A national seminar on applications of atomic energy to promote socio-economic development took place at Da Nang’s Minh Toan Galaxy Hotel on 23 and 24 October.

The event highlighted a total of over 30 reports about the practical applications of atomic energy.  They were presented by domestic experts and those from countries such as South Korea, Thailand, Russia and Japan.

Addressing the event, the Head of the Viet Nam Atomic Energy Agency, Mr Hoang Anh Tuan, said that atomic energy has been successfully applied in the country’s healthcare, agriculture and industry.  With regard to the healthcare sector, nuclear medical establishments across the country have been equipped with 6 dosimeters, 8 invino and invitro gamma measurement systems, 21 single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and SPECT/CT machines, 6 PET/CT scanners, and 3 cyclotron systems in total.

The seminar in progress (Photo: vtv9.com.vn)

As for the agricultural sector, as of late last year, more than 50 varieties of crops, including rice, soybean and grapefruit, have been created through genetic mutation radiation methods.  Viet Nam is now ranked 8^th in the world for mutation breeding research.

In the industrial sector, Viet Nam has created and successfully applied measurement equipment used in the coal industry, fast analysis equipment in the cement industry, industrial X-ray machines, and environmental radiation observation equipment.  Radiation technology has also been successfully applied in Viet Nam, and it has brought many economic benefits to the country’s progress.