Ministry of Agriculture and Environment launches to respond to the World Meteorological Day

The ceremony took place directly at the Center for Meteorological and Hydrological Operations (Department of Hydrometeorology) and was connected online from Hanoi to 210 bridge sites, including the headquarters of the regional hydrometeorological stations, the hydrometeorological stations of provinces and cities, and related units.

Orientation to focus on science and technology

The World Meteorological Day (March 23) has the theme "Closing the early warning gap together." The message aims to call for strengthening the national capacity and promoting cooperation at all levels, ensuring the early warning system operates effectively from the global scale to the local scale. Thereby contributing to shortening the gap in forecasting and warning of natural disasters.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Thuong Hien, Director of the Department of Hydrometeorology, said that along with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Vietnam's hydrometeorological sector has made great developments, significantly contributing to the safety and prosperity of society. With the advancement of science and technology, the observation, communication, and forecasting works are increasingly accurate, effectively supporting economic and life fields.

“Implementing the Politburo's Resolution 57 on breakthroughs in science, technology, and digital transformation, the hydrometeorological sector has gradually applied artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data, and digital transformation to observations and forecasts. We have successfully implemented many important projects to upgrade the observation system, modernize the forecasting technology, and improve the capacity of officers. However, we also have to frankly recognize limitations such as an asynchronous observation system, the forecasting capacity that should continue to be improved, and a shortage of high-quality human resources,” Mr. Nguyen Thuong Hien emphasized.

2025 is not only a 75-year milestone on the World Meteorological Day but also 80 years since the establishment of the Vietnam Hydrometeorological Agency, the last year to implement the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress, and the year of preparing the Party Congress at all levels towards the 14^th National Congress. The Director of the Department of Hydrometeorology proposed that the whole sector continue implementing Resolution 57 effectively, prioritizing the application of AI, Big Data, and IoT technologies to hydrometeorological work. Develop a modern observation network, especially in remote areas, borders, and islands, and at the same time strengthen international cooperation on data sharing.

The hydrometeorological sector will gradually improve the capacity of forecasting extreme weather phenomena and build a multi-hazard early warning system to ensure timely and accurate information. Develop a team of highly qualified staff and focus on training young human resources to meet new requirements. Communication and raising community awareness about the role of hydrometeorology in natural disaster prevention will also be strengthened. Additionally, promote international cooperation, taking advantage of technical and technological support and human resource training on early warning.

Strengthen the early warning system

Sharing about the early warning system in Vietnam, Mr. Mai Van Khiem, Director of the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, Department of Hydrometeorology, said, Currently, the national hydrometeorological observation network includes 217 surface meteorological stations, nearly 2,000 automatic rain measurement stations, 426 hydrological stations, 27 marine meteorological stations, and 10 modern weather radar stations. This system is helping to monitor, forecast, and promptly warn of dangerous weather phenomena such as storms, floods, droughts, and saline intrusion.

In order to get timely and accurate information, the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting has worked closely with the units of the Department of Hydrometeorology, from the Monitoring Center and the Data Information Center to the hydrometeorological stations of regions and provinces. This process ensures the synchronization and accuracy of input data, serving forecasting and warning of natural disasters.

"Valuable forecast news is not only thanks to the modern analysis method but also closely depends on the quality of monitoring data and the coordination between units in the system. Without a full observation system and exact data, no matter how advanced forecasting models are, they can not make useful news for the people," Mr. Mai Van Khiem shared.

Besides, international cooperation has helped improve the quality of forecasting and early warning, more effectively responding to transborder dangerous weather changes. Typically, in the Yagi super typhoon in 2024, the sharing of data between the hydrometeorological agencies of China, Japan, and Vietnam has helped increase the accuracy of trajectory forecasts and storm intensity. Since then, support the government and people to prepare in time and minimize damage caused by natural disasters.

According to Mr. Khiem, the Center has received the special cooperation of many units, such as the Viet Nam Association of Meteorology and Hydrology, the Department of Water Resources Management, the Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology, and Climate Change, the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the Department of Search and Rescue, institutes, and universities. This supports a lot in sharing science and technology, data, and coordinating to effectively respond to natural disasters. Communication and press agencies also play a key role in spreading information to localities and people quickly and accurately. Thanks to this companion, the forecast information does not stop at technical newsletters but is also transformed into specific actions, helping the government and people to proactively respond.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Ms. Dang Thanh Mai, Deputy Director of the Department of Hydrometeorology, affirmed that the hydrometeorological sector will continue to make efforts to focus resources to develop synchronously in the direction of modernization and automation of forecasting and warning activities of hydrometeorology to meet the increasing requirements of society and people.