In the solemn atmosphere of the opening ceremony of the 15th International Conference on Information Technology and Its Applications (CITA 2026), one of the most emotionally resonant moments was not the statistics regarding hundreds of scientific papers or the presence of scientists from over 40 countries and territories, but rather the Recognition and Gratitude Ceremony for organizations and individuals who have made substantial contributions to the 15-year journey of constructing and developing CITA. This serves as a token of appreciation for those who have quietly nurtured, accompanied, and contributed to elevating CITA from a national scientific conference in Vietnam into a prestigious international academic forum in the field of information technology and related disciplines, with the CITA Conference Proceedings published in Springer Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, indexed in Scopus Q4.

A period of 15 years represents a sufficiently long journey to affirm an academic brand, yet it is also long enough to demonstrate that such success was not forged merely by a single organizing entity or a single successful conference edition. It is the result of the perseverance, dedication, and collaborative spirit of multiple generations of leaders, scientists, peer reviewers, organizing committee members, international partners, and the author community who have jointly preserved, enhanced, and disseminated the core values that CITA has pursued since its inception.

On this special occasion, the Organizing Committee presented commemorative medals of gratitude and recognition to five organizations.

Honoring and Expressing Gratitude to Organizing Entities on the 15-Year Journey of CITA

1. Regarding the organizations recognized and honored, they comprise five universities: Vietnam – Korea University of Information and Communication Technology (VKU), The University of Danang; Phenikaa University; King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Thailand; Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology (CADT), Cambodia; and University of Education – Hue University.
2. Regarding the individuals recognized and honored, they include the following groups:

Honoring and Expressing Gratitude to Individuals Who Have Led and Laid the Foundations for CITA over the Past 15 Years

+ The “Distinguished Leadership Award” category recognizes individuals who have played guiding, formative, strategic, and foundational roles in the development of CITA throughout the past 15 years, including:

• Associate Professor, PhD. Huynh Cong Phap – Rector of Vietnam – Korea University of Information and Communication Technology (VKU), The University of Danang, Chairman of the CITA Conference Steering Committee from 2012 to the present. In his role as the initiator and leader of the CITA Conference, as well as the presiding initiator of the ACIR community – the Southeast Asian University Network promoting innovation and scientific research since 2023 – Associate Professor, PhD. Huynh Cong Phap has made many significant contributions to strategic planning and developmental leadership, enhancing academic quality and progressively guiding CITA to become the prestigious international scientific conference of global stature it is today.
• Professor, DSc. Nguyen Ngoc Thanh – Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (Poland), Editor-in-Chief of international scientific journals published by Inderscience Publishers (Switzerland) and Springer Publishing (Germany), Senior Member of IEEE and ACM associations, who has participated in the CITA Conference as Head of the Steering Committee and Head of the Program Committee since 2020, and co-founder of ACIR. The Professor has made monumental contributions to elevating the prestige and brand of CITA into a globally renowned international conference, particularly in auditing the quality of papers, connecting international academic networks, raising the quality of peer review, and expanding CITA’s research collaborations.
• Professor, PhD. Nguyen Thanh Thuy – President of the Vietnam Association for Information Processing (VAIP), Chairman of the Professor Title Council for the Information Technology Discipline, who has participated in CITA as a member of the Steering Committee since 2012, consistently accompanying the conference in providing academic direction and enhancing its scientific standing.
• Associate Professor, PhD. Le Khac Nhien An – University College Dublin (Ireland), participating as a member of the Steering Committee since 2020, presiding over several specialized Tracks, who has accompanied and actively contributed to network expansion, improving professional quality, and raising the prestige of the CITA Conference.

Honoring and Expressing Gratitude to Individuals with Outstanding Academic Contributions

+ In the “Outstanding Academic Service Award” category, the Organizing Committee recognized scientists who have made prominent contributions to academic work, peer review, program development, and quality enhancement of the Conference, including:

• Dr. Nguyen Quang Vu – Vietnam – Korea University of Information and Communication Technology, member of the Organizing Committee, Program Committee, and Chair of specialized sessions since 2020.
• Professor Christian Boitet – Université Grenoble Alpes (France), member of the Steering Committee and Vice Head of the Program Committee, who has actively monitored quality control and contributed to raising the standing, prestige, and academic rigor of the Conference.
• Professor, PhD. Kien Nguyen – Chiba University (Japan), member of the Steering Committee and Chair of specialized sessions since 2020.
• Professor, PhD. Franck Leprévost – University of Luxembourg, Program Co-Chair of the Scientific Program since 2020.

Honoring and Expressing Gratitude to Members of the Organizing Committee, Program Committee, and Outstanding Reviewers Accompanying CITA over the Past 15 Years

The Organizing Committee also extended its gratitude to members of the Organizing Committee, Program Committee, and the reviewer network who have steadfastly accompanied CITA across numerous conference seasons, ensuring professional rigor and academic reputation. The recognized individuals include Associate Professor, PhD. Tang Tan Chien, Associate Professor, PhD. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Dr. Huynh Ngoc Tho, Dr. Le Ha Nhu Thao, Dr. Nguyen Huu Nhat Minh, and Dr. Nguyen Van Binh – individuals who have assumed vital responsibilities within the Program Committee, Organizing Committee, and Review Board since the early years or throughout CITA’s ongoing evolution.

Honoring and Expressing Gratitude to Authors with the Most Published Works at CITA over the Past 15 Years

Furthermore, to recognize the sustained contributions of the author community toward the advancement of the Conference, the Organizing Committee honored authors with the highest number of published research works who have accompanied CITA throughout its 15-year trajectory, including Dr. Nguyen Huu Hoa (School of Information and Communication Technology, Can Tho University), Dr. Nguyen Duc Hien (VKU), Dr. Nguyen Duc Man (Duy Tan University), Dr. Le Thi Thu Nga (VKU), Associate Professor, PhD. Do Thanh Nghi (Can Tho University), Dr. Doan Trung Son (Phenikaa University), Associate Professor, PhD. Tran Thi Thao (Hanoi University of Science and Technology), Dr. Dang Dai Tho (VKU), MA. Vo Hoang Tu (FPT University Can Tho), and Dr. Pham Minh Tuan (University of Science and Technology – The University of Danang). These are all scholars with numerous works published at CITA, contributing significantly to elevating the academic quality and international reputation of the Conference.

This honoring program serves not only as an occasion to express gratitude to the individuals and organizations that have dedicated themselves to CITA over the past 15 years, but also to affirm that the steadfast companionship of both the domestic and international scientific communities has laid a solid foundation for CITA’s continuous progression. Building upon the core values cultivated through each conference iteration, CITA is entering a new phase defined by the CITA-Globalization strategy, expanding its international cooperation network, advancing academic excellence, and striving to become a scientific forum with increasingly profound regional and global influence.

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