IASC-ARS 2025 International Conference: from a Premier Intellectual Forum to an Inspiring Vietnamese Cultural Journey

10 Dec, 2025

The 13th Conference of the Asian Regional Section of the International Association for Statistical Computing (IASC-ARS 2025), co-hosted by the College of Economics, Law and Government, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH-CELG) and the Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (VIASM), has been successfully organized with remarkable achievements.. Beyond its significant academic contributions through scientific discussions and the Best Paper Awards ceremony honoring outstanding research on the afternoon of December 5th, the conference left a memorable impression on international friends through a historical field trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels on December 6th.

Full view of various and diverse scenes of Data Science

After the Opening Ceremony, the conference continued with keynote speeches and 44 parallel sessions on December 4 and 5. These sessions created a professional and comfortable space for many researchers from over the world to share and present their findings.

Prof. Tran Minh Ngoc presents the topic “From Euclidean to Riemannian natural gradient: definition, computation and applications”

Prof. Chun-houh Chen presents the topic “Matrix Visualization and Exploratory Data Analysis“

Over 160 papers were presented, creating a diverse picture of Economic Statistics and Data Science. The discussions showed many key topics of the digital age: from basic theories like probability and Bayesian statistics to real-world applications like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning in finance, and Big Data.

Parallel sessions

The active discussion among researchers became one of the highlighted keys. With experienced Chairpersons leading the way, the presentations brought new ideas, combining core theories with modern innovation in data science.

Parallel sessions

Closing Ceremony and Honoring Excellence

On the afternoon of December 5, the Closing Ceremony took place to reflect the three days of work and honor the best papers.

Dr. Tran Thi Tuan Anh gives a closing remarks

At the Closing Ceremony, three outstanding papers received ‘Best Paper’ awards in various categories. These awards were chosen carefully by a group of Scientific Committee, this confirms the academic quality of the conference and encourages research spirit, especially for young scholars.

SoAI Best paper Early-Career Research Excellence Award

SoAI Best paper Women Innovator Award

These awards not only recognize the authors’ research efforts but also show the commitment of IASC-ARS and UEH to promoting high-quality research. We aim to support work that has real-world value and contributes to the global data science community. The success of the conference comes from the dedicated contributions of scientists from all over the world. This creates a strong foundation and motivation for new research directions in the future.

Field Trip: Discovering Vietnamese history, culture and Strengthening friendship

After the series of intensive academic activities, the conference comes to an end with a Field Trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels on December 6th. This experiential activity was designed to help international researchers balance their working pace while offering an opportunity to get more about Vietnamese history and culture.

In this special historical setting, data scientists – typically familiar with computers and algorithms – enthusiastically donned “tai beo” hats and explored the unique underground tunnel system. International guests expressed admiration for the extraordinary creativity and resilience of the Vietnamese people throughout history.

Field trip to Cu Chi Tunnels

International guests could not hide their admiration for the amazing creativity and strength of the Vietnamese people in history. The sight of Professors excitedly crawling through tunnels and enjoying signature traditional foods broke down all language barriers. Historical stories helped international friends understand and love Vietnam and its people even more.

International guests enjoyably experienced unique activities

Closing the Journey, Looking to the Future

Although the IASC-ARS 2025 conference has successfully ended, its impact continues to spread. The event is a top academic forum honoring high-quality research and also acted as a cultural bridge, promoting the image of Vietnam to the international scientific community.

This success is an important milestone towards UEH’s 50th anniversary. It confirms the University’s reputation and strong position in the global academic network. As planned, the IASC-ARS 2026 conference will be held in Thailand, promising another valuable opportunity for academic exchange and connection.

Researchers taking a group photo after the conference