As 2014 draws to a close, Vietnam's Science and Technology Journalists' Club has announced its top ten scientific and technology events of the year.
1. Decrees and circulars on science and technology go into effect
The most important development was the continued streamlining of legal protocols by the Ministry of Science and Technology, which implemented six decrees to guide and hasten scientific and technological submissions to submitted to the government. The Law on Science and Technology, approved by the National Assembly in June 2013, came into effect on January 1, 2014, making it easier for researchers to pursue their work.
2. Vietnam announces National Science-Technology Day
The Vietnamese government designated May 18 as National Science-Technology Day and promoted "Science Technology: Motivation for Rapid and Sustainable Development” as its theme for 2014, recognising the field as important in developing and modernising the country.
3. Holding successful international scientific conference
In October, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences collaborated with authorities of Quang Ngai Province to hold a conference on "Underwater Archaeology in Vietnam and Southeast Asia: Potential and challenged issues." In doing so, it helped Vietnam tackle a number of difficulties in researching and reserving underwater heritage. The academy is creating a plan on developing underwater archaeology to protect underwater national treasures.
4. Making steel and unburned construction materials from red mud
Red mud is a toxic by-product generated in the industrial production of aluminium and its discharge is hazardous environmentally. Vu Duc Loi, deputy director of the Institute of Chemistry, is leading a research team to extract steel and unburned material from red mud produced in the Central Highlands. Success will give Vietnam an advantage in steel production and resolve major environmental problems. The research was part of the National Programme of Scientific and Technological for Socio - Economic Development, known as the Tay Nguyen 3 Programme, which was launched in 2011 and runs until next year.
5. Successfully producing Rotavin-M1, an anti-diarrhea vaccine for children
Vietnam became only the second country in Asia, the fourth in the world, to develop and produce the Rotavin-M1 vaccine. The deputy director of the Centre for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals, Le Thi Xuan, said the vaccine was tested on 30 adults and 1,000 children with success. The vaccine was also being produced at one-third the cost of imported vaccine.
6. Agricultural Genetics Institute receives Outstanding Achievement Awards
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gave its Outstanding Achievement Award to the Agricultural Genetics Institute for helping to "increase food security by using radiation to breed better crop varieties." The academy successfully developed various kind of crops, such as corn and rice, on thousands of hectares.
7. Application of stem cell technology in cancer treatment
A team of doctors at Hue Central Hospital completed a national project on stem-cell technology in breast cancer and cervical cancer treatment. The project reversed the progress of final stage cervical cancer patient Nguyen Thi Sau, a breakthrough in stem-cell research.
8. US-Vietnam Nuclear Cooperation Agreement
On May 6, Vietnam and US officially signed a bilateral agreement on using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. It aims to create a legal framework for enhancing co-operation between two countries in research, training, development and application of nuclear energy.
9. Professor Chau Van Minh elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Professor Chau Van Minh, director of Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, and two other foreign scientists, were elected to the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. The academy has only 13 foreign members.
10. Three researchers named in World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds
Dam Thanh Son, Nguyen Son Binh and Nguyen Xuan Hung
Thomson Reuters, a leading business information provider, named three Vietnamese scientists in its list of top researchers around the world. They are professor Dam Thanh Son, a physicist from the University of Chicago, Professor Nguyen Son Binh, chemistry lecturer from Northwestern University, and Dr Nguyen Xuan Hung, a computer science lecturer from Ho Chi Minh City University of Science.
