VINATOM – IAEA Collaborating Centre inaugurated in Hanoi

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in partnership with the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM) held a ceremony in Hanoi on April 4, to inaugurate the VINATOM – IAEA Collaborating Centre on water and environment.

IAEA Deputy Director General Najat Mokhtar and Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Cong Tac cut the ribbon to inaugurate the centre.
IAEA Deputy Director General Najat Mokhtar and Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Cong Tac cut the ribbon to inaugurate the centre.

This is the first IAEA centre of its kind in Vietnam and the third of its kind in Asia.

The establishment of the centre is the outcome of the cooperation agreement between the VINATOM under the Ministry of Science and Technology and IAEA, which was signed in Vienna on November 29, 2018.

According to IAEA Deputy Director General Najat Mokhtar, Vietnam is a tropical monsoon coastal country, which is heavily influenced by climate change and is facing a number of environmental problems. Therefore, a lot of the nuclear and isotope technology at IAEA can be applied in Vietnam in order to assess water resources, trace pollutants and deal with other environmental issues.

Najat Mokhtar said that the VINATOM – IAEA Collaborating Centre will serve as a place for scientific exchanges and cooperation in research and capacity building (human and material facilities) between Vietnam and the IAEA.

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Cong Tac affirmed that the IAEA support for Vietnam has proved effective, creating conditions for research activities, human resource development and training in the area of atomic energy, thus helping Vietnam to fulfil its targets for socio-economic development, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In 2019, the centre will focus on enhancing its capacity through training programmes and the upgrading and supplementation of modern research equipment in the area of origin tracing.