DRAGON-Mekong Institute and the Sustainability & Resilience Institute Research Exchange Programme - episode 1

In the summer of 2025 the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam and the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton UK worked together on a research exchange programme for undergraduates, masters students, postgraduate research students, and early career academics.  This programme is all about transformative impact in the broadest fields of sustainability centred around the climate change and adaptation challenges facing communities along the Mekong River Delta. In episode 1 we address the opening visit where nine students and researchers from the University of Southampton visited the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam to collaborate on climate change research projects and undertake cultural exchange activities to develop an understanding of the people and the environment of the region.We recognise that some may feel flying to a region to collaborate on climate and sustainability research is counterintuitive, possibly even hypocritical. However, conducting partnership research on these crucial challenges can only be authentic if it is achieved by understanding the real-life complexities facing people and working with these communities, and not by researchers stating what the possible solutions may be from a wholly different part of the world.Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp Episode guests: Angelina Spilnyk, Daniel Locke, Irene Ruiz Espejo, Jamie Robinson, Lily Rudduck, Massimo Risoli, Samuel Inkster, Stefania-Myrto StaiculescuEpisode producer: Jack DinhamEpisode editor: Ellie Howell