Vietnam Begins Work on Space Center

Thanh Tien News ^ | 19 September 2012

[Army Air Corps]

Work on the US$683-million Vietnam Space Center began Wednesday in Hanoi’s Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park, newswire Dan Tri reported.

The nine-hectare facility will be built by the Vietnam National Satellite Center, an arm of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, with assistance from Japanese engineers and technicians.

Japan will also provide official development assistance worth around $600 million for building the facility, expected to be finished in 2020.

The Vietnam Space Center will function as a hub for research and production of small satellites for weather forecasting, research, and disaster management.

It is expected to help reduce annual losses from natural disasters, which are currently in the region of $1-1.5 billion, by providing early warning, experts said.

[dfwgator]

Charlie’s On the Moon.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Army Air Corps]

Viet Ping.

[Army Air Corps]

Beware the Lunar Cong.

[Nik Naym]

[Signalman]

Will there be rice paddies on the moon?

[KarlInOhio]

It might sound funny but Vietnam would be a great launch location. It's close to the equator so you get a couple hundred MPH of launch speed (compared to middle latitudes) for free and it has an ocean to the east so you have fewer worries about a failed launch crashing into people.

[Army Air Corps]

Well, if you build a dome and have some water...

[oh8eleven]

it has an ocean to the east so you have fewer worries
Yeah, that's what the USS Maddox and Turner Joy both thought.

[nanetteclaret]

Speaking of VietNam, I bought a few children’s outfits (girls size 7) at Walmart not too long ago. I was shocked when I looked closely at the labels to see: “Faded Glory since 1972 Made in VietNam.” Does anyone else think that is just really, really weird? I remember Faded Glory jeans being a favorite choice of “hippies.” I would have never thought that 40 years later they would still be in business and manufacturing their clothes in VietNam, of all places. Bizarro world!

[Army Air Corps]

True enough.

[whattajoke]

With all of Vietnam’s recenty kow-towing to China, I find it very surprising they’re working with the Japanese on this.

I almost don’t believe it.

[Psalm 144]

They are hedging their bets. That is the necessary tactic from a position of weakness.

[Army Air Corps]

Viet Nam has a long, unpleasant history with China (being invaded multiple times by ht eChinese tends to do that). Currently, the Vietnamese leadership is looking for any number of strategic partners who will form a counterbalance to the PRC.

[Army Air Corps]

Yep. The PRC is on their doorstep and they have long walked a tightrope where the Chinese are concerned.

[null and void]

I can’t speak for the people in Vietnam, but the refugees that came to this country are by and large an intelligent, motivated, hard working and decent folk.

They will do well with a space center.

[WellyP]

I have a number of well connected young friends in Vietnam. They and many like them like the US and and want much closer connections. At the same time, they, almost without exception, fear and loathe China.

[Army Air Corps]

That has also been my personal experience.

[rlmorel]

I would second that sentiment, from my personal experiences.