VIETNAM ASSOCIATION FOR INTELLECTUAL WOMEN (VAFIW)

The meeting was not only a professional exchange but also reflected UN Women’s long-term orientation in promoting leadership, innovation, and economic empowerment for women. The focus of this strategy is to enhance women’s participation in science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship – pillars shaping the future economy.

In the context of Vietnam’s accelerated green transformation, digital transformation, and private sector development programs, female scientists are considered a valuable national asset. With their knowledge, research, and creativity, they can contribute significantly to economic growth and social development if placed in a favorable environment.

However, reality shows that the path from the laboratory to the market for female scientists remains fraught with challenges. One of the biggest challenges mentioned is the “valley of death,” a stage where research results are not yet commercially viable but also no longer receive support from their original funding sources. This bottleneck causes many valuable scientific ideas to get “stuck,” unable to be transformed into concrete products or services.

The barriers faced by female scientists are not limited to financial aspects. Limited access to investment capital, a lack of investor networks, and gaps in intellectual property support, business development services, and expert mentoring further complicate the commercialization process.

Experts at the meeting argued that to overcome these obstacles, an ecosystem approach is needed—not just individual or project support, but the creation of a synchronized structure connecting policies, institutions, and the market. In this, the roles of regulatory agencies, international organizations, businesses, and investment funds need to be closely coordinated to create a favorable environment for the development of female scientists.

Notably, Vietnam has yet to develop a complete ecosystem specifically designed to support the commercialization process for female scientists. This gap highlights the urgent need to learn from international experiences while simultaneously developing models suitable for domestic conditions.

Based on this, UN Women and the Vietnam Women Intellectuals Association plan to organize an international workshop in June 2026. This event aims to connect domestic and international experts, share successful models in building an ecosystem supporting women scientists, and discuss opportunities, challenges, and international practices applicable in Vietnam.

Beyond academic exchange, the workshop is expected to contribute to shaping strategic directions, thereby promoting the development of a substantive and effective ecosystem. This is considered a necessary step to bridge the gap between research and the market, enabling women scientists to not only create knowledge but also become important agents in the innovation economy.

In the long term, building a comprehensive support ecosystem not only promotes gender equality but also acts as a lever for sustainable growth. When scientific ideas are transformed into economic value, and when women can participate more deeply in this value chain, the economy will gain further impetus from resources that have long been underutilized.

                                 Khanh Van. COSTAS, VAFIW

On December 28, 2024, Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper coordinated with the Department of Animal Health, the Department of Science, Technology and Environment (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) and related units to organize the Forum “Application of new advances in the field of veterinary vaccines in Vietnam”. Sharing the story of avian influenza vaccine research, Dr. Trinh Quang Dai, Executive Director of the Vaccine Factory of Central Veterinary Medicine Joint Stock Company 5 (Fivevet) said that avian influenza is a dangerous infectious disease caused by a virus, which can appear in wild birds and domesticated poultry, mammals, as well as humans. Avian influenza virus has also caused many pandemics in humans. At its peak, in late 2003, it occurred in 57 provinces and cities, causing the destruction of nearly 44 million poultry, resulting in 3 deaths. Since around 2010, Vietnam has controlled the disease well, but it still occurs sporadically. In 2024, Vietnam destroyed nearly 100,000 poultry in 13 district-level units and 9 provinces.

There are currently 3 main highly pathogenic strains causing the disease, including A/H5N1, A/H5N6 and A/H5N8. In addition, there is a low pathogenic strain, A/H9N2. With more than 500 million poultry nationwide, the technology to create avian influenza vaccine strains and apply them in the production of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) vaccines at Fivevet. Based on the criteria of safety and effectiveness, Fivevet has applied the creation of original strains of avian influenza viruses. Including the creation of the original A/H5N1 influenza virus with a specific genome, with the H5 gene mutated so that the virus loses its high pathogenicity but retains the antigenic properties of H5. According to Mr. Dai, the vaccine manufactured by the company has 100% antibodies. The strong vaccine using the A/H5N1 strain has a protection rate of 90%. In particular, the monovalent/polyvalent avian influenza vaccine using the A/H5N1rg strain has shown high safety and efficacy, and is specific to vaccinated poultry.

Being proactive in technology creation and selection of suitable original strains for research, development and production of vaccines against avian influenza (HPAI, LPAI) is the basis for creating high-tech vaccines, suitable for strains circulating in the field, contributing to the prevention and control of avian influenza in Vietnam.

Not only Fivevet, Vietnam has 92 veterinary medicine production facilities meeting GMP-WHO, of which 12 veterinary vaccine production facilities; the investment level is about 30-40 million USD/factory (VAKSINDO, HANVET, NAVETCO, DABACO…). The laboratories of the Department of Animal Health have achieved biosafety level II or higher, including 2 biosafety level III laboratories; the veterinary sector has 7 biosafety level III laboratories. The whole country has 12 enterprises researching and producing animal vaccines that meet GMP-WHO standards with a total of 218 types of vaccines and 340 types of imported vaccines, meeting the needs of disease prevention in livestock and poultry in the country.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said that in the context of many disease variants as present, disease control in barns and livestock herds must be carried out strictly and strictly protected. Vaccines are an effective measure in minimizing damage, helping output products meet disease safety and food safety standards. Using vaccines not only helps reduce infectious diseases but also ensures safe livestock farming processes for livestock.

Vietnam has quickly joined the race to produce veterinary vaccines; it has produced a number of important disease vaccines such as: Avian influenza (Navet-Vifluvac) in 2012); Blue ear disease vaccine since 2015; foot-and-mouth disease vaccine since 2018; rabies vaccine since 2019 and most recently, African swine fever vaccine (NAVET-ASFVAC and AVAC ASF LIVE) in 2022.

Mr. Nguyen Van Long, Director of the Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, emphasized that Vietnam has a long border and increasing trade and travel activities between countries, creating favorable conditions for new diseases, including new strains of avian influenza, African swine fever and lumpy skin disease, to spread rapidly. Mr. Long also emphasized that the strong development of vaccine technology in the world creates opportunities for Vietnam to learn and cooperate. The Director of the Department of Animal Health said that there has been significant development in scientific and technological cooperation and Vietnam’s vaccine production technology has reached world-class levels. Mr. Long acknowledged that Vietnam’s veterinary vaccine research and production units are constantly strengthening international cooperation and transferring science and technology with leading countries in the world such as the United States, EU, Japan, Australia, Korea, China, Americas… with the most advanced technologies; scientists, organizations such as FAO, WOAH, international partners (US Department of Agriculture, CDC, international reference laboratories for dangerous animal diseases such as avian influenza, foot-and-mouth disease, blue ear disease, African swine fever, rabies).

In the country, the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture and the Veterinary Institute are implementing virus surveillance, analyzing characteristics, sequencing genes of circulating virus strains, sharing results, selecting field strains for evaluating the effectiveness of current vaccines… Applying scientific and technological advances in research and production of vaccines and veterinary drugs will help control diseases in livestock effectively.

In particular, Vietnam has successfully produced and officially exported the African swine fever vaccine AVAC ASF LIVE of AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company to 5 countries, marking a great achievement recognized by the world.

Source: P.A.T (synthesis), NASATI

On November 15, in Hanoi, the National Innovation Center (NIC), the Ministry of Planning and Investment, in collaboration with Google, organized the Workshop “Creating the AI ​​Future for Vietnam” to exploit the potential of AI and discuss policies and mechanisms for AI development in Vietnam. Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Do Thanh Trung attended and delivered the opening speech at the Workshop.

Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Do Thanh Trung said that, in its role as a general advisory body on socio-economic development strategies, the Ministry has advised and submitted to the Prime Minister for approval the Program “Developing human resources for the semiconductor industry to 2030, with a vision to 2050” in Decision No. 1017/QD-TTg, which proposes the goal that by 2030, Vietnam will have at least 5,000 engineers or higher with in-depth expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) to serve the semiconductor industry. At the same time, the Ministry of Planning and Investment has assigned the National Innovation Center to coordinate with domestic and international partners and experts to research and build an AI Training, Research and Application Center to serve AI business incubation, support AI research, application and in-depth training on AI with the goal of training 7,000 AI experts according to international standards by 2030 and incubating about 500 AI startups.

These are very proactive steps of the Ministry to realize the goal of Vietnam soon becoming a center for innovation, developing solutions and applying artificial intelligence in the ASEAN region and the world.

“With the desire to promote the strong development of the Vietnamese AI community, making Vietnam one of the leading AI research and application centers in the region, the Ministry of Planning and Investment will always support and accompany and continue to advise on mechanisms and policies to develop AI technology,” Deputy Minister Do Thanh Trung affirmed.

At the Workshop, Google representative introduced the content of the Economic Impact Report: Promoting digital growth in Vietnam with Google.

According to Google research, the potential from AI in Vietnam is huge, with estimated economic benefits of up to VND1,890 trillion (US$79.3 billion) for businesses by 2030, if AI tools are widely applied. This figure is equivalent to nearly 12% of Vietnam’s GDP by 2030.

To fully exploit the potential of AI, according to Google’s AI Opportunity Agenda for Vietnam, Vietnam needs to strengthen its technical infrastructure for AI-based innovation, build an AI-ready workforce, and increase access to AI across the economy. Google’s report also provides an in-depth analysis of strategies to bridge the digital and AI knowledge gap, helping the Vietnamese workforce make effective use of AI and drive economic growth.

Accordingly, to fully exploit the transformational potential of AI, Vietnam needs to focus on retaining and developing domestic talent by expanding access to digital education and accelerating the implementation of corporate training programs. To maximize the economic benefits of AI, Vietnam needs to prioritize the development of a digital workforce. Closing the digital skills gap through specialized training and technology application will open up great economic potential for the country.

In addition, the report quantifies Google’s current contribution to supporting businesses, households, and the workforce in Vietnam through Google’s diverse AI-integrated products and services such as: Google Search, Google Ads, Google AdSense, Google Play and YouTube; Google Cloud, Google Workspace…

Mr. Andrew Ure, Senior Director of Government Relations and Public Policy of Google Southeast Asia of Google Corporation, speaking at the Workshop (Photo: HNV)

“With a young, tech-savvy population and a dynamic digital landscape, Vietnam is well-positioned to tap into the opportunities presented by AI,” said Andrew Ure, Senior Director of Government Relations and Public Policy at Google Southeast Asia. “We are therefore delighted to partner with NIC to introduce the first AI Policy & Skilling Lab to Vietnam. We look forward to working with the Vietnamese government, ministries and research institutions to build an AI-powered future that benefits everyone.”

Also at the Workshop, experts from state management agencies, research institutions, and business representatives discussed and proposed specific solutions and initiatives to promote proactive investment in AI research and development; build a high-quality AI workforce; develop an AI innovation ecosystem to create a favorable environment for creative AI ideas to be nurtured and developed. In addition, a topic of interest discussed at the Workshop was about synchronous solutions to build an AI legal framework to ensure that AI is developed and applied safely, responsibly, and in compliance with ethical values.

On this occasion, Google Corporation, other corporations, technology enterprises, universities, research institutes, experts and scientists have also paid attention to building visions, goals and action plans for major tasks related to AI including: actively and proactively investing in AI research and development; building a high-quality AI workforce; developing an AI innovation ecosystem to create a favorable environment for creative AI ideas to be nurtured and developed; jointly participating in building an AI legal framework to ensure that AI is developed and applied safely, responsibly and in compliance with ethical values…

The seminar was organized to help female intellectuals  of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) improve their capacity, knowledge, skills and confidence.

On the afternoon of October 31, the Association of Women Intellectuals of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in coordination with the Ministry’s Committee for the Advancement of Women organized a seminar on “The journey of self-understanding to enhance the inner strength of female cadres”.

The event took place in an exciting atmosphere with the participation of representatives of the Vietnam Association of Information Technology and a large number of members of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Association of Information Technology.

Overview of the Seminar “The journey of self-understanding to enhance the inner strength of female cadres”

Speaking at the opening of the Seminar, Ms. Pham Thi Van Anh, Director of the Department of Organization and Personnel, Deputy Head of the Department for the Advancement of Women, Deputy Head of the Women’s Union of the Ministry of Science and Technology, emphasized the increasingly important role of female cadres in the science and technology sector. She said that the Ministry’s leaders always pay attention to and focus on developing this team, especially in planning, training and fostering. The Seminar is expected to be an opportunity for female cadres to improve their capacity, expand their knowledge, develop their skills and increase their confidence.

Dr. Pham Thi My, Permanent Vice President of Vietnam ICT Association, spoke at the seminar.

Dr. Pham Thi My, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Intellectuals Association, affirmed that the Seminar is a practical activity in implementing Decree 45/NQ-TW on building a strong and comprehensive intellectual team. She also shared about Vietnam’s remarkable achievements in promoting gender equality, and affirmed that the Government will create all favorable conditions for female intellectuals to maximize their capacity.

“ During the meeting with female intellectuals with the Prime Minister on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Network of Women Scientists and Engineers Conference held in Hanoi from October 4-5, 2024, the Prime Minister affirmed that the Government will create all favorable conditions for intellectuals, including female intellectuals, to maximize their capacity and enthusiasm through continuing to improve policy mechanisms, strongly invest in science and technology research, prioritize financial resources, and focus on training high-quality human resources…” – Dr. Pham Thi My said.

The Standing Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Information Technology said that the seminar will help members of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Association of Information Technology access scientific tools to understand themselves, have a correct perspective on themselves, and be confident in their activities.

The highlight of the seminar was the sharing of MSc. Nikole Vu Huong Giang, Director of Me&We Company, about tools to explore the subconscious power and hidden potential of each person.

MSc. Nikole Vu Huong Giang shares methods to help female cadres identify their strengths, weaknesses, core values ​​and potentials. From there, they can build confidence, develop leadership skills, manage emotions and create positive relationships.

MSc. Nikole Vu Huong Giang, Director of Me&We Company, shares about tools to explore the subconscious power and hidden potential of each person.

Through diverse activities such as experience sharing, interactive games and group practice, the Seminar created an open space for female cadres to share, listen and connect with each other.

Not only does she help women understand themselves, Ms. Nikole Vu Huong Giang also equips female cadres with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop their careers and lives: methods to control emotions immediately, set goals consistent with their value system, make decisions in all situations, magic of words…

MSc. Le Thi Khanh Van, Executive Committee Member of Vietnam Association of Information Technology, Head of the Association of Information Technology of the Ministry of Science and Technology, delivered a speech at the Closing Ceremony.

In her closing remarks at the Seminar, Ms. Le Thi Khanh Van, Head of the NTT Association of the Ministry of Science and Technology, affirmed that the Seminar was an opportunity for female cadres to connect, share experiences, and support each other to overcome challenges. In addition, the representative of the Executive Committee of the Association will also promote practical and meaningful activities, creating conditions for members to exchange, learn and develop.

A good news shared by MSc. Khanh Van is that the research topic on female scientists has received the attention of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has assigned the task to the Vietnam Women’s Union and the Ministry of Finance to consider and propose the establishment of a Fund for female scientists and appropriate policy mechanisms. This is a positive signal, affirming the attention of the Party and State to the development of female intellectuals.

On the sidelines of the Seminar, experts from V-Green Group Corporation sponsored health index measurements and Kombucha products and health powders for delegates attending the Seminar.

Delegates attending the Seminar took souvenir photos

                                                                                        Source: Dieu Thuan – New Women Magazine

The exhibition “Intellectual property and innovation and creativity of Vietnamese female intellectuals” has nearly 30 booths of 38 units representing institutes, academies, universities and participating businesses.

VNA – On the occasion of the World Intellectual Property Day (April 26), on the morning of April 21, in Hanoi, the National Office of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology) in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of Intellectual Women and the National Agency for Science and Technology Information organized the Exhibition “Intellectual property and innovation and creativity of Vietnamese intellectual women” to contribute to recognizing and honoring the intellectual work results and great creative achievements of Vietnamese intellectual women.

The exhibition has nearly 30 booths of 38 units representing institutes, academies, universities, and participating businesses, with nearly 200 intellectual properties and innovation results mainly in the fields that are the strengths of female intellectuals such as: Medicine – pharmacy, biotechnology, automation, information technology, materials – chemicals, food processing, agriculture, environmental pollution treatment…

This is one of the activities of the task “Raising awareness and capacity to use intellectual property tools, innovation in scientific research and business production for the Vietnamese female intellectual community” under the Intellectual Property Development Program to 2030 with the aim of supporting female intellectuals to promote and introduce intellectual property and innovation results, and seek opportunities to apply and commercialize intellectual property.

The theme of World Intellectual Property Day 2023 is “Women in Intellectual Property – Driving Innovation and Creativity”. This message affirms and emphasizes the role and importance, while recognizing the great contributions of women in intellectual property and innovation activities around the world.

Women all over the world have been playing a significant role in creating breakthrough scientific research results, establishing new creative trends, and contributing to the transformation of the world in a more positive direction. Through scientific research and innovation activities, women have been affirming their position and role. They deserve to be recognized and honored by society and the community. To achieve the goal of bringing our country out of underdevelopment and basically becoming a modern industrialized country requires promoting to the highest level all resources and intellectual potential of the nation, especially the creative capacity of the intellectual team, in which female intellectuals have been and are holding an important position.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Van Tung said that in the rapid development of modern technology towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution, intellectuals become a particularly important resource, creating the strength of each country in the socio-economic development strategy.

Statistics from the National Agency for Science and Technology Information in 2019 show that the number of women participating in research accounts for 46% of the total research and development workforce. The Vietnamese female intellectual community is very diverse, including female scientists and businesswomen in all fields nationwide. Female intellectuals have contributed many valuable scientific works in theory and practical applications in many areas of social life; many research topics and scientific initiatives have benefited the country by billions of dong. Currently, female intellectuals still have a lot of intellectual property, scientific and technological research results of economic value, meeting practical needs, but have not been commercialized.

Deputy Minister Tran Van Tung added that, in addition to the successes, there are still many obstacles and difficulties that limit the position and role of female intellectuals. Therefore, supporting female scientists, promoting, introducing and implementing trade promotion activities, connecting them with businesses to exploit and develop the value of intellectual assets, promoting and enhancing the effectiveness of intellectual property rights enforcement is really necessary.

Within the framework of the Exhibition, there are a number of main activities such as: Displaying and introducing intellectual properties and innovation results, Science and Technology products, new protected varieties; Seminar “Some intellectual property issues to note in cooperation between Universities – Research Institutes – Enterprises”; Training “Intellectual property and skills in using intellectual property tools in production – business”; Seminar: “Female scientists introduce inventions and useful solutions that have been successfully commercialized, typical enterprises in using intellectual property tools successfully and effectively.”

In addition, the Organizing Committee will arrange a consulting area for science and technology information and intellectual property for businesses, scientists and interested parties. The exhibition will take place on April 21 and 22./.

                         Source: from website: vista.gov.vn of National Agency for Science and Technology Information