Quan told reporters on the sidelines of the 56 th annual session of theIAEA General Assembly, which took place in Vienna , Austria fromSeptember 17-21, that over the past 10 years, through national-scaletechnical cooperation projects, the IAEA has provided around 1 millionUSD a year to help Vietnam purchase equipment, hire specialists and train officials.
The agency has helped the Da Lat Nuclear Research Institute to build a complex of laboratories to serve nuclear research and application. The largest project is to upgrade the monitoring system at the Da Lat nuclear reactor, as part of Vietnam ’s long-term strategy for the nuclear sector, Quan said.
IAEA has also helped build laboratories in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to serve the country’s nuclear power development programme in the future, he added.
In the agricultural sector, the agency has assisted Vietnam to implement projects to increase rice productivity and quality.
In the health sector, the IAEA’s technical cooperation projects in Hanoi and HCM City have helped Vietnam build and expand nuclear medical departments at hospitals nationwide, for diagnosis and treatments.
Regarding Vietnam’s nuclear power programme, Quan said that the IAEAhas helped the country implement a nuclear power infrastructure projectsince 2009, focusing on assessing the infrastructure for developingnuclear power plants, defining the necessary solutions for developing anuclear power infrastructure as well as boosting personnel training.-VNA