Japan has decided to grant Vietnam a loan of 40 billion yen (US $480 million) to help the country develop space exploration programs.
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| Vinasat 1 - Vietnam \'s first satellite |
According to Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun, this is the first time Japanese government granted an ODA for such a space project, with the aim of building a space center on the ground, producing two observation satellites and training engineers.
The space center will be built at the currently under-construction Haa Lac High-Tech Park, which is about 30 km west of Hanoi.
The Japanese side will train Vietnamese technicians on satellite production and operation, as well as data analysis. One satellite will be made by these Japan-trained engineers, with production expected to start from around 2019.
The final decision about the ODA will be made during a Japanese cabinet meeting late this month, and an agreement with the Vietnamese government is expected to be signed in June, said Yomiuri Shimbun.