Scientists are expanding flower and ornamental plant research into healthcare and eco-agriculture, while boosting IoT, AI and automation.
The value of flowers and ornamental plants extends beyond production and decoration, expanding into healthcare, improving quality of life, and supporting modern, sustainable urban and ecological agriculture.
Dr. Nguyen Van Tien speaks at the workshop. Photo: NVCC.Dr. Nguyen Van Tien, Deputy Director of the Flower and Ornamental Plant Research and Development Center, Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute (under the Vietnam National University of Agriculture), emphasized this at the 2026 International Academic Conference on Holistic Health in Agriculture, recently held in Jinan, Shandong province, China.
The conference attracted experts, scientists, and businesses from over 20 countries. Under the theme "Ecological Agriculture, Health Nourishment, Future Innovation", reports focused on horticultural therapy, therapeutic landscapes, medicinal plants, biotechnology, green nanotechnology, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and digital twins in agriculture.
At the conference, Dr. Nguyen Van Tien discussed ecological agriculture and smart technology supporting the development of healthcare agriculture in Viet Nam.
He introduced an approach combining high-tech flower production with ecological agriculture, therapeutic green spaces, experiential tourism, and data governance. Simultaneously, he proposed researching the relationship between crops, the environment, and humans based on environmental data, physiological and psychological indicators and AI analysis tools.
Within the program framework, delegates surveyed several enterprises and models in Shandong, exploring the development of medicinal plants, healthcare products, technology application, and value chain organization.
The conference also marked numerous international cooperation activities, including the launch of joint laboratories between China and Kazakhstan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. This activity contributes to forming an interdisciplinary research network on plants, medicinal herbs, and healthcare agriculture.
From the conference experiences and connections, we identified many research directions with potential applications in Viet Nam. Among them, the focus is on researching the healthcare value of flowers and ornamental plants; and building models integrating flower production, ecological landscapes, experiential education, and agricultural tourism.
Another orientation is enhancing the application of sensors, IoT, AI, and automation in greenhouses, thereby improving production efficiency, data management, and crop environment control capabilities.
The signing ceremony of cooperation memorandums and the launch of joint laboratories. Photo: Van Tien.In addition to adopting new research trends, Viet Nam aims to promote expert exchanges, build joint research projects with international partners, and share experience in developing healthcare agriculture.
These orientations will help expand the value chain of flowers and ornamental plants by linking production with human health, experiential education, and agricultural tourism, while also promoting urban and ecological agriculture in a modern, sustainable direction.