Founded in 1993 by Jean Tran Thanh Van, the association Rencontres du Vietnam, a non-profit organization and an official partner of UNESCO, has as its objective the promotion of international exchanges between Vietnam and the international community, particularly in the areas of science and education. It also aims at the encouragement and integration of Vietnamese scientists into the international scientific community and at supporting the role of education and science by encouraging scientific awareness and stimulating passion for science in the younger generation. The Rencontres du Vietnam lies within the scope of two series of scientific meetings created by Jean Tran Thanh Van : the Rencontres de Moriond in 1966 and the Rencontres de Blois in 1989.

The creation of the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science Education (ICISE) in the city of Quy Nhon (Central Vietnam) has the ambitious objective to focus on developing Science and Education by fostering exchanges between Asia-Pacific scientists and colleagues from other parts of the world.

Introduction

The ASEAN Plus Photonics Symposium 2026 will be held from 08 to 11 April 2026 at the International Centre for Science and Education (ICSE) in Quy Nhon, Vietnam. The symposium aims to provide a high-level international forum for researchers, scientists, and engineers to exchange recent advances, emerging concepts, and future perspectives in photonics and light–matter interactions, while fostering scientific exchange and collaboration between ASEAN countries and international partners and strengthening research networks across Asia and beyond.

The scientific program will feature invited lectures, contributed talks, and poster sessions, designed to stimulate in-depth discussions and cross-disciplinary interactions. Topics will include (but are not limited to):

• Nanophotonics and Metasurfaces
• Topological and Non-Hermitian Photonics
• Photonic Crystals and Optical Lattices
• Light–Matter Interaction and Polaritonic Systems
• Quantum and Nonlinear Optics
• Integrated and Silicon Photonics
• Ultrafast and Terahertz Photonics
• Photonic Devices, Lasers, and Emerging Materials
• Photonics for Sensing, Imaging, and Information Processing

The symposium will bring together leading experts, early-career researchers, and graduate students from ASEAN countries and international institutions, with special attention to nurturing young scientists, encouraging regional research capacity, and initiating new international collaborations. In addition to the scientific sessions, the ICSE setting offers an ideal environment for informal exchanges and community building.

Researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students working in photonics and closely related areas are warmly invited to participate.