SGAC Vietnam

National Points of Contact
Vietnam
Thu Vu Trong	Tri Dinh Quoc
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Welcome to SGAC Vietnam! Our country's first space activity dates back to 1980 with cosmonaut Pham Tuan’s flight to Salyut 6 station as part of the Intercosmos program, being the first Asian in space. Nowadays, Vietnam is looking to become a major player in the region and has been using space images for remote sensing and environmental monitoring for several years. In 2007, the Vietnamese government made a step forward with the establishment of the Space Technology Institute (STI) to encourage space research, development and applications on a national level. The long term plan calls for the completion of the country’s first space center in Hoa Lac High Tech Park in 2017 with ODA support from the Japanese government. On the other hand, since its founding late 2008, FSpace laboratory of FPT University has been making good progress in developing the F-1 CubeSat and the project is now in its final stage. The little satellite must be completed in time for launch into Low Earth Orbit around June 2012. This is one of the first steps for Vietnam to develop indigenous space capability.

In general, space development in Vietnam is still at its beginning, but SGAC Vietnam has been working hard to raise public awareness on the importance and potential of space, especially the youth! If we have sparked you interest, join us!

Young Space Activities Overview in Vietnam

Aside from SGAC, there are a number of amateur astronomy clubs in various cities including Hanoi, Danang, Hochiminh City, and Phan Thiet City. In those clubs, many young members learn how to build and use telescopes, learn about star gazing, perform simple astronomy experiments like measuring the Earth’s radius and astrophotography. Water rocket launching is also very popular and keeps attracting more and more people. Some youngsters in the southern part of Vietnam have even started to build multiple-stage water rockets with innovative parachute recovery systems. Last but not least, FSpace team is now completing F-1 cubesat project with the aim to educate young engineers and students about aerospace engineering, specifically building domestic capability in small satellites development. The project is attracting many young people and motivating many to learn about more space technology.

For more information make sure to check out our interesting link section below, and the national report of Vietnam in SGAC's annual report 2009, 2010 and 2011!

Country-Specific Events in 2012

• Yuri’s Night (12 April), Hanoi, Danang and Hochiminh city: This international celebration is held on 12 April every year with the aim to increase public interest in space exploration and to inspire a new generation of explorers will be held in Hanoi, Danang and Hochiminh city. Come and join us!
• Launch of F-1 CubeSat (June): This is the first domestic satellite built by young Vietnamese engineers and students and it is expected to be launched into Low Earth Orbit around June 2012. This is an educational picosatellite (CubeSat) carrying a low-resolution camera to take photos of the Earth, a magnetometer and some temperature sensors to study space environment.
• World Space Week (4-10 October): The event will be commemorated in many cities throughout Vietnam including Hanoi, Danang, Hochiminh city and many more. There are many activities during WSW such as talks and presentations on space topics, introductions on telescope making, water rocket launching competition, star gazing and more.
• TBD, talk on space technology, its development and application in Vietnam by FSpace laboratory at Hanoi University of Technology.
• TBD, the first CanSat competition may be organized by FSpace laboratory and the team at Hanoi University of Science and Technology
• TBD, the start of the construction of the Vietnam Space Center in HoaLac High Tech Park (30km west of Hanoi); the project is expected to be completed in 2017.

Interesting Web Links for the Young Generation in Vietnam

Groups, People
F-1 cubesat blog
Hanoi Amateur Astronomy Society (HAS)
Hochiminh Amateur Astronomy Club (HAAC)
Polytechnic Astronomy Club (PAC)

Institutions
Space Technology Institute
FPT Technology Research Institute

Documents
National report of Vietnam in SGAC's Annual Report 2010
National report of Vietnam in SGAC's Annual Report 2011