Sydney Vietnam Academic Network
Impacting lives through collaborative research and education
November 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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As we hurtle towards the end of the year, this last newsletter of 2025 is a chance to look back on some of SVAN’s achievements.
The highlight was undoubtedly the success of the Sydney Vietnam Innovation Symposium, held in Hanoi in September. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this a success! The event brought together a vibrant mix of University of Sydney faculty, Vietnamese researchers, collaborators and long-time friends. Ideas were discussed, challenges shared and new partnerships forged through a range of presentations, workshops and social activities. We are already looking ahead to 2026 and will be certain to provide a ‘save the date’ as soon as possible, so even more of you can make it.
I must say the poster presentations were outstanding and showcased the depth and diversity of our shared research. It was excellent fun to witness the highly competitive approach of participants to getting votes – see below for a gallery of posters and details on the winning entries. The workshops were a new addition to the symposium and we look forward to increasing the range and scope on offer next year. We would be thrilled to hear from members of the network with ideas for future skills-training workshops.
In 2026, we will launch the Sydney Vietnam academic meetings. These will be hybrid meetings, with in-person attendees in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Sydney – providing an opportunity to share ideas, build collaborations and support researcher development in both countries. Don’t be surprised to receive an email about contributing to this series. And if you’re planning to be in Vietnam, please let us know your dates through the SVI travel calendar (details below) and consider giving a talk in person. I look forward to seeing you all soon and continuing to grow our network!
Associate Professor Justin Beardsley
Director, Sydney Vietnam Academic Network
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Driving impact: Regional research collaboration in action
Co-hosted by SVAN, Sydney Southeast Asia Centre and Sydney Vietnam Institute (SVI), the 2025 Sydney Vietnam Innovation Symposium held in Hanoi in September brought together leading experts to advance collaborative research for sustainable impact.
Presentations showcased cross-disciplinary collaborations with tangible impact: Prof Kirstine McCartney discussed equitable respiratory virus vaccination, A/Prof Justin Beardsley presented the SAPPHIRE project, tackling tuberculosis, chronic lung disease and antimicrobial resistance, and Prof Elizabeth Elliott reflected on 20 years of immunisation and cerebral palsy partnerships. Participants also gained insights into immersive technologies for flood resilience with Dr Joel Fredericks, how museums and curators foster community engagement with Dr Pham Lan Huong and advances in digital biosecurity across food supply chains with Prof Jenny-Ann Toribio.
Interactive workshops delved into media communication, academic storytelling, community engagement, research funding strategies and partnerships in agriculture and environment. Panel discussions explored successful collaborations, their origins and future directions, and ways to enhance research impact.
The Director of the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED), A/Prof Dr Đào Ngọc Chiến, delivered a keynote highlighting the Foundation’s achievements in advancing research. He also outlined a bold vision for Vietnam to build a high-quality scientific ecosystem and lead ASEAN in publications and patents. (See also Policy Roundup below for more on the Vietnamese government’s strategic plans and resolutions.)
Congratulations to the organisers, presenters, participants and partners for making this third annual Symposium a success!
Read more
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| Symposium posters showcase research collaborations
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The Symposium poster competition also proved popular, attracting 16 outstanding entries. Thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations to the winners – including equal third place in a tight competition – as voted for by Symposium participants!
- Pho-get the fungus: Are doctors served enough antifungals in Vietnam. A collaborative study with Hanoi Medical University assesses whether Vietnamese doctors and pharmacists have the right ingredients to fight fungal infections.
- AMR on the menu: Tracking transmission in food chains. Using a One Health approach, this study tracked AMR pathogens in the food chain from “farm to fork” and examined the role of antimicrobial use on their spread.
- Exploring fungal diversity in Vietnam: A citizen science initiative. This project engaged secondary school students in environmental surveillance of fungal presence and resistance rates in two provinces, demonstrating its potential for nationwide expansion.
- Development of a national Cerebral Palsy Register for Vietnam. Co-design between clinical academics and families with lived experience in collaboration with the Cerebral Palsy Family Association Vietnam.
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SVAN charts a fresh course for collaboration
SVAN is entering an exciting new chapter following its Strategic Planning session on 17 October. Now SVI is well-established, SVAN’s focus is shifting that achievement to building our truly multidisciplinary network here in Sydney. With 285 members and growing, it was timely for leaders and members to come together in-person and online to discuss a strategic refresh.
Chaired by A/Prof Justin Beardsley, the session focused on aligning SVAN’s work with University priorities, SSEAC’s Grand Challenges – climate resilience, agriculture, healthy societies, digital transformation, and shared histories and futures – and SVI’s mission to improve wellbeing through research, collaboration and community engagement.
Discussions explored moving beyond research nodes to thematic areas to foster cross-disciplinary research, enhancing engagement through a revamped website and developing dynamic tools to showcase member activities. Academic engagement was also a hot topic, with strong support for annual symposia in Vietnam and a new series of Sydney Vietnam academic meetings, alongside networking events, capacity-building workshops and language sessions.
To be part of SVAN’s next chapter, stay connected, share your ideas and join us in shaping impactful collaborations and events!
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Elis Benediktsson honoured for transformative leadership
Congratulations to Elis Benediktsson, winner of the inaugural SSEAC Leadership Award! This award recognises exceptional leadership, including strategic vision, mentorship, collaboration and initiatives that strengthen SSEAC’s mission and community. Elis is recognised for his outstanding leadership in supporting the University of Sydney’s Southeast Asia research initiatives, including his pivotal role at the University’s Strategic Ventures Unit in establishing the Sydney Vietnam Institute. As the SVI’s inaugural Chief Operating Officer, over the past three years Elis has helped guide the detailed setup of Vietnam’s first Social Enterprise for research, fostering collaboration across legal, finance, HR and research teams. The SVI now employs around 50 staff and supports research worth over $8 million. His efforts have enabled more than 15 researchers to undertake high-quality research across a range of fields. The award was presented by SSEAC Director Prof Greg Fox at the 2025 Sydney Southeast Asia Research Innovation Symposium in November.
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 | Ms Trần Thị Diệu Thúy, Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, and Mr Phạm Định Phong, Deputy Director General, Department of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, with Curator, A/Prof Jane Gavan and guests at the exhibition opening. Image: Official Press War Remnants Museum, HCMC
| |  | Visitor using a traditional stone rice-grinding mill to make rice flour for southern Vietnamese dishes, War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City. Image: Official Press War Remnants Museum, HCMC
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Taste of resilience: Food and War Exhibition at War Remnants Museum
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Congratulations to A/Prof Jane Gavan, curator of Food and War in Southern Vietnam at Ho Chi Minh City’s War Remnants Museum, running until December. Building on the 2024 Bamunity exhibition – which approached traumatic war memories through survival and resilience – this immersive show explores how simple meals became lifelines and quiet acts of resistance in the southern resistance wars, connecting food, memory and care.
Developed with the SVI and local university partners, the exhibition invites visitors to grind rice, guide smoke from a Hoàng Cầm stove, handle replica rice caddies and coats that once hid daily rice balls, and follow subtle scents of spice and fermented sauces. Designed as the museum’s final, calmer gallery, it offers a contemplative sensory space where visitors can sit, write reflections and leave more at ease.
Supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as a pilot of UNESCO’s Curating Futures initiative, this exhibition transforms memory into peacebuilding and intergenerational understanding. This work was highlighted on a VTV5 national television broadcast featuring SVI Director, Prof Thu-Anh Nguyen. If you’re visiting Ho Chi Minh City, don’t miss it! Read more or learn more at the Curating Futures website.
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| UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
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Global Health Research Showcase: Shared values, global impact
Discover how shared values drive global impact at the Global Health Research Showcase. Join us at this flagship event featuring a keynote address by A/Prof Sarah Bernays on putting global health principles into action. Engage in panel discussions exploring authentic partnerships, reciprocity and equity in global health partnerships. Network with leading researchers and collaborators from the University and the region. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn and advance global health research.
When: 4 December 2025, 12:00pm–4:00pm (AEDT) | 8:00am–12:00pm (Vietnam)
Where: Lecture Theatre 200, Social Sciences Building, Science Road, University of Sydney | Online via Zoom (a Zoom link will be sent to online registrants prior to the event)
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Save the date! Climate Change and Society lecture
This talk by Prof Jamie Cross (School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, and Academic Director of Glasgow Changing Futures) will explore how climate change is reshaping the relationship between environments, technologies and economies by tracking human and non-human responses across diverse social science contexts. It will examine green entrepreneurship, techno-fixes, the politics of energy and infrastructure in chronic poverty, and social and technical systems for managing heat and cooling. It will also highlight emerging research on fungi and climate change, showing how shifting fungal ecologies challenge familiar narratives of degradation, risk and human–environment relations. A Q&A session will follow.
When: 8 December 2025 Where: Sydney Vietnam Institute, The Nexx Building, 32 Pham Ngoc Thach, Xuan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Online
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Visualising Flood Data to Support Infrastructure and Policy Planning
Are you interested in how new technologies can help us better understand flood risks in Ho Chi Minh City? Join this workshop, co-organised by the University of Sydney, VNUHCMC–University of Science and Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Resources and Environment, to experience immersive flood simulations and share ideas for building a more resilient city.
When: 9–10 December 2025
Where: Sydney Vietnam Institute, The Nexx Building, 32 Pham Ngoc Thach, Xuan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Call for papers! Asian Humanities Today: Tradition, Transformation and Future
In a time when the humanities face existential challenges, the Australian Society for Asian Humanities (ASAH) invites papers exploring the meaning of humanities today. Papers are invited to explore Asian traditions, trace transformative forces shaping Asia, envision new futures, or discuss Asian-Australian and Asian-New Zealand humanities. Postgraduate and Honours students are encouraged to apply.
The ASAH Conference is supported by the China Studies Centre and Sydney Southeast Asia Centre and will be held at the University of Sydney on 3–4 July 2026. More information here.
Submissions deadline: 15 December 2025
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CLINICAL TRIALS IN VIETNAM
The Sydney Vietnam Institute continues to run clinical trials on tuberculosis, including FLIRT, CRUSH-TB, PHOENix and ASTERoiD, while the SSTARLET (Shorter and Safer Treatment Regimens for Latent TB) study, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, is progressing through its preparation phase. The FLIRT study has expanded to four sites across four provinces (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho and An Giang) to accelerate participant enrolment, reflecting its growing activity. At the same time, CRUSH-TB and ASTERoiD continue to strengthen their recruitment efforts. PHOENix maintains a 100% retention rate, highlighting the strong engagement of participants and study teams.
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Vietnam’s strategic reforms: Advancing science, technology and digital innovation
Vietnam is advancing its national priorities in education, science, technology and innovation, with a strong focus on digital transformation and building a high-quality STEM workforce. Below is a summary of some of the government’s strategic plans and resolutions aimed at boosting research and development and fostering international partnerships.
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Resolution 71 on breakthrough development in education and training
- Education, training, science and technology remain top national priorities.
- Emphasis on accelerating digital transformation, AI integration and institutional innovation across all levels of education.
- Plans to expand international cooperation and integration in education and research, including partnerships and joint training and research units with foreign institutions.
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Resolution 57 on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation
- R&D spending target of 2% of GDP and 3% of national budget for innovation.
- Strengthen partnerships with top global universities in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, quantum technology, semiconductors, nuclear energy and robotics.
- Integrate emerging technologies such as AI, Internet of Things, big data and quantum technology into education and research to support national goals.
- See also Resolution 57 Key targets infographic (Vietnam News Agency).
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Resolution 03 to implement Resolution 57
- Vietnam’s roadmap for science, technology and innovation focuses on digital governance, enterprise innovation and building a high-quality STEM workforce through scholarships and centres of excellence.
- Education reforms led by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) aim to modernise universities, boost research output and align governance with global standards.
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Decision 1131 on announcement of 11 strategic technology groups
- Eleven strategic technology groups and 35 strategic product groups identified to drive development and national digital transformation.
- Key groups: AI, digital twin and virtual/augmented reality; Cloud computing, quantum computing and big data; Blockchain; Next generation mobile networks (5G/6G); Robotics and automation; Semiconductors; Advanced biomedical technology; Advanced energy and material technology; Rare earths, oceans and underground resources; Cybersecurity; Aeronautics and space technology.
- Plans for a corresponding development program include national research centres, testing facilities, key labs and an industrial investment fund.
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Decision 374 on approval of the development plan for a system of centres of excellence and talent in 4.0 technology areas by 2030
- Supports implementation of Resolution 57 and 03 by developing centres of excellence and university talent, and fostering domestic and international collaboration in training, research, technology transfer and innovation.
- MOET has selected 13 universities to lead the centres of excellence and talent training and research, with opportunities for joint research and global talent exchange.
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Decision 1002 on approval of the HR training project to serve high-tech development
- Plan to build a high-quality STEM workforce to support digital transformation and drive innovation.
- Objectives are to expand STEM education in AI, biotech, digital tech and basic sciences, recruit overseas PhDs to teach in Vietnam, and establish research groups and talent programs in strategic technologies.
- Opportunities to foster academic and researcher exchange, co-publication, visiting lecturers, PhD co-supervision and joint research in strategic technologies.
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Planning for higher education institutions
- Vietnam Higher Education Master Plan aims to strengthen research and training capacity in STEM and critical technology fields.
- The Plan prioritises investment in universities with strong research and training capacity in STEM and critical technology.
- Five priority universities for higher investment: Hanoi University of Science and Technology; Hanoi University of Civil Engineering; University of Transport and Communications; Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology; and Ho Chi Minh University of Technology and Education.
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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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Something about Australia-Vietnam you should know...
Curious about what’s shaping modern Vietnam? Check out Vietcetera, a digital media company founded in 2016 with a mission to “bring the world to Vietnam, and Vietnam to the world”. Starting as a blog, it has grown into a bilingual platform that curates articles, podcasts and events that explore contemporary Vietnamese society, business innovation and cultural transformation.
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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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