(VOVworld) – Work started on Thursday on the construction of Vietnam’s first Space Centre on the outskirts of Hanoi. The centre will be built on a 9 hectare site in the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Zone for a total investment of nearly 700 million USD, mostly from the Japanese government’s Official Development Assistance. Once completed in 2020, it will be one of the most modern centres in Southeast Asia. Professor Chau Van Minh, Chairman of Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, said: “This is a key project for studying and training, as well as for international cooperation in space. When the construction is complete, Vietnam’s Space Center will have necessary infrastructure to develop satellite technology. This means that by 2020 Vietnam will be able to design, assembly, test and operate satellites itself. Through this project, Vietnam will be able to put together a team of qualified researchers, who can serve the nation’s aerospace industry, especially the satellite sector”.