AI and non-traditional security highlighted at Water Resources Science Conference

On the morning of November 16, the Annual Science Conference of Thuyloi University (TLU) 2025 opened, with participation from ministries, sectors, research institutes, universities, enterprises, and international organizations. Representing the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien attended the event at Hall T45.

This is a major annual event, featuring publications and in-depth discussions in various fields, including structures, water resources, hydrology and hydraulics, environment, and information technology.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Trung Viet, President of TLU, stated that scientific and technological staff currently account for more than 83% of the university's personnel, with nearly 65% of lecturers holding doctoral degrees, a much higher rate compared to the national average.

He reviewed the university's outstanding achievements in scientific research and innovation, particularly the completion and acceptance of two national-level projects over the past year. At the same time, the university published 957 papers, secured six patents and two utility solutions, and entered into more than 500 technology transfer contracts worth VND 370 billion.

According to Prof. Dr. Viet, this year's conference continues to serve as a platform for scientists to share new knowledge, demonstrate their commitment to research quality, and contribute practically to the development of the water resources sector and the country.

At the plenary session, Prof. Na Jeong-sik, Senior Research Fellow in Blockchain at the Korea Institute for National Security Strategy and President of the Korea Blockchain Governance Association, presented on the current hot topic of AI and how to control it effectively.

According to Prof. Na, AI has made remarkable advancements but has also revealed inherent limitations, especially the risks of bias and a lack of transparency and accountability. AI can process and respond quickly, but it lacks the foundation to justify its specific decisions.

When AI and blockchain are combined, society can operate with two engines: trust and intelligence. This combination creates a balance between speed and responsibility, between creativity and evidence, between AI's predictive capability and blockchain's independent oversight.

He stated that the Republic of Korea is promoting this integration based on seven key pillars, with cybersecurity at its core. Blockchain can record every access or modification as immutable logs, akin to a continuously operating digital surveillance camera.

As a result, blockchain complements AI's weakness: although AI detects and reacts quickly to intrusions, it still lacks foundational evidence to prove abnormal behavior. The combination addresses this gap and creates a more reliable cybersecurity system, laying the groundwork for future smart cities.

Continuing with the analysis of AI, Prof. Dr. Hoang Dinh Phi, President of the Viet Nam National University (VNU) School of Business and Management, Hanoi, reported on the relationship between water infrastructure and non-traditional security, an increasingly urgent issue for Viet Nam.

He noted that Viet Nam has more than 2,360 rivers and streams longer than 10 km, forming one of the densest river networks in the region. In this context, water infrastructure serves not only agricultural production but also plays a crucial role in ensuring food security, rural livelihoods, and the stability of the entire economy.

Prof. Phi assessed that the relationship between water resources and non-traditional security is receiving more attention as Viet Nam faces extreme natural disasters, climate change, resource degradation, saltwater intrusion, irregular floods, and localized water shortages.

These challenges are not only technical issues but are closely linked to policies, planning, governance models, and the capacity to apply technology in water resource management. As non-traditional factors such as climate, ecological security, migration, rapid urbanization, or water-use competition become more complex, water infrastructure becomes a security pillar that, if not invested in and properly managed, will create widespread risks.

The Deputy Minister stated that scientific research must be based on long-term accumulation, built over many years of synthesis, and must address issues ranging from general to specialized. Thanks to this approach, this year’s saltwater intrusion forecasting has achieved high accuracy, clearly demonstrating the value of systematic research.

However, 2025 is also a challenging year, as natural disasters have caused damage totaling thousands of billions of dong and claimed more than 300 lives. In a context where economic growth must be maintained alongside export stability, the Deputy Minister emphasized that, in addition to forecasting and prevention, scientists in the water resources sector need to strengthen research on post-disaster recovery and reproduction, as non-traditional issues are emerging more strongly.

From this, Deputy Minister Tien outlined future directions for research work. Scientific research must stem from practical demands, avoiding the situation of “floods during rains, water shortages during droughts,” meaning that structures, planning, forecasting, and governance must be synchronized and data-driven.

In implementing Resolution 57 of the Politburo, the university and research institutes must focus on major, interdisciplinary problems and address chains of issues rather than fragmented ones.

Finally, the Deputy Minister raised a question about how to harness the expertise of excellent research groups and retired professors, a particularly valuable intellectual resource. He proposed creating better conditions for these groups to continue contributing and generating breakthroughs for water science and technology. He concluded, “Solutions for the future must be built on scientific knowledge, advanced technologies, and the realities of our own country.”

*Currency exchange: USD 1 = VND 26.378 - Source: Vietcombank, November 16, 2025.