By integrating Landsat 8 satellite imagery with the NDVI, LST, and VTCI indices on the Google Earth Engine platform, researchers from the Southern Institute of Water Resources Planning have developed an agricultural drought-zoning map for the Dong Nai River Basin for 2014–2024. Comparisons with reference drought indices and field survey findings suggest that the approach has potential for identifying drought-prone areas, particularly agricultural areas outside the service areas of irrigation infrastructure.

Selecting technologies suited to specific agroecological zones and producers’ capacity is an approach proposed by Nguyen Trong Tuan Anh, MSc, to strengthen agricultural resilience, improve resource-use efficiency, and advance green and circular production.

Using remote sensing data, geographic information systems (GIS), and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Vietnamese scientists have developed a map of the potential for Arabica coffee cultivation on sloping land in Dien Bien Province. The findings identify areas with suitable natural conditions and provide a scientific basis for cultivation-zone planning, crop restructuring, and more efficient use of land and water resources in a mountainous province in northwestern Viet Nam.

Against the backdrop of climate change and rapid urbanization, land surface temperature (LST) in major cities tends to increase, thereby intensifying the urban heat island (UHI) effect. A study by Tran Van Trong, Nguyen Huy Anh, Tran Phuong Binh, and Bach Van Luong of Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Resources and Environment aims to develop a workflow for monitoring and assessing LST variation in Ho Chi Minh City during 2020–2025 through the integration of remote sensing data and geographic information systems (GIS).

Whether rice paddy fields are inundated or dry produces distinct signatures in radar imagery. Building on this characteristic, researchers from the Southern Institute of Water Resources Research and the Vietnam National Space Center, Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology, tested a method for detecting inundation in rice paddy fields in An Giang Province, providing an additional source of data for monitoring water regimes and estimating methane emissions from rice cultivation.

A land database can fully realize its value only when its data are accurate, complete, clean, up to date, and capable of being connected to and shared across the state management system. A study by Nguyen Dinh Trung of Vietnam National University of Agriculture and Nguyen Quang Thi of Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry shows that applying VBDLIS in Nghe An province provided substantial support for organizing, reviewing, supplementing, synchronizing, and utilizing land data during the campaign to enrich and clean the national land database.

A study conducted in Xuan Thuy National Park combined field survey data with Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 remote sensing data and machine learning algorithms to identify and model the spatial distribution of mangrove species composition across the forest area. The results showed that Kandelia obovata (Trang) and assemblages containing K. obovata accounted for most of the mangrove forest area, while demonstrating the potential of multi-sensor remote sensing data for monitoring species distribution.

As digital transformation becomes a new driver of development, Vietnamese researchers have proposed a planning information system model that applies Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and artificial intelligence (AI) in Vinh Long Province. The research contributes to modernizing planning administration while introducing a new approach to digital government and data-driven governance in Viet Nam.

Using waste ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) shoe soles and vulcanized rubber—materials traditionally considered difficult to recycle—a research team from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Hanoi University of Science and Technology has successfully developed a fully recycled composite material, creating potential new applications in green manufacturing and sustainable industrial production. The study not only contributes to addressing industrial waste challenges but also highlights Vietnam’s growing research and innovation capacity in sustainable materials and the circular economy.

The research project entitled “Development of a suitability map for Arabica coffee cultivation on sloping land in Dien Bien province using remote sensing data, GIS technology, and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP)” conducted by Dinh Xuan Hung, Bui Tuan Hai, and Nguyen Ngoc Sang of the Institute of Water Resources Planning represents a scientifically and practically significant study in the context of ongoing agricultural restructuring toward sustainable production systems that are better adapted to natural conditions and capable of utilizing land resources more efficiently in Viet Nam’s Northern midlands and mountainous region.

Intensive shrimp farming generates substantial economic benefits but also exerts increasing pressure on aquatic environments, particularly through wastewater rich in organic matter and toxic byproducts generated during farming operations. In the context where many shrimp farms still lack appropriate wastewater treatment systems, a research team from Can Tho University and Toan Viet Technological Environment Company Limited conducted an experimental study to assess the potential use of fishing nets—a readily available, low-cost material—as a filter material for biological treatment of wastewater from intensive shrimp ponds.

As floods become increasingly complex and extreme in Viet Nam’s North Central region, the demand for an early warning system that is reliable, fast to operate, and suitable for local-level application has become more urgent than ever. A research team from the Vietnam Academy for Water Resources—including Nguyen Thanh Hung, Vu Dinh Cuong, Trieu Quang Quan, and Nguyen Anh Hung—has developed an integrated technological solution that combines flood and inundation forecasting with modern communication tools. The study aims not only to enhance forecasting capacity but also to ensure that warning information reaches the right people at the right time under emergency flood conditions.

The use of pesticides is an integral part of modern intensive agriculture. Alongside their effectiveness in controlling pests and diseases, however, comes the risk of environmental pollution from wastewater generated during the production, formulation, and application of chemical active ingredients. Of particular concern is the fact that many pesticide compounds are poorly biodegradable, persistent in the environment, and prone to bioaccumulation, posing major challenges for wastewater treatment.

Steep terrain, concentrated heavy rainfall, and the increasingly evident impacts of climate change are placing Son La province’s land resources under growing pressure from soil erosion. By applying Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), a research team comprising Tran Xuan Bien, Nguyen Van Huong, Luu Thuy Duong, and Tran Xuan Mien from the Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment and the Hanoi University of Mining and Geology has conducted a comprehensive study to assess the extent, severity, and spatial distribution of rainfall-induced soil erosion across the province. The findings offer an important scientific basis for land resource management and the formulation of sustainable development solutions in Son La.

As demand for construction materials continues to rise while conventional natural resources are gradually depleted, the search for sustainable, environmentally friendly production solutions has become increasingly urgent. Two scientific studies conducted by Dr. Pham Van Chung of Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment have identified a promising new pathway: the use of hillside soil, coal ash, and industrial by-products as raw materials for tunnel-kiln brick production within a circular economy framework.

Cinnamomum parthenoxylon, an endangered tree species of the Lauraceae family, is facing rapid habitat contraction under the combined pressures of climate change and forest degradation in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. A research team consisting of Pham Mai Phuong, Nguyen Thi Thu Nga, Nguyen Quoc Khanh, Nguyen Duy Liem, and Vu Dinh Duy employed the cloud-based Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform and the MaxEnt algorithm to develop habitat suitability maps for both current and projected future climates. This study marks the first application of a multi-scenario climate projection framework to assess the species’ adaptive potential toward the end of the 21st century. The findings provide an important scientific basis for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable planning of C. parthenoxylon in key provinces such as Lam Dong and Dak Nong (now part of the newly established Lam Dong Pprovince).

Amid accelerating climate change and shrinking water resources that are reshaping global food security, a new study by Trinh Phuong Ngoc, Nguyen Thu Thu Huong, Nguyen Tien Dat, and Dinh Quang Hung from Tan Trao University and the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (Hanoi University of Science and Technology) provides the first systematic quantification of the water footprint of cassava production in Vietnam. The findings reveal stark regional disparities—some areas rely on thousands of cubic meters of supplemental irrigation to maintain yields, while others require almost no irrigation at all thanks to abundant rainfall and natural water availability. These results underscore an urgent need to restructure cassava-growing regions and promote more sustainable water use in agriculture.