Sydney Vietnam Academic Network
Impacting lives through collaborative research and education
May 2025 Newsletter
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| Sydney Vietnam Academic Network Newsletter
Featuring some of our current research projects, achievements,
opportunities, news and events
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Welcome to the latest Sydney Vietnam Academic Network Newsletter!
April 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of Vietnam’s Reunification, a significant milestone celebrated throughout the country. We hope colleagues in Vietnam enjoyed the occasion and the break from work!
In this newsletter, we are pleased to announce a shared calendar for documenting visits to Vietnam. This has been established by colleagues at the Sydney Vietnam Institute as an opt in facility and promises to be a great way to share travel plans to facilitate in-country meetings and networking opportunities. See below for more details.
We are pleased to be able to continue supporting Vietnamese language learning. This is a great way to deepen your connections in Vietnam and fend off dementia. See below for how to access subsidised classes.
Please enjoy reading through the other updates and insights. Thank you for your ongoing support and participation.
Associate Professor Justin Beardsley
Director, Sydney Vietnam Academic Network
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 | H.E. Ms Gillian Bird and President Luong Cuong at the credentials presentation ceremony in April 2025 (Photo: DFAT)
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New Australian Ambassador to Vietnam
SVAN congratulates H.E. Ms Gillian Bird PSM on her appointment as Australia’s Ambassador to Vietnam. Ms Bird was Australia’s first Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations from 2008 to 2013. On 24 April 2025, Ambassador Bird presented her credentials to State President Luong Cuong in a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi. Watch Ambassador Bird’s video message (on X) on taking up her new role, filmed at Hanoi’s Temple of Literature.
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|  | From left: Mr Luong Tien Phong, Dr Alvin Teo, Prof Greg Fox, Dr Emily MacLean, Ms Leanne Howie, Ms Khanh Boi Luu and Ms Thu Hien Le at the launch of the SAPPHIRE and SHIFT-TB projects in Cambodia
| |  | Participants in the TB case-finding workshop held in Phnom Penh ahead of the SAPPHIRE and SHIFT-TB launch in April
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Cross-country collaboration on TB screening
The Cambodian component of the Sydney Asia-Pacific Partnership for Health Innovations and Resilient Ecosystems (SAPPHIRE) and SHIFT-TB project were officially launched in Phnom Penh in April. The SAPPHIRE project will pilot a population-wide tuberculosis (TB) screening model that will be expanded under SHIFT-TB with funding from L’Initiative - Expertise France awarded to Dr Alvin Teo, Dr Emily MacLean and project partners. SHIFT-TB aims to strengthen health systems through integrated risk factor intervention and TB case-finding. The launch of these projects is timely amid significant funding cuts to TB and other health programs globally.Building on over a decade of research and implementation in Vietnam, SHIFT-TB will be implemented in Cambodia by a consortium comprising the National Centre for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control, KHANA Cambodia, Cambodia Anti-tuberculosis Association, Reproductive and Child Health Alliance, Network of People Affected by TB in Cambodia, the University of Sydney and National University of Singapore.
A pre-launch workshop in Phnom Penh, led by Dr Teo and Ms Khanh Boi Luu (Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Vietnam/Sydney Vietnam Institute), brought Cambodian partners together to co-develop action plans for population-wide TB screening. The workshop, co-hosted by Woolcock Vietnam and SVI, emphasised inclusive approaches to active case-finding, focusing on reaching the most vulnerable populations. Participants shared insights on community engagement, data collection, diagnosis and treatment referrals through participatory methods such as presentations, voting, group discussions and consensus building. This cross-country collaboration laid the groundwork for evidence-based implementation in Cambodia.
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| UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
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Webinar: Rethinking Community Engagement in TB
Community engagement is vital for effective public health, but its implementation varies across diseases. HIV CE has been seen as a model of success characterised by strong advocacy, sustained activism and deep community ownership. In contrast, TB CE has been marked by fragmentation, limited investment and transient engagement that ends with concerns around treatment adherence and completion. In this webinar, A/Prof Sarah Bernays and Duy Trinh-Hoang will explore what TB can learn from HIV CE and what should be adapted rather than directly replicated for TB. They will also consider future directions needed to make TB CE more sustainable, empowering and impactful. The discussion will be chaired by Madhava Sai Sivapuram.When: Thursday 22 May 2025, 2:00pm (AEST), 11:00am (Vietnam)
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Politics in Action 2025
Now in its 10th year, the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre’s annual Politics in Action forum features timely analysis of key political, social and economic developments in six Southeast Asian countries. Mr Andrew Goledzinowski, former Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, will talk on Vietnam. Other countries covered this year include Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. All presentations will be followed by interactive Q&A sessions.
When: Thursday 12 June 2025, 10:30am to 3:40pm (AEST), 8:00am to 12:40pm (Vietnam)
Hybrid: Lecture Room 200, Social Sciences Building (A02), University of Sydney and via Zoom
Registrations close: Thursday 5 June 2025, 5:00pm (AEST), 2:00pm (Vietnam)
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EOI: Responsible AI Management Training in Southeast Asia
Standards Australia in partnership with the Australian Government is holding a series of workshops on Responsible AI Training across Southeast Asia. The workshops aim to equip governments, industry and third-sector leaders from eligible Southeast Asian countries with the knowledge and tools needed to implement the AI Management System standard (AIMSS), a first of its kind global standard addressing unique challenges posed by AI. A workshop will be held in Hanoi on Friday 13 June 2025.
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Call for abstracts: CIGOS 2026
The call for abstracts is now open for the 8th International Conference on Geotechnics, Civil Engineering and Structures (CIGOS). The conference is co-organised by the Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts, University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City and University of Sydney Vietnam Institute. The theme is “Innovation in Planning, Design and Civil Infrastructure for Resilient and Sustainable Transformation”. Submissions are welcome in the following areas: Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Digital Transformation; Construction, Materials, Structures, Digital Technologies; Geosciences, Environment, Energy; Planning, Architecture, Industrial Design; Transportation, Infrastructure, Management and Investment.
Deadline for abstracts: Sunday 15 June 2025.
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Call for proposals: The 13th Conference of the IASC-ARS
Applications are now open for proposals for the 13th Conference of the International Association for Statistical Computing-Asia Region (IASC-ARS 2025). The conference theme is “Interfaces Between Statistics and AI: Towards Collaboration and Unification”.
Deadline for proposals: Monday 30 June 2025.
Registrations for the conference, which will feature a keynote speech by A/Prof Minh Ngoc Tran, are now open. When: 4–6 December 2025, University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City
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Sydney Southeast Asia Research Innovation Symposium
This full-day event jointly organised by the Sydney Vietnam Institute, Sydney Vietnam Academic Network and Sydney Southeast Asia Centre will feature research presentations to facilitate knowledge sharing, planning for future funding applications and development of research skills among collaborators.
Save the date: Friday 12 September 2025
Where: In person in Hanoi, Vietnam, and online via Zoom
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CLINICAL TRIALS IN VIETNAM
The Ministry of Health (MOH) conducted its annual audit of the clinical trials unit within the Sydney Vietnam Institute (SVI), with positive results confirming compliance with required standards, allowing SVI to continue its registered scope of work on clinical trials.
Four active trials are underway. The ASTERoiD trial is a phase 3 clinical trial involving the SVI as a part of a multi-country Tuberculosis Trials Consortium at the United States Centers for Disease Control. The trial is evaluating the effectiveness of a six-week treatment for TB infection, in comparison to 4 months of treatment. The trial has successfully recruited first patients in Ho Chi Minh City (District 6 Health Center and Phoi Viet clinic). Recruitment began in March 2025, and is expected to continue until at least 2028.
The PHOENIx trial on multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), which finished the recruitment phase, is in the follow-up stage for participants. Two trials, CRUSH-TB and FLIRT, are awaiting shipment of study drugs to Vietnam.
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Vietnam’s dynamic digital media
Vietnam’s digital media landscape is rapidly evolving, making it a dynamic hub for platform providers, content creators and users. The country’s digital economy already contributes 16.5% to its GDP and aims to reach 30% by 2030.
Vietnamese content creators are flourishing, producing diverse content and collaborating with brands. Social media is also a key source of news and a tool for small businesses. While the government regulates online content to maintain social order, the digital space remains vibrant and inclusive.
New research by A/Prof Jonathon Hutchinson published in Media International Australia explores the unique characteristics and evolution of digital media in Vietnam – shaped by both state control and capitalist enterprise. Using interviews with Vietnamese creative industry experts, online content creators and younger users, the research investigates how these dynamics influence content creation, audience engagement and the broader media ecosystem.
It highlights how Vietnamese digital media has developed its own identity, distinct from Western models, while fostering a positive, inclusive and community-oriented environment. It also finds that online content creators in Vietnam are evolving into “experience translators” who provide authentic and relatable content rather than commercially driven material.
“This research outlines the first wave of fieldwork from Vietnam,” A/Prof Hutchinson said. “The work has opened so many doors and collaborations with Vietnamese colleagues and I’m excited to begin the next wave of fieldwork!”
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SVI welcomes new PhD candidate
In June, we are excited to welcome Ngô Đức Duy to the Sydney Vietnam Media Innovation Hub as part of the Sydney Vietnam Institute. Duy will be working on the Hub’s Media and Platforms research node. His project, “Platforms as Playgrounds: Exploring the Impact of Digital Ecosystems on Vietnam’s Creative Industries and Digital Economy”, will span Sydney, Saigon and Hanoi and will engage with popular platforms such as Grab, Zalo, TikTok and the Meta suite of offerings. We look forward to welcoming Duy and are energised by the potential of this new project over the next three years.
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Planning a research trip to Vietnam?
To facilitate support for University of Sydney researchers and academics visiting Vietnam, the Sydney Vietnam Institute has created a shared calendar where members can quickly and easily enter their travel schedules. The calendar will help to plan events, meetings and networking opportunities in Vietnam. To opt in to receive the “Visit to Vietnam” calendar invite, simply complete this form – it only takes a minute. If you have any questions, please c ontact Quynh Anh Dam at SVI.
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Member special offer! Online Vietnamese language classes
Interested in learning Vietnamese in a friendly and supportive group environment? Academics across the University have been participating in an innovative online Vietnamese language program with our in-country language partner, Tieng Viet Oi. Classes are held twice a week online with expert teachers from Vietnam, and are available at beginner, intermediate and advanced level. This is a fantastic way to build confidence in your speaking and listening skills and gain insights into Vietnamese culture.
SVAN members and affiliates of the University of Sydney have access to up to 20 hours of subsidised classes. Fee support is based on group class attendance rate, so why not apply with another budding Vietnamese speaker. The classes are run in collaboration with the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre.
Email Sydney-Vietnam.network@sydney.edu.au to express your interest.
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Join the Sydney Vietnam Academic Network to share your projects and hear about the latest news, events and grant opportunities tailored to research on and in Vietnam.
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