Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology

Head of Department: Ph.D. Cu Nguyen Dinh

The department of aquatic ecology is a research unit of the Southern Branch of the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center and was established in 1992. The department performs research functions, applying and transferring technologies, providing scientific and technical services, and training human resources in the field of aquatic ecology.

Main research directions 

- Researching biodiversity and biological resources of aquatic ecosystems in southern provinces; proposing solutions for sustainable conservation and suitable use of aquatic ecosystems.

- Researching the use of genetics and biotechnology methods in aquaculture and seafood processing.

- Carrying out basic and applied research on Dolphins in the East Sea of Vietnam.

Facility and equipment

The department is fully provided with a system of equipment for research purposes, such as Olympus microscope, Optika trinocular stereo microscope, Garmin GPSMAP 585 PLUS for fish detecting, Garmin Oregon 650 GPS navigation device, YSI ProPlus water multimeter, Genesys 20 spectrophotometer, DR900 Multiparameter Portable Colorimeter, A&D GF -300 semi-analytical balance scales, HC.01 chemical fume hood, Van Dorn water sampler Model: 3-1130-G42, Ekman sediment sampler Model: 3-196 -B12, and other diving equipment...

Main results

Completed about 50 scientific and technological topics and tasks of all levels. Some outstanding results:

- Basic research was carried out in the framework of studying the biodiversity and the current state of freshwater and marine ecosystems in some typical areas in the South of Vietnam, focusing on anthropogenic impact and climate change on the ecosystem of the lower Mekong River; proposing scientific solutions for conservation and rational use of resources, as well as for the development of aquaculture. More than 70 articles and scientific reports have been published in domestic and foreign specialized journals and conferences, including 21 articles on ISI, Scopus, and VAK journals, etc.;

- The field of applied research has studied the technology of taming and training dolphins for scientific and other purposes; researching, exploiting, and extracting products with high biological activity for the production of functional foods; research on seed production and commercial farming of some valuable fish species.

- Many consulting and technology-transferring contracts have been completed in many fields, such as the production of breeding fish; expert support in water treatment for the cultivation of ornamental aquatic organisms; providing biotechnological support in the construction of aquariums, a circus performance of marine animals, in the preparation and purification of artificial seawater, etc for Suoi Tien Construction Trading & Services company, Hue imperial city Travelling company, Au Lac Quang Ninh limited company, Vinperl Tourism & Trading Joint Stock Company, Dai Nam Joint Stock Company, and others;

Form of cooperation

Coordination and methodological support for water treatment, conservation, cultivation, and care of ornamental aquatic organisms.

- Collaboration in the field of research using genetics and biotechnology methods in aquaculture and seafood processing.

- Cooperation in the field of fundamental and applied research of dolphins in the East Sea.

- Support for the use of biotechnology in the construction of aquariums for marine animals.

- Cooperation in conducting research in relevant areas.