Vietnam and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have seen effective cooperation in many areas, the Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Quan has said.

Quan told reporters on the sidelines of the 56 th annual session of the IAEA General Assembly, which took place in Vienna , Austria from September 17-21, that over the past 10 years, through national-scale technical cooperation projects, the IAEA has provided around 1 million USD 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 IAEA has helped the country implement a nuclear power infrastructure project since 2009, focusing on assessing the infrastructure for developing nuclear power plants, defining the necessary solutions for developing a nuclear power infrastructure as well as boosting personnel training.-VNA