With more than three decades of experience in research, teaching, and sector development, Thu Ha Doan has become a leading voice for data-driven modernization in Vietnam’s water sector. As Director at the Institute for Water Supply, Sewerage and Environmental Research (IWASEE) under VWSA, she works at the interface between utilities, government, and international partners. VWSA represents over 400 organizations and has engaged in benchmarking for about 15 years, laying foundations that now connect directly with NewIBNET. In 2025, VWSA co-organized a NewIBNET & Digitalization Training Program with the World Bank, training more than 60 participants from 18 utilities. Benchmarking results have revealed wide performance variations across utilities (particularly in NRW, financial sustainability, and customer service) and highlighted underestimated gaps in digital readiness and asset management. These insights now shape national capacity-building programs and policy discussions. For Thu Ha, benchmarking is not just about measurement, it is about institutionalizing a culture of evidence-based planning, target setting, and transparency. VWSA aims to expand NewIBNET adoption nationwide and use results to guide digital transformation, NRW reduction, and long-term sector modernization. Her work demonstrates how associations can amplify the impact of benchmarking far beyond individual utilities. Participation at the IWA Water & Development Congress, Bangkok 2025 At the IWA Water & Development Congress in Bangkok, Ms. Thu Ha Doan presented Vietnam’s journey toward institutionalizing benchmarking and data-driven management at sector scale. She highlighted how the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association (VWSA), with early support from the World Bank and IBNET, has spent more than a decade building national benchmarking programs for urban and rural utilities—laying the foundation for today’s NewIBNET engagement. Her presentation emphasized how standardized KPIs, management practices assessments, and digital maturity evaluations are now being used to improve data quality, reveal hidden performance gaps (particularly in NRW, financial sustainability, and asset management), and guide capacity-building programs for utilities. She also shared how VWSA’s coordination of the NewIBNET & Digitalization Training Program in 2025 is helping utilities translate benchmarking results into concrete action plans, reinforcing a culture of continuous improvement and evidence-based decision-making across Vietnam’s water sector. Image