VinUniversity

VinUniversity is advancing smart agriculture through the VietFruitRise project, funded by the Aus4Innovation Partnership Grants, the project brings together VinUniversity and The University of Queensland to develop AI-powered tools and sensing technologies for improving pollination in durian and mango orchards in the Mekong Delta. By integrating insect monitoring, predictive analytics, and a bilingual digital advisory platform, the initiative aims to enhance crop yield, quality, and climate resilience, particularly for smallholder farmers. With a strong focus on inclusivity and real-world impact, the project adopts a Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion approach. As VinUni’s first Australian government-funded project, VietFruitRise highlights the university’s growing global partnerships and its commitment to applying interdisciplinary research to address pressing agricultural and environmental challenges.

Gastrointestinal cancers are among the world's deadliest, yet the tools used to detect them — rigid, operator-dependent endoscopes — have changed little in decades. At VinUniversity, Dr. Thai Mai Thanh is building what comes next. His project develops an AI-Enhanced Soft Robotic Endoscopy System that combines soft continuum robotics, foundation model-driven design automation, and SLAM-based real-time 3D navigation to make colonoscopy safer, more precise, and less reliant on operator skill. This work sits at the frontier mapped by a 2026 review in Advanced Science, co-authored by Dr. Thai and VinUniversity colleagues, which identifies soft robotics as the primary hardware enabler for minimally invasive bioprinting and autonomous navigation, and discusses AI integration as critical for enhancing adaptability and functional outcomes in next-generation endoscopic systems. Together, the review and the project reflect VinUniversity's broader commitment to translating cutting-edge robotics research into clinical tools that directly reduce the human cost of cancer.

"On April 20, 2026, VinUni signed an MOU and Joint Development Agreement with SK South East Asia Investment PTE. LTD., a subsidiary of South Korea's SK Innovation. The partnership, led by VinUni's Center for Environmental Intelligence (CEI), carries an initial funding commitment of USD 300,000, with potential total R&D investment of up to USD 1 million over three years. The collaboration centers on two AI-focused research projects running from 2026 to 2028: optimizing Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) integrated with data center thermal management, and developing AI-based forecasting for EV-charging Virtual Power Plants. Expected outputs include advanced algorithms, digital twin platforms, publications, patents, and technology prototypes. University leaders emphasized the deal as recognition of VinUni's growing research reputation and its relevance to Southeast Asia's energy challenges. Both parties plan to expand the collaboration through broader research programs, talent development, and technology transfer initiatives in the future."

VinUniversity is transforming into Vietnam’s premier sustainable campus through groundbreaking research projects. The EV Smart Charging initiative has established Vietnam’s first testbed directly on campus, featuring solar and wind-powered charging stations enhanced by AI optimization to promote clean mobility. The Digital Twin platform, deployed in Hanoi, leverages AI and sensor networks to simulate traffic patterns and air quality dynamics while empowering communities through the innovative GOBI platform for green travel choices. Looking to 2026, the V-Indoor Care project will revolutionize campus air quality through AI-driven HVAC optimization, improving thermal comfort with minimal energy consumption. The Microbiological Monitoring Map extends VinUni’s environmental stewardship to Vinhomes Ocean Park 1, tracking air and water quality to identify health risks and establish replicable urban models. These integrated initiatives position VinUniversity as a living laboratory where sustainable technologies are developed, tested, and scaled—creating measurable environmental impact from campus to communities nationwide.

Every year, billions of Zinc-Carbon batteries are thrown away. The metals get some attention, but the carbon-rich black mass inside — the part nobody wants — goes straight to landfill, quietly leaching zinc and manganese into soil and groundwater. Researchers at VinUniversity's Digital Materials Science Laboratory, part of the Center for Environmental Intelligence (CEI), decided that waste deserved a second life. They collected spent batteries on campus, dismantled them by hand, and extracted two materials: graphene sheets and carbon black nanoparticles. Both were then mixed into cement. The results, published in Resources, Conservation & Recycling, were striking—cement strength improved by up to 34.5%, while embodied carbon and cost per unit strength dropped by around 22%. The materials worked by filling microscopic pores and accelerating cement hydration, producing a denser, stronger matrix. No rare elements, no expensive processes—just smarter thinking about what we usually throw away.

Hanoi consistently records PM2.5 levels exceeding WHO safety thresholds, yet how well residents actually understand the crisis—and what they do about it—has been underexplored. This VinUniversity-funded qualitative research project surveyed 521 Hanoi residents to assess their knowledge, awareness, and behaviours around air pollution. The findings reveal a striking paradox: awareness is near-universal, with 98.3% of respondents familiar with air pollution and 93.9% recognising its health impacts, citing respiratory infections, sinus issues, and allergies as primary concerns. Children under five and adults over 65 were identified as most vulnerable. Yet despite this high awareness, systemic engagement remains thin — only 1.4% reported supporting renewable energy initiatives. Most actions were personal and low-effort. The study concludes that culturally tailored policy interventions and community-based programs are urgently needed to convert awareness into meaningful collective action.

VinUniversity researchers is buidling SLiDER – A Smart Local Early Warning Systems for Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction. This is a research initiative designed to bridge the divide between advanced national-level forecasting and localized real-world response. Going beyond solely improving predictive accuracy, the project reframes early warning holistically through detection, communication, and community efforts. To achieve this, the project integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning (ML), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and remote sensing, along with participatory design and local knowledge. This interdisciplinary approach results in a socio-technical system that strengthens disaster preparedness and supports more resilient, participatory response systems.

Financial Data Science, co-authored by researchers from VinUniversity, Politecnico di Torino, and the University of California, Berkeley—including Giuseppe Calafiore, Laurent El Ghaoui, Giulia Fracastoro, and Alicia Tsai—is a comprehensive Cambridge University Press textbook that bridges the disciplines of data science and quantitative finance. Reflecting VinUniversity's commitment to world-class research and education, the book offers a rigorous yet accessible introduction to machine learning techniques applied to real-world financial problems. Its 13 substantive chapters progress from foundational topics—data representation, statistical modeling, and principal component analysis—through advanced methods including neural networks, deep learning, nonlinear classifiers, and natural language processing for text analytics. The book also addresses portfolio optimization, financial networks, and clustering, supported by over 50 case studies and hands-on MATLAB and Python implementations. With more than 180 end-of-chapter exercises, it serves both graduate students and practicing quantitative finance professionals.

For the Bahnar people of Vietnam's Central Highlands, the forest is not a resource. It is a presence — sentient, watchful, and capable of guiding, nurturing, and punishing those who live within it.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming how scientists confront the world’s most complex problems. In fields like materials chemistry, where discovery has historically relied on intuition and trial-and-error, AI now enables systematic exploration at scales previously unimaginable. A striking example is the Algorithmic Iterative Reticular Synthesis (AIRES) project, an international collaboration between VinUniversity, global partners, and Professor Omar M. Yaghi, laureate of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his foundational work on reticular chemistry and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) (Nobel Prize Organization, 2025). Yaghi has also been awarded the VinFuture Prize in the “Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields” category (VinFuture Foundation, 2021), recognizing his pioneering work on the discovery and development of MOF and covalent organic framework materials with the potential to improve millions of lives.

At the Vinmec–VinUni Institute of Immunology (VIVI), researchers are advancing regenerative medicine and targeted therapies through extracellular vesicle (EV)-based technologies. Derived from mesenchymal stem cells, EVs show strong therapeutic potential comparable to stem cells, particularly in tissue repair and regeneration. Current studies demonstrate that EVs can accelerate wound healing by promoting angiogenesis, enhancing fibroblast migration, and stimulating extracellular matrix formation. Beyond regeneration, the team is developing EVs as precise drug delivery systems by encapsulating therapeutic agents and engineering their surfaces with targeting peptides to improve tissue specificity. This approach is being applied to innovative treatments for non-small cell lung cancer using miRNA-loaded EVs. Complementary projects include biomarker discovery for cancer diagnostics, herbal-exosome therapies for chronic wounds, and the V-SNIP initiative to develop plant-based treatments for snakebite envenomation. Together, these efforts highlight VinUni’s commitment to translating cutting-edge biomedical research into impactful healthcare solutions.

Adventure, Eco, and Ethnic tourism are growing across Vietnam, attracting visitors seeking “authentic” cultural and natural experiences. Behind these practices lie complex changes for the ethnic minority communities who host tourists. This project explores how tourism is reshaping the livelihoods, beliefs, and environments of Hmong, Giáy, Mường, and Dao peoples in three “tourist hotspots” in northern Vietnam. “Can Photos Speak?” invites visitors to explore how photography shapes the way we understand tourism, culture, nature, and ourselves. Drawing on research with communities and travelers in the Vietnam highlands, the exhibit follows the “life of a photograph”: from being taken by a local research collaborator, to being discussed in a focus group, and reinterpreted by general audiences. The exhibit highlights how the meaning of captured moments would change or be perceived when images travel between people and cultures. This exhibit appeals to all ages, especially young audiences curious about local culture, ethnic tourism, and storytelling. It encourages quiet observation and active participation.

Researchers at VinUniversity's Center for Environmental Intelligence (CEI) are redefining what clothing can do. Led by Dr. Nguyen-Dang Tung, the project "Developing Scalable Fabrication Process of Photovoltaic Fibers and Textiles" transforms ordinary threads into multifunctional, energy-generating fibers using advanced 3D printing and thermal drawing techniques. Hollow fibers house delicate semiconducting layers, with organic semiconductors and high-melting-point metals integrated through an electroplating process, enabling garments to generate electricity simply from sunlight exposure. The implications extend far beyond personal electronics — applications span healthcare wearables, military gear, and smart surfaces. The research carries particular strategic significance for Vietnam: with textile exports exceeding USD 34 billion in the first nine months of 2025 alone, solar textiles could add transformative high-tech value to the sector, positioning Vietnam as a global leader in sustainable, next-generation manufacturing.

Vietnam's first systematic Phase I trial of CD19-directed CAR T cell therapy enrolled 16 patients with relapsed or refractory B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).