Professor Trần Thanh Vân, president of "Rencontres du Vietnam" and director of ICISE, delivers opening remarks of VSEO-6.

GIA LAI - The 6th Vietnam School on Earth Observation (VSEO-6), themed "Satellite Altimetry - A Tool for Continental Water Monitoring," officially opened on September 7 in Quy Nhơn, Gia Lai Province.

The school brings together nearly 50 delegates, including professors, scientists, young researchers, and students from six countries. Participants will engage in learning, exchanging ideas, and practicing advanced techniques in the field of Earth observation.

This year, the programme focuses on the application of satellite altimetry for monitoring changes in continental water resources. It provides comprehensive knowledge on altimetry data processing workflows, as well as the construction and visualisation of time-series data.

Participants are guided on how to exploit, process, and validate data from active satellite missions under the Copernicus programme, as well as specialised research missions like SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography), a breakthrough satellite mission in water resource monitoring.

The school brings together nearly 50 delegates, including professors, scientists, young researchers, and students from six countries.

The primary goal of the school is to utilise satellite altimetry data to monitor water bodies (rivers, lakes, and reservoirs), track natural disasters—particularly floods—manage transboundary river basins, and study the impacts of climate change.

VSEO-6 highlights the vital role of satellite altimetry in researching water resource dynamics, with a specific emphasis on integrating this data into hydrological models. Through lectures, hands-on practice sessions, and specialised workshops led by prestigious scientists from Europe and Việt Nam, students are equipped with both theoretical foundations and practical skills.

"The summer school is taking place at a time when space is particularly visible on the international agenda," said Denis Fourmeau, Attaché for Scientific and Higher Education Cooperation at the Embassy of France in Việt Nam.

"Just a few days ago, French astronaut Sophie Adenot conducted a spacewalk from the International Space Station, her third in a row over the past two weeks, making her the first French woman to undertake this high-risk mission." he added.

"This week, we will be welcoming to France the Secretary-General of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and President of Việt Nam Tô Lâm, who will participate in the International Space Summit in Paris on September 10."

Việt Nam’s top leader's participation in the International Space Summit highlights the dynamism of our cooperation in the space sector, he noted.

A year ago, France's first woman astronaut Claudie Haigneré and her husband, Jean-Pierre Haigneré, also an astronaut came to Việt Nam for a series of conferences and meetings with Vietnamese youth, which were a great source of inspiration for everyone who attended. During their visit, Việt Nam officially joined the Space Climate Observatory, an international initiative whose secretariat is managed by the CNES (French Space Agency).

French bodies are currently working with the Vietnam Academy of Sciences on the funding for Việt Nam's future Earth observation satellite, VNREDSAT2.

Denis Fourmeau, Attaché for Scientific and Higher Education Cooperation at the Embassy of France in Việt Nam (right) shakes hands with Deputy Director of Gia Lai Province's Department of Science and Technology, Nguyễn Hữu Hà. Photos courtesy of ICISE

"Indeed, we are now cooperating with Việt Nam on cutting-edge topics, including space exploration, quantum physics, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology. We are proud to stand alongside Việt Nam as it enters a new era of scientific development, in line with Resolution 57 and in the spirit of the global strategic partnership that has linked our two countries since 2024," said Fourmeau.

Building on the success of previous years, VSEO-6 aims to train young researchers, engineers, and lecturers who wish to develop or enhance their expertise in continental water monitoring through satellite technology.

The school also serves as a forum to promote scientific exchange, foster research collaborations, and build professional networks. Additionally, it provides a platform for participants to showcase their research results through short oral presentations and poster sessions.

Organised annually since 2017 by the "Rencontres du Vietnam" and the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE), in collaboration with the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH) and the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), the school aims to build a young research community and promote international scientific cooperation. Its core mission is the application of space technology for sustainable development in Việt Nam.

In addition to the three primary partners, VSEO-6 is co-organised by the French Embassy in Việt Nam and Hydro Matters. The achievements and collaborative foundations established over six editions of VSEO have paved the way for ICISE to propose that the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee enhance cooperation with CNES, aiming toward the establishment of an Earth Observation Center in Quy Nhơn.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the province and CNES is expected to be signed during the upcoming official visit to France by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm on September 10. VNS