Vietnam, Japan collaborate on AI integration for disaster warning

Japanese partners will provide Vietnamese forecasting agencies with advanced AI-powered tools to enhance early warning capabilities.

On July 31, the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration (VMHA), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, hosted a signing ceremony and progress update for a cooperation agreement. The agreement involves the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF), the Hydro-Meteorological Survey, Technology, and Services Center (HMSTS), and Japan's Weathernews Inc (WNI).

Under the new cooperation framework, the NCHMF will receive expert knowledge, technology, and modern forecasting processes from Weathernews, with a particular emphasis on AI-driven models. The collaboration will also involve the exchange of experimental data, evaluation of forecasting effectiveness, and gradual integration into operational activities. Furthermore, the NCHMF will serve as a technical and legal liaison, facilitating Weathernews' access to other forecasting units in Vietnam and supporting service deployment.

The HMSTS will participate in specific contracts, providing technical data and advising Weathernews on the installation of specialized observation stations outside the national network, ensuring full compliance with Vietnamese law.

Weathernews Inc., a leading Japanese forecasting technology group, will supply Vietnam with advanced forecasting tools and AI-powered typhoon and flood prediction products. The company will also sponsor intensive training for Vietnamese personnel, both domestically and internationally, to enhance forecasting capabilities. Additionally, Weathernews will provide modern observation systems and proactively propose development support programs from the Japanese government for Vietnam in this critical field.

Mr. Hoang Duc Cuong, Deputy Director-General of the VMHA, emphasized that this cooperation is a testament to the profound friendship and strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan. He highlighted that the collaborative efforts extend beyond mere technical exchange, underscoring the deep strategic partnership between the two nations in science, technology, and climate change adaptation. This initiative also concretizes the meteorological and hydrological sector's direction toward significant modernization, high-tech integration, and deeper international integration.

The VMHA has pledged to provide close guidance and create all favorable conditions for the cooperation contents to be implemented effectively and practically, in accordance with legal regulations and national development needs.

Mr. Daisuke Abe, Executive Vice President of Weathernews Inc., noted that the increasing frequency of extreme weather events poses significant challenges globally. He stressed that forecasting heavy rainfall and floods for early warning and reservoir operation demands ever-higher accuracy and more detailed spatial resolution. Meeting the expectations of citizens and government agencies has become a critical task.

Through this partnership, Weathernews will provide AI-powered typhoon and flood forecasting products, self-developed high-resolution heavy rainfall forecast information, and a unified dashboard system for intuitive data visualization. Training and technical exchange will also be intensified to maximize the effectiveness of these advanced tools in Vietnam.

"The key to the success of this endeavor lies in the knowledge and data currently held by the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting," Mr. Abe stated. "In the future, we hope to integrate Vietnamese observation data into our system to jointly evaluate effectiveness, creating world-class forecasting services tailored to Vietnam's climate characteristics”.

Enhancing early warning capabilities and modernizing operational activities through technology integration will contribute to strengthening resilience to extreme weather, thereby bolstering society's capacity to withstand such events.

WNI is currently collaborating with Google, one of the world's leading technology corporations, on meteorological technology development in Japan. On this occasion, Mr. Yossi Matias, Vice President and General Manager of Google Research, expressed his pleasure that Google's AI flood and typhoon forecasting models would be applied in Vietnam. He underscored that robust partnerships between government agencies and specialized organizations like WNI are crucial for improving disaster response and management, ultimately contributing to building safer communities.

The signing of this agreement marks 10 years of cooperation between the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration and Weathernews Inc. It is also part of a series of events celebrating the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's Meteorological and Hydrological sector (October 3, 1945 - October 3, 2025).