The novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that emerged in the city of Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and has since caused the COVID-19 pandemic, spreading to 170 countries and regions, is the product of natural evolution, according to findings published by scientists from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia in Nature Medicine. The analysis of public genome sequence data from SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses found no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory or otherwise engineered.

High-temperature stress at the booting stage has the potential to significantly limit rice production. An interspecific advanced backcrossed population between the Oryza sativa L. cultivar R53 and the wild Oryza rufipogon Griff accession HHT4 was used as the source material to develop a set of chromosome segment introgression lines to elucidate the genetic mechanism of the qHTB1-1 QTL in heat tolerance. A single-chromosome-segment introgression line, IL01-15, was used to develop secondary populations for the mapping of qHTB1-1 on chromosome 1 for heat tolerance at the booting stage.

Experts from Kyoto University and partner institutions developed double mutant lines of rice to gather information on enhancing lignin deposition in grass species which are vital lignocellulose feedstocks. Their findings are reported in Plant Science. Enriching plant's lignin contributes to improved applications of lignocellulosic biomass into solid biofuels and valuable aromatic chemicals.

Mr. Phạm Thành Nhân, Dong Thap Muoi Research and Development Centre, leaving for IRRI, the Philippines, to join the three-month training course by IRRI from  November 13, 2019 to January 21, 2020

Mr. Li Jianqiang (Director), Ms. Feng Chunmei (Technical Director), Mr. Tan Yewei (Business Manager) - Subtropical  Crop Research Institute, QuangXi, China, paid a short visit how to cooperate with the IAS about crop production and consumption, November 12, 2019.

Dr Nguyen Huu Hy addressed his final report on the project outputs with the title of “Cassava Mosaic Disease Management at the Demonstration Plots in South-East Region by National Agri-Extension Centre”  in February 21, 2020 at the IAS, including preventing, healthy plant using, resistance varieties, regular monitoring, whitefly management, etc…

After peaking at 7.1% in 2018, real GDP growth in 2019 expanded 7.02 %, fueled by a robust expansion of the processing and manufacturing sector and service sector, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO). Economic and political reforms under Đổi Mới (renovation), launched in 1986, have spurred rapid economic growth, transforming what was then one of the world’s poorest nations into a lower middle-income country.