patent, a 5-year journey of perseverance

“It took us nearly 5 years to get a research result registered for patent protection, from the time the idea was formed to the time the registration dossier was completed. The idea originated in 2018, when the Prime Minister issued Decision 950 on the Project on developing a chain of sustainable smart cities in Vietnam for the period 2018 - 2025 and orientation to 2030. At that time, we realized that in this field there are many contents that the scientific and technical team of the University of Mining and Geology can completely undertake and master the technology”, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha expressed.

Many field trips of Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha and her colleagues to achieve the best results in scientific research and practical application.

From a solid foundation in Earth science, geodesy and cartography, and with the trust of the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), the research team of Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha was assigned to research and build 3D geospatial data, simulating three-dimensional urban areas to serve the development of smart coastal cities in Vietnam.

Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha shared that initially, the group implemented a ministerial-level project to meet the practical requirements of the industry. The research results were evaluated by experts as groundbreaking, unprecedented in the country. When the 3D simulation product was demonstrated, many experts affirmed that this is a technology that Vietnam is in dire need of, and at the same time proposed that the group register a patent to recognize the collective effort and intelligence.

“The special thing is that all the technology and human resources deployed are owned by Vietnam. That is our great pride, because the project not only promotes the strength in training high-quality human resources, but also affirms the capacity for technological autonomy in the field of geospatial”, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha shared.

Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha is enthusiastic about human resource training and scientific research.

The research journey was not without difficulties, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, but with the attention and facilitation of the Ministry, the University of Mining and Geology, and the support of the Faculty and Department leaders, the group completed the dossier in just two years - a short period of time for a technological invention.

“This exclusive patent not only has scientific value, but also demonstrates the intelligence and mettle of the Vietnamese team of scientists, who are quietly contributing to the process of developing and mastering national technology…”, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha affirmed.

Currently, as a lecturer, researcher, wife and mother, Thu Ha always tries to balance all four roles at the same time, which is not always easy. “The most difficult thing is how to complete teaching work, continue research and take care of the family. But I always tell myself: If I don’t make an effort, who will do it for me,” Thu Ha confided.

For her, women in any position can assert themselves with intelligence, passion and aspiration to contribute. “Vietnamese women today play an important role in all fields, from information technology to national defense. We need to have dreams and aspirations to contribute to the country and our profession. I just hope to be recognized in the national education and science and technology sector, where women's intelligence, efforts and passion are recognized...”, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha expressed.

With her achievements, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha was honored to receive: Certificate of Merit from the Minister of Education and Training for excellently completing her tasks for two consecutive years from 2017 - 2018 to 2018 - 2019 and from 2021 - 2022 to 2022 - 2023. Many Certificates of Merit from the Rector of the University of Mining and Geology for high achievements in scientific research in the 2017 - 2021 school years. An exclusive patent from the Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Science and Technology on "Process of building a 3D geospatial database for smart cities using geospatial technology" of which she is the main author.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/nguoi-tot-viec-tot/pgsts-le-thi-thu-ha-kien-tri-kien-tao-gia-tri-khang-dinh-tri-tue-phu-nu-viet-trong-khoa-hoc-ky-thuat-20251017071336018.htm