SAIWRE hosted the 2026 Scientific Meeting: Water Intelligence Flow in Hanoi

On 23 April 2026, the Southeast Asian Institute for Water Resources and Environment (SAIWRE) hosted the 2026 Scientific Meeting in Hanoi under the theme “SAIWRE Scientific Gathering – Water Intelligence Flow.” The event served as an important platform for academic and policy dialogue, promoting interdisciplinary cooperation in water resources and environmental governance across Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

The Southeast Asian Institute for Water Resources and Environment (SAIWRE) successfully organized the 2026 Scientific Meeting under the theme “SAIWRE Scientific Gathering –  Water Intelligence Flow” in Hanoi. The event brought together leading scientists, senior experts, and representatives from key state management agencies, including Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Chairman of the Institute’s Management Board; Prof. Mai Trong Nhuan, Chairman of the Senior Advisory Council; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Thao, Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA); Dr. Nguyen Minh Khuyen, Deputy Director General of the Department of Water Resources Management; and Dr. Nguyen Tiep Tan, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Academy for Water Resources, cum Director of the Institute of Water and Irrigation, among others.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tuan Anh delivered the opening remarks, followed by a presentation on SAIWRE’s Action Programme 2026-2030 by Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Tri Chung SAIWRE Director. On this occasion, floral tributes were presented to senior advisory council members in recognition of their contributions to the field.

During the expert sharing session, Prof. Mai Trong Nhuan highlighted the Institute’s most distinctive mission: bridging the gap between science and policy, between data and decision – making, and between ideas and action, positioning SAIWRE as a genuinely independent think tank in the water resources and environment sector. The session also featured substantive contributions from Prof. Truong Dinh Du, Prof. Le Sam, and other experts, who emphasized the urgency of smart water governance, digital transformation in water management, and the rising importance of water security as a matter of national and non-traditional security.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Thao, representing VUSTA’s Standing Presidium, commended SAIWRE as an exemplary model of scientific activity and expressed strong support for the Institute’s strategic development direction in the context of ongoing national institutional reform.

The meeting concluded with a commitment from all participants to strengthen multi-stakeholder collaboration, connecting the government, the scientific community, universities, and enterprises in pursuit of SAIWRE’s vision for smart, adaptive, and sustainable water resources governance across Southeast Asia.