The Vietnam’s Business, Economics and Resources Conference 2025 (VBER2025) opened at HCM City Open University on Thursday. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Diệp

HCM CITY — Around 80 local and international scholars, policymakers and researchers gathered at the Vietnam Business, Economics and Resources Conference 2025 (VBER2025) in HCM City on Thursday.

The annual conference, organised by the HCM City Open University's (HCMCOU) Centre for Business, Economics and Resources (CBER), serves as an international academic platform for exchanging insights on business, economics and resource management.

It aims to deepen understanding of emerging opportunities and challenges in a rapidly changing global landscape.

Speaking at the conference, HCMCOU rector Nguyễn Minh Hà said this is the ninth edition of the conference since its inception in 2017, reaffirming the university’s role in promoting academic activities and applied research in Việt Nam.

“The university remains steadfast in its mission to foster a proactive, innovative and adaptable learning society.”

These achievements demonstrate the university’s continuous efforts to enhance the quality of education, research and community engagement.

“We hope that the discussions and networking opportunities at VBER2025 will offer valuable insights and foster future research collaborations and academic development,” he said.

With the theme “Public Health, Household Welfare, and Financial Resilience”, this year’s event featured more than 30 research papers contributed by academics and graduate students from Việt Nam and overseas.

The studies span three major fields, including ebusiness: finance, accounting, management, banking, marketing and auditing; economics: public, international, regional and environmental economics; and resources: natural and human resources, including energy and agriculture.

Professor Theodor F. Cojoianu from Singapore Management University speaks at the event. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Diệp

VBER2025 also featured two keynote speeches by leading international scholars: Professor Sanjay Singh from the University of Dundee School of Business in the UK and Professor Theodor F. Cojoianu from Singapore Management University.

Their presentations offered practical insights, research experiences and recommendations to inspire young researchers.

Outstanding papers showcased at the conference are considered for publication in reputable Scopus-indexed journals.

Special awards will be presented for Best Paper and Best Paper on Gender Studies, Sustainable Finance, or Energy/Environmental Economics.

Upholding the university’s core value of linking academic knowledge with community engagement, the event will include a Young Researchers Forum titled “Sharing is Caring: Starting Your Research Journey – Why, When, What & How.”

The forum will be led by Dr Hoàng Trung Lai from the University of Western Australia, offering students opportunities to interact with experts and strengthen independent research skills.

Dr. Võ Hồng Đức, executive director of CBER and chair of the organising committee, said the centre has completed more than 20 research projects funded by government agencies and has advised HCM City authorities on issues ranging from remittances to financing urban infrastructure.

Since its establishment in 2020, CBER has played a central role in fostering research capacity among lecturers and postgraduate students.

The centre collaborates with international institutions, promotes publication in high-impact journals indexed in SCOPUS, ISI and ABDC, and supports university-wide research activities.

To date, it has produced more than 100 international publications, including in journals such as Journal of Economic Surveys, Renewable Energy, Energy Policy, Applied Economics and Economics Letters. — VNS