With the goal of building an academic forum that connects the university, businesses, and students, while providing students with updated perspectives on industry development trends, the program “The Journey of Food: Science – Food – Safety” was designed around three closely connected and continuous topics, focusing on key issues in food technology in the context of digital transformation, technological innovation, and increasingly high requirements for food safety.
At the first session, themed “Smart Agriculture and Mechanization,” MA. Truong Quoc Tuan – Director of Nova Square Co., Ltd. – provided a comprehensive overview of modern agricultural development trends based on AI and IoT.
According to the speaker, the agricultural sector is currently facing many challenges, including climate change, a shortage of qualified human resources capable of mastering technology, and increasingly high demands for crop productivity. In this context, data has become an important “asset” that helps predict and detect agricultural problems early and provide timely solutions.
“Modern agriculture cannot rely solely on experience. Experience needs to be digitized into data. The more data businesses have, the greater their advantage in optimizing production and making decisions,” Mr. Truong Quoc Tuan emphasized.
Through Smart Farming models and practical examples such as Green Box in Da Lat and various smart farm models in China, the speaker clearly demonstrated the potential of technology to optimize productivity, save resources, reduce costs, and develop sustainable agriculture in the digital era.
From smart agriculture, the program continued to expand into food processing with the topic “Tuna Processing Technology with Modern Packaging,” directly presented by Mr. Nguyen Huu Tinh – Director of N&N Technology Engineering Services One Member Co., Ltd.
From the perspective of a business directly involved in developing production systems and managing the quality of processed food, he analyzed the increasingly stringent market requirements for packaging quality and food safety. According to him, packaging is no longer simply a protective layer for products, but has become an important factor determining product value, competitiveness, and compliance with export standards.
In particular, the speaker noted that this is still an area with considerable room for development for food science students to explore in the future. However, to take advantage of these “niche” areas and job opportunities, students need to proactively acquire interdisciplinary knowledge in areas such as technology, mechanical engineering, automation, and digital transformation, in addition to specialized food science knowledge, in order to enhance their competitiveness in today’s labor market.
The seminar series concluded with the third session, focusing on “Food Quality Control Processes,” presented by Mr. Tran Thai Hoa – Head of ISO – HACCP, Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company.
Through the quality control process at one of the leading food companies, the speaker helped students gain a clearer understanding of quality standards, food safety management systems, and the role of each stage in ensuring product quality, from incoming raw materials to finished products before they are released to the market.
Following the experts’ presentations, many students expressed their enthusiasm about gaining access to knowledge closely aligned with real-world industry practices. Le Duc Trieu, a third-year student majoring in Food Technology, shared: “The knowledge presented in today’s seminar is very closely connected to our major in practice. In particular, for third-year students who are doing internships and preparing to graduate and look for jobs, the program has helped us gain access to and a deeper understanding of actual business operations, while giving us a clearer view of job opportunities and future development paths.”
According to Dr. Phan Thu Thao – Dean of the Faculty of Food Science, inviting experienced business experts to participate in teaching and sharing their knowledge not only helps students stay updated with the latest industry trends but also expands internship and employment opportunities for them: “In the classroom, students are equipped with a solid foundation of specialized knowledge. However, through sharing from business experts, they can better understand real-world challenges, new requirements in the labor market, as well as career gaps and opportunities they may not have previously envisioned. From there, students can clearly define their learning goals and career orientation and better prepare for the future. At today’s seminar, businesses also expressed their interest in and proposed cooperation with the Faculty and the University in receiving students for internships and employment.”
Over the past several years, students from the Faculty of Food Science at Dong A University have consistently received positive feedback from businesses that accept them for internships and employment. Speaker Truong Quoc Tuan – Director of Nova Square Co., Ltd. – shared: “We have cooperated with many universities in Da Nang and the Central region, including Dong A University. In general, the students from the university who work at our company are very dynamic, enthusiastic, and have a fairly good skill base. This shows that the university has built an effective training environment for students, creating favorable conditions for businesses during the recruitment process and for long-term collaboration.”
Through the Faculty of Food Science’s seminar, Dong A University continues to affirm its educational orientation of maintaining close connections between the university and businesses, using practical experience as a foundation for improving training quality. Regularly organizing professional forums with the participation of leading industry experts not only helps students update their knowledge and broaden their career perspectives, but also gives them early exposure to the working environment, enabling them to meet the requirements of the labor market immediately after graduation.