On the morning of June 11, 2024, National Economics University (NEU), with the Faculty of Environment, Climate Change and Urban Studies serving as the coordinating unit, co-organized the 19th International Scientific Conference on “Economic, Social and Environmental Issues in Development (ICSEED-2023)” with Khon Kaen University (Thailand), Saxion University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands), and the Climate Compatible Growth program (CCG, United Kingdom).

An overview of the conference

External delegates attending the conference included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Orathai Piayura, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; Willem Timmerman, First Secretary and Policy Advisor for Climate and Water, Embassy of the Netherlands; Prof. Dr. Bram Entrop, Director of the Sustainable Areas and Land Transition Research Group, Saxion University of Applied Sciences; Phan Thi Lien Huong, Science, Technology and Health Policy Advisor, British Embassy; Dr. Kirsty Mackinlay, Country Partnerships Lead for Zambia, Laos and Vietnam, CCG program; Pham Thao, Senior Manager for Vietnam and Cambodia, University of Adelaide, Australia; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luu Bich Ngoc, Chief of Office, Office of the National Council for Education and Human Resource Development, Ministry of Education and Training (MOET); Dr. Nguyen Thi Dieu Trinh, Deputy Director of the Department of External Economic Relations, Ministry of Planning and Investment; Prof. Dr. John Andre, Senior Lecturer, School of International Management and Economics; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Thu Hoa, a founding member of the ICSEED conference network.

Representing NEU were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President; Prof. Dr. To Trung Thanh, Head of the Department of Research Management; Prof. Dr. Do Thi Hai Ha, Rector of the College of Economics and Public Management; and Prof. Dr. Dinh Duc Truong, Dean of the Faculty of Environment, Climate Change and Urban Studies, College of Economics and Public Management. Also attending were representatives of the leadership of departments, faculties, institutes, centers and sociopolitical organizations across the University, experts, scientists, and more than 200 domestic and international delegates.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President, delivers the opening remarks at the conference.

On behalf of the University leadership, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu welcomed the domestic and international delegates, experts and scientists attending the conference. He expressed his hope that the conference would provide NEU with further opportunities to strengthen exchanges of experience, teaching, research and development policy advisory work, while enhancing international cooperation in education and scientific research among universities in the region and worldwide. The research findings presented and discussed at the conference could also offer useful solutions for policy advisory work and contribute to development in Vietnam, Thailand, the Netherlands and partner countries within the global Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) network. At the conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu also expressed his appreciation for the efforts and important contributions of the Faculty of Environment, Climate Change and Urban Studies in fostering cooperation between NEU and Khon Kaen University, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, the CCG program and its new partner, the University of Adelaide. The Vice President expressed his hope that this cooperation would expand in the near future, with more new partners joining the ICSEED network.

Willem Timmerman, First Secretary and Policy Advisor for Climate and Water, Embassy of the Netherlands, delivers welcoming remarks.

In his remarks, Willem Timmerman, First Secretary at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam, expressed his thanks and shared his positive impressions of his first visit to NEU. He affirmed that partners in the Netherlands, such as Saxion University of Applied Sciences, were very willing to further strengthen cooperation with the University in research, education and technology transfer. Working alongside the Dutch Government in his official capacity, Willem Timmerman would promote cooperation in areas of Dutch strength to advance sustainable economic, social and environmental transitions in Vietnam in the new context.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Orathai Piayura, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HUSO), Khon Kaen University, delivers welcoming remarks online.

Dr. Kirsty Mackinlay, Country Partnerships Lead for Zambia, Laos and Vietnam, CCG program, delivers welcoming remarks.

Also during the conference, speaking via an online platform, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Orathai Piayura, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HUSO), Khon Kaen University, and Dr. Kirsty Mackinlay, Country Partnerships Lead for Zambia, Laos and Vietnam, CCG program, expressed their regret at being unable to join the lecturers and researchers attending this conference in person. In their remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Orathai and Dr. Kirsty Mackinlay thanked the authors and delegates for attending the conference and expressed their hope that it would achieve outstanding success, helping to make the friendship between NEU, Khon Kaen University and the CCG program in the United Kingdom increasingly close and sustainable in the future.

Prof. John Andre, Senior Lecturer at the School of International Management and Economics, presents “Beyond Distraction: Navigating the Attention Economy for National Development”.

In his presentation, Prof. John Andre focused on the attention economy, its harms, and its impacts on the education, mental health and happiness of Generations Z and Alpha. Ultimately, an economy always seeks to optimize the efficient allocation of resources toward specific goals, such as maximizing profits. Applying this to the attention economy, a concept founded on treating attention as a resource, reveals a bitter truth: our attention is directed toward the goals pursued by social media and other tools that constantly seek to distract us. When we cannot use our attention for our own goals, this resource becomes a tool for others to use and exploit.

Prof. Bram Entrop, Professor of Transitions in the Built Environment at Saxion University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands, delivers an online presentation on “Energy and Circular Transitions in the Built Environment: New Business Opportunities in the Netherlands”.

Prof. Bram Entrop’s presentation focused on opportunities for energy and circular transitions in the construction sector, as well as innovative energy and circular technologies being introduced and tested to reduce the sector’s environmental impact. Prof. Entrop highlighted important lessons and recommended solutions and strategies for creating new business opportunities.

Pham Thao, Senior Manager for Vietnam and Cambodia, University of Adelaide, Australia, introduces the University of Adelaide and opportunities for cooperation.

Also at the conference, Prof. Dr. Dinh Duc Truong, Dean of the Faculty of Environment, Climate Change and Urban Studies, shared his thoughts, thanked the speakers and expressed his appreciation for the research findings of authors from Vietnam and abroad. He expressed his hope that the conference would continue to serve as a bridge for identifying and addressing economic and social issues to achieve sustainable development. In addition, Prof. Dinh Duc Truong discussed new directions for the Faculty’s cooperation with international organizations in the future, notably expanding cooperation in 2025 with partners such as Saxion University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands) and the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) within the CCG (Climate Compatible Growth) network, as well as the University of Adelaide. He also expressed his hope for continued support and contributions from authors passionate about science.

The 19th International Scientific Conference on “Economic, Social and Environmental Issues in Development” generated interest and active participation among many scientists from Vietnam and abroad. The conference attracted more than 200 research papers across eight main fields: development economics and integration; business administration; information technology and the digital economy; natural resources, the environment and climate change; Climate Compatible Growth (CCG); regional and urban management and development; social sciences and humanities issues; and sustainable development. The conference provided a valuable opportunity for experts and scientists to share their views, perspectives and discoveries concerning current issues. It thus achieved outstanding success by proposing numerous useful policies, tools and solutions that contribute to addressing development issues. The conference aimed to build greater stability, efficiency and sustainability in individual regions, countries and the region as a whole.

That afternoon, parallel presentation sessions on economic, social and environmental topics also took place, with a large number of authors and University students participating.

Earlier, as part of the conference program, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President of National Economics University (NEU), and representatives of the leadership of the University’s units warmly welcomed and spoke with Willem Timmerman, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam, along with delegates and invited speakers, about future cooperation in research on economic, social and environmental issues, teaching, and sustainable development policymaking. Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President of NEU, thanked the delegates and speakers and expressed his hope that the guests would have a successful and engaging conference at NEU.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President of NEU, welcomes and meets with delegates and invited speakers

Some photos from the conference and parallel discussion sessions:

Article and photos: Faculty of Environment, Climate Change and Urban Studies and Department of Communications

This is an automated translation. If you notice any errors, please contact the Department of Communications, National Economics University at phongtruyenthong@neu.edu.vn.