With significant contributions to the country's sustainable development, nuclear technology is now widely applied not only in the energy industry but also in many other fields such as medicine, agriculture , environment, food safety or promoting the progress of science.
From the foundations of research on radioactive substances...
In Vietnam, our Party and State have early advocated training nuclear scientists. After the country's reunification, the Nuclear Research Institute (later the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute) was established, marking a new phase focusing on promoting the application of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, promoting research and development activities with ministries and sectors in need of nuclear energy applications.
In 1977, Vietnam resumed its membership in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and received a technical assistance cooperation program. By 1984, the Da Lat reactor was restored and its capacity doubled, focusing on the production of radioactive substances for medical diagnosis and treatment and research and analysis of geological, biological, agricultural and environmental samples.
Mr. Vo Van Thuan, former Director of the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, said: Ho Chi Minh City Nuclear Technology Center is the place that started implementing the method of radiography to check the quality of bridges, roads and construction works, and non-destructive testing in industry.
The nuclear isotope method is applied to evaluate groundwater in the Mekong Delta region... In Hanoi, the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology studies environmental geological sample analysis, develops and applies it in other industries. In particular, using environmental radioactivity monitoring techniques, it has monitored the development of the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents.
Since 1990, the Hanoi Irradiation Center has received the first semi-industrial gamma radiation source sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency to implement irradiation processes for food preservation, promote the application of atomic energy in medicine and industry...
According to Mr. Vo Van Thuan, nuclear power is considered the most important application of the atomic energy industry, therefore the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute has begun to research nuclear power planning with the Nuclear Engineering Research Program KC-09.
Based on forecasts and research, in 2002, the Prime Minister established a Government working group to direct the pre-feasibility study of the first nuclear power plant project and establish a strategy for synchronous development of nuclear energy applications.
In 2006, the Government approved the Strategy for the Application of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes and then the National Assembly passed the Law on Atomic Energy in 2007, creating a legal corridor to strongly promote the application of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.
… to the application of atomic and nuclear energy
Mr. Vo Van Thuan, former Director of the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, emphasized: The application of atomic energy in various industries and fields has affirmed its important role in life as well as promoting socio-economic development.
In particular, in the health sector, from only X-ray and Cobalt radiotherapy, Vietnam now has 85 external radiation cancer radiotherapy accelerators and a number of close-in radiotherapy machines, nearly ten thousand X-ray units, 400 X-ray CT scanners, 40 SPECT and PET CT scanners, and 7 small accelerators combined with the Da Lat reactor to produce radioactive pharmaceuticals.
The equipment is distributed nationwide in nearly 100 oncology and nuclear medicine centers. Vietnam has made progress in calibrating and managing the quality of radiation sources and nuclear medicine diagnostic machines, improving the quality of ensuring people's health.
Cancer radiotherapy capacity meets nearly 60% of demand, in addition, more than 30% of cardiovascular, endocrine, metabolic disorders... diseases are diagnosed early by nuclear medicine.
However, according to Mr. Vo Van Thuan, nuclear medicine is a difficult specialty, and Vietnam currently lacks highly qualified doctors and radiation physicists to be able to benefit from modern technology in health care.
In addition, for low-income people, access to nuclear medicine is also limited, so the State is aiming to solve this problem by expanding health insurance and reducing equipment costs...
In addition, in the process of promoting the application of atomic energy for peace, agricultural experts have created more than 80 new plant varieties using radioactive mutations, including 55 rice varieties with high yield and quality such as the famous ST-25 rice created from radioactive mutant materials, which has now become the world's leading brand.
The nuclear energy industry has successfully transferred radiation technology to a commercial scale. To date, the country has 23 industrial irradiation centers, mostly private enterprises, with 8 gamma sources and 15 electron accelerators for food preservation and sterilization of medical instruments, mainly for export.
Some irradiated products have been successfully tested as feed for aquaculture or in plant protection instead of toxic chemicals. Recently, the results of a pilot scale test to kill dragon fruit flies by irradiated sterilization can be widely applied to specialized fruit growing areas for export.
In addition, diverse techniques such as radioactivity and tracer isotopes have been applied not only in groundwater resource management, but also in checking water source pollution and dam safety, assessing and predicting erosion in mountainous and midland areas, etc.
Mr. Tran Chi Thanh, Director of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute, said: In the new period, the Vietnamese atomic energy industry will develop in depth, gradually master core technologies, and move towards self-designing and manufacturing large equipment with high demand.
To meet practical requirements, training experts and research and development forces has become the top priority. In a cooperation program with the Russian Federation, Vietnam is building a new Nuclear Science and Technology Center in Dong Nai, which is expected to have a research nuclear reactor with a capacity of over 10 MW, which is 20 times larger than the Da Lat reactor.
In the coming time, the research topic of designing and applying new generation small nuclear reactors will be included in the national strategy of spearhead science and technology to serve multi-purpose economy.
From the end of 2024, when the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Project is officially restarted to contribute to ensuring sustainable economic development in the 2030s and beyond, the nuclear energy industry will also enter a new stage of in-depth development.
This shows that Vietnam's mission in developing and successfully applying nuclear energy is not only for socio-economic benefits, but it will also demonstrate and affirm the country's scientific and technological level./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nghien-cuu-ung-dung-khoa-hoc-hat-nhan-phuc-vu-phat-trien-kinh-te-xa-hoi-post1058641.vnp
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