Work on the US$683-million Vietnam Space Center began Wednesday in Hanoi’s Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park, newswire Dan Tri reported.
The nine-hectare facility will be built by the Vietnam National Satellite Center, an arm of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, with assistance from Japanese engineers and technicians.
Japan will also provide official development assistance worth around $600 million for building the facility, expected to be finished in 2020.
The Vietnam Space Center will function as a hub for research and production of small satellites for weather forecasting, research, and disaster management.
It is expected to help reduce annual losses from natural disasters, which are currently in the region of $1-1.5 billion, by providing early warning, experts said.