Written by Dr. Phung Duc Long,
President of Vietnamese Society for Soil Mechanics & Geotechnical Engineering,
Co-Chairman, Geotec Hanoi 2016 International Conference,
Chairman of Scientific Committee, Chief editor of the conference proceedings
GEOTEC HANOI 2023 (GH2023) was successfully organized at the National Convention Center in Hanoi on December 14-15, 2023, see https://geotechn.vn/. With more than 1,200 attendees from 40 countries, it is one of the biggest geotechnical conferences held in Vietnam and the Asia region so far. The conference Scientific Committee received almost 350 paper abstracts, and the final proceedings consisted of 205 papers, of which 164 were presented in four parallel conference halls and 16 posters were shown.
Since 2011, the series of GEOTEC HANOI conferences has been organised by two founder organisers: FECON, a leading geotechnical infrastructure contractor in Vietnam, and VSSMGE (the Vietnam Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering), under the auspices of ISSMGE (the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering) and JICA (the Japan International Cooperation Agency). This year, GH2023 has three additional co-organisers, Japanese Geotechnical Society (JGS), Thuyloi University (TLU), and Vietnam Petroleum Institute (VPI). GH2023 is the 5th event of this conference series. Previous events were held in 2011, 2013, 2016, and 2019.
Infrastructure is the backbone of economic growth and social well-being. It provides essential services such as transportation, energy, water, and communication, and supports the development of other sectors such as industry, agriculture, tourism, and education. However, infrastructure always faces many risks and uncertainties, such as natural disasters, climate change, urbanization, digitalization, and security threats.
In Vietnam, many large infrastructure projects are under construction. Metro lines are being built in Hanoi and HCMC, while Long Thanh International Airport is a highlight of the country’s economy. The express train route along the country is under study, and wind energy and other recycled energy projects are being targeted. Infrastructure development is not only a national issue but also a regional and global issue. That is why we need to work together to develop infrastructure that benefits all of us. To collaborate between countries, we believe that much experience and knowledge can be shared and learned in this conference with six technical sessions:
1) Deep Foundations,
2) Tunnelling and Underground Spaces,
3) Ground Improvement,
4) Geotechnical Modelling and Monitoring,
5) Landslide and Erosion,
6) Offshore Wind Power And Coastal Geotechnics.
The keynote lectures given by world-leading experts are always milestones for the success of our conferences. This year, the keynote lectures were presented by Prof. Rainer Massarsch (Sweden), Prof. Alessandro Mandolini (Italy), Prof. Giulia Viggiani (UK), Prof. Antonio Gens (Spain), Prof. Mitsu Okamura (Japan), and Prof. Richard Jardine (UK). We also had special invited lectures given by Dr. Marc Ballouz, ISSMGE President, and Prof. Keh-Jian Shou, ISSMGE Vice-President for Asia. The Sven Hansbo Lecture has been instigated since GH2016 to honor Prof. Hansbo, a giant figure in the geotechnical world who contributed significantly to the development of geotechnics in Vietnam and to the success of the conference series. In this conference, the third Sven Hansbo Lecture was given by Prof. Rainer Massarsch.
Six keynote lectures and four invited lectures are:
• Sven Hansbo lecture: Applications of deep vertical vibratory compaction, Prof. Rainer Massarsch (Sweden);
• Keynote lecture: Pile Foundations: 80 years of research and practice (1943-2023), Prof. Alessandro Mandolini (Italia);
• Keynote lecture: Urban tunnelling – The challenges of creating underground space in historic cities, Prof. Giulia Viggiani (UK);
• Keynote lecture: Continuum and discrete modelling of penetration problems, Prof. Antonio Gens (Spain);
• Keynote lecture: Prediction and detection of backward erosion piping of river levees, Prof. Mitsu Okamura (Japan);
• Keynote lecture: The ageing behaviours of offshore piles driven in clays, sands and chalks, Prof. Richard Jardine (UK);
• Special Invited lecture: Geotechnical philosophy and cases of site reuse, Dr. Marc Ballouz, ISSMGE President;
• Special Invited lecture: On landslide susceptibility and resilience with impact of climate change, Prof. Keh-Jian Shou, ISSMGE Vice-President for Asia.
THE PROCEEDINGS
The proceedings were published by the international publishing house, Springer Singapore, as the “Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering” series, with the following details:
• ISSN 2366-2557 E-ISSN 2366-2565
• ISBN 978-981-99-9721-3 and 4; 978-981-99-9722-0
• https://link.springer.com/book/9789819997213
BOOK OF ABSTRACTS AND LECTURES
A book of abstracts and lectures was also printed (hard copy & hard bound) by the Construction Publishing House, Vietnam. The book can be ordered through the conference website http://www.geotechn.vn/ or the conference secretariat mail address [email protected].
AWARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS
Six Best Oral Presentation Awards were given to the winners in each technical session who received the highest points from the chairmen and co-chairmen according to a criteria for presentation grading. Three Best Poster Presentation Awards were handed to the posters receiving the most votes from visitors. Twenty Young Scientist Awards were given to the first authors under 35 who received the highest presentation grading. Besides, Certificates of Attendance are given to all attendees.