VinFuture activates a "digital shield" to combat saltwater intrusion in the Red River Delta.
Salinity intrusion is becoming increasingly unpredictable, threatening the livelihoods of people in coastal areas of the Red River Delta. In this context, the VinFuture Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Science (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), is implementing an AI-powered early forecasting project, integrating multiple technologies to create a "digital shield" to help farmers proactively respond.
Key Initiative
The project “Integrating physical and data-driven models in monitoring and forecasting saltwater intrusion to support green agricultural development in some coastal areas of the Red River Delta” is a collaborative effort between the VinFuture Foundation and the University of Science. This is a key initiative aimed at enhancing climate change adaptation capacity and promoting green agriculture in the coastal areas of the Red River Delta.
The project aims to build an integrated, multi-technology monitoring and forecasting system: from physical models and artificial intelligence models (Machine Learning, Deep Learning) to remote sensing data, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and IoT sensor networks.
According to the research team, all multi-source data will be synchronized on the DataCube spatio-temporal platform. When combined with physical models, artificial intelligence models, remote sensing, IoT, and WebGIS systems, the platform creates digital maps that help monitor and provide warnings about saltwater intrusion in near real-time.
This is a key tool that helps localities proactively respond to and protect agricultural production from negative environmental impacts.
Specifically, the platform will provide early warning of saltwater intrusion 1 to 5 days in advance. This "golden period" helps farmers proactively adjust their planting schedules, plan for water storage and management, thereby minimizing economic losses caused by natural disasters.
The project leader is Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Duy - Deputy Head of the Department of Geohumanities and Planning, Faculty of Geography, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. He has published over 100 international articles with more than 4,000 citations (h-index = 35) on the fields of disaster prevention, land-use change, and urbanization. He is also a member of the Scientific Council for Earth Sciences - Marine Sciences (2025-2027) of the NAFOSTED Foundation - under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
“Support from the VinFuture Foundation facilitates the implementation of the project in the field and can expand its scope of application. More importantly, the connections and dissemination from the VinFuture Foundation will help bring research results closer to the people, management agencies, and businesses, thereby enhancing the social impact of the project and promoting green agriculture more quickly and effectively,” Associate Professor Duy shared.
Practical cooperation
The collaboration between the VinFuture Foundation and the University of Science is expected to bridge the gap between the laboratory and the field. Instead of rigid data, the system focuses on transforming data into easily understandable recommendations, enabling farmers to apply them directly to production.
Dr. Le Thai Ha - Executive Director of VinFuture Foundation shared: “VinFuture always appreciates partnering with scientists and research institutions that have highly applicable projects, contributing to solving urgent challenges for the community. We expect the project will not only enhance the capacity to monitor and forecast saltwater intrusion but also provide practical support to people and management agencies in decision-making, thereby promoting the transition to a green, sustainable agricultural model that is better adapted to climate change.”
The project is expected to be implemented over two years with the collaboration of domestic and international organizations such as: Water Resources University (Vietnam), Institute of Water Resources Science (Vietnam), Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), and the University of Edinburgh (Scotland).
The research team expects the project to become a "digital shield" helping farmers in coastal provinces proactively protect their livelihoods from the threat of saltwater intrusion, while also laying the foundation for a transition to a green agricultural model that is sustainable and adaptable to climate change.
