On April 14, 2026, the Mekong Institute at Can Tho University hosted a stakeholder consultation meeting for the project "Applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Sustainable Rice Cultivation Adapting to Climate Change in Vietnam (AIRRVie)". The event brought together various management agencies, research organizations, and development partners.  

Key Presentations and Insights

• Opening Remarks: Dr. Vo Van Tuan, Vice Director of the Mekong Institute, emphasized the vital role of digital transformation and AI in helping farmers improve production efficiency and adapt to climate change.  
• Agricultural Extension: Dr. Huynh Kim Dinh, Deputy Director of the National Agricultural Extension Center, shared strategic directions on how extension systems can promote the practical application of technology in production.  
• Project Overview: Dr. Quan Le from University College Dublin (Ireland) introduced the AIRRVie project and the core functions of the AI Assistant designed to support rice farming.  
• Data Collection: Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tam, Director of the Production Ecosystem Program at the Mekong Institute, presented on planting activities and the collection of image data from various rice varieties to train the AI models.  
• Social Inclusion: Ms. Chau My Duyen from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (Can Tho University) introduced the integration of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) within the project’s implementation.  
• Demonstration: Dr. Trinh Thi Long, an independent expert, conducted a live demonstration of the application to showcase how the AI Assistant operates in real-world farming scenarios.  

Practical Experience and Feedback

A highlight of the meeting was a hands-on experience session, where delegates directly tested the application on mobile devices. This activity generated specific feedback regarding the interface, functionality, and overall user-friendliness of the tool.  

Future Outlook

The discussion sessions, moderated by Dr. Trinh Thi Long and Dr. Ly Trung Nguyen, focused on:

• The practical applicability of the AI solution.  
• The feasibility of pilot implementation.  
• The role of the agricultural extension system in helping farmers access this new technology.  

The organizing committee concluded the meeting by acknowledging the practical contributions from all stakeholders. These insights will serve as a crucial foundation for the research team to refine the AI application before moving toward pilot deployment and wider scaling in the future.