Vietnam-Belgium cooperation on scientific research to address climate change

As part of the official visit of the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Belgium to Vietnam, on March 31, the Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology, and Climate Change (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) and the Flanders Innovation and Technology Organization (VITO) from Belgium signed and announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation between the two organizations.

The MOU will be effective from April 1, 2025, for a duration of three years, with the possibility of extension through a written agreement between the two parties.

Support for urban climate change adaptation

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thi Thanh Nga, the two organizations will work together on scientific research and the development of groundbreaking solutions across key areas. These include urban climate research, where they will apply high-resolution models to study urban flooding, climate risks, and develop systems for monitoring and warning about urban climate risks. Additionally, they will focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by developing advanced technologies for renewable energy and carbon capture that are tailored to Vietnam’s specific conditions. Another important area of collaboration will be water resource management, where they will work on building smart monitoring and forecasting systems for major river basins.

The implementation of the Vietnam-Belgium cooperation in scientific research will also bring many practical benefits. Specifically, it will involve developing high-resolution urban climate change scenarios; providing climate services to support decision-making in the face of extreme phenomena such as urban flooding, high temperatures, climate risks, and urban pollution; establishing urban climate risk monitoring and early warning systems in Vietnam; creating pilot models for smart cities and smart agriculture that are adaptive to climate change; and enhancing the capacity for disaster forecasting and early warning on a national scale. The two parties will also work on developing climate change adaptation solutions for key economic sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and energy; applying 4.0 technologies (artificial intelligence - AI, the Internet of Things - IoT, and big data) for environmental and climate monitoring.

In terms of training, the cooperation will focus on the development of high-quality human resources through the exchange of experts and research fellows. Additionally, it will offer short-term training programs on advanced technologies and facilitate the transfer of valuable knowledge and management practices.

Ms. Leen Govaerts, Director of the Energy and Water Division at the Flanders Research and Technology Organization (VITO), emphasized that, beyond the primary areas of collaboration, both parties will remain flexible in expanding their cooperation to include new topics based on real-world needs and the strengths of each side. The Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology, and Climate Change (IMHCC) and VITO will also actively collaborate in identifying and securing international funding sources.

To ensure the success and effectiveness of their collaboration, both organizations will establish a strong working framework, maintain regular communication and information exchange, and develop specific agreements tailored to each project.