SAGA 2025: Bridging Global Genomic Advances to Vietnam’s High-Tech Agriculture
November 3, 2025
On October 27-28, 2025, in Hanoi, the VinUni Big Data Research Institute (VUBD) – under VinUniversity – hosted the 1st International Symposium on the Application of Genomics in Agriculture (SAGA 2025). This marked Vietnam’s first international event dedicated to global breakthroughs in applied genomics, breeding, gene editing, microbiology, and biological data integration, all aimed at promoting the development of high-tech and sustainable agriculture.
Connecting Vietnam’s Knowledge with the World
SAGA 2025 gathered over 20 international and local speakers from leading universities, organizations, and research institutes, including Northwest A&F University (China); University of New England, University of Queensland, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) (Australia); University of Liège (Belgium); International Rice Research Institute (Philippines); as well as the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, and major enterprises such as TH Milk, BAF Vietnam, Dabaco Group, Datagene (Australia), etc.
Across two days, experts presented 23 in-depth reports, participated in 8 discussion sessions, and initiated collaborative projects between Vietnam and international partners, covering Vietnam’s key agricultural strengths – rice, aquaculture, livestock, and forestry. The presentations combined diverse biological datasets (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metagenomics) to address pressing challenges in modern agriculture.
More than 250 delegates from Vietnam and abroad discussed cutting-edge research trends in genomics, partnership opportunities, and strategies for advancing smart agriculture. The event marked a significant milestone in transferring genomic science into Vietnam’s agricultural practice, driving improvements in productivity, quality, and export value.
Professor Robert Henry, a leading plant biotechnology expert from the University of Queensland (Australia), shared: “Advances in genomic science are providing new tools and biological insights, enabling more accurate long-read DNA sequencing and more efficient gene editing. These achievements will help conserve biodiversity, develop high-yield and nutritionally enhanced crop varieties, and mitigate the impacts of climate change. For research groups in Vietnam, this opens opportunities to collaborate in improving rice, sugarcane, forest trees, ornamentals, and vegetables, as well as identifying and characterizing medicinal plants. I hope this symposium will spark new collaborative projects – some of which can begin immediately.”
Genomic Applications – The Key to Precision Agriculture
In the face of climate change, pollution, soil degradation, and increasing resource competition, experts emphasized that the development of high-yield, high-quality, and climate-resilient crop and livestock varieties, towards precision agriculture, is the inevitable direction. With the rapid growth of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, these goals are now more achievable than ever.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Duc Luc from the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Vietnam’s agricultural sector contributes about 12% of the national GDP, with livestock accounting for a quarter of that share. Genetic improvement is therefore crucial to enhance productivity and quality while reducing costs and shortening breeding cycles.
However, genomic selection technology remains relatively new in Vietnam. Thus, SAGA 2025 provides a valuable opportunity for domestic scientists to learn, collaborate, and accelerate applied research, boosting the productivity and value of Vietnam’s agriculture.
Through this symposium, VUBD demonstrated its pioneering role in developing applied genomics and biotechnology for Vietnam’s next stage of scientific growth. Professor Vu Ha Van, Scientific Director of VUBD, emphasized that upcoming research will be interdisciplinary and internationally collaborative, targeting national-scale challenges such as building a national genomic data infrastructure.
More than an academic forum, SAGA 2025 also opened doors for global collaboration between Vietnamese and international scientists in the fast-evolving field of genomics. Several joint projects are expected to launch immediately after the symposium, bringing practical benefits to Vietnam’s agricultural sector. Experts also committed to making SAGA an annual, internationally recognized conference series.
The VinUni BigData Research Institute (VUBD) is a pioneering unit of Vingroup in applying big data to address major challenges for Vietnamese people – from groundbreaking achievements in the 1,000 Vietnamese Genomes Project, to startups leveraging big data in AI and biotechnology, and to funding programs that advance science, technology, and young researchers in Vietnam. In its new development phase, the Institute is committed to building an internationally recognized research center in two key areas: biotechnology and applied mathematics. Its mission is to contribute to solving three of Vietnam’s major challenges – the national data center, smart agriculture, and developing the mathematical foundations for the new technological era.
