Earlier last month Hydrobiology’s Dr Ross Smith (Director), was privileged to represent Hydrobiology and SETAC Asia-Pacific at meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, Dr Trang Hong Ha, and the Minister for Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), Dr Dang Quoc Khanh, at meetings in Hanoi on the 7th March 2024.
The meetings were preceded by the fourth International Conference on Environmental Pollution, Restoration and Management, held at the International Center of Interdisciplinary Science Education in Quy Nhon. The conference was chaired by Prof. Tham Hoang of Auburn University, USA (seated in the photo below), and co-chaired by Prof. Bryan Brooks of Baylor University, USA and Ross.
The conference was a great success, acknowledged by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister. Ross had signed a MoU between MONRE and SETAC AP in 2019, and recommended now that travel restrictions to Vietnam are no longer preventing capacity building activities under the MoU, that several priority actions be reinvigorated. Both the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister endorsed this approach.
The photo below, captured the moment of recollection by the Deputy Prime Minister of his meeting with Ross and Tham to develop his initiative of the MoU with SETAC Asia-Pacific when he was Minister of MONRE.
