Top ten outstanding scientific – technological events in 2018

1. On January 1, 2018 in Ha Noi, the project titled Digitised Vietnamese Knowledge System was formally launched and chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam with the aim of “Sharing knowledge – Fostering innovation – Connecting communities – For the better future of the Vietnamese”. The project will build an integrated knowledge system in all areas, contributing to creating conditions for people to learn and master knowledge, enhancing research and creativity as well as boosting advanced scientific and technological applications for development.

 This is considered the foundation for marvelous opportunities for innovative startup activities in Viet Nam.

2. Doctor, Head of the Fundamental and Applied Sciences Department in the University of Science and Technology of Ha Noi (USTH) Tran Dinh Phong won the 2018 Ta Quang Buu Award for his research in the physics field entitled ‘Coordination polymer structure and revisited hydrogen evolution catalytic mechanism for amorphous molybdenum sulfide’.

3. For the first time, the remains of accommodations of pre-historic people in Krong No Vocanic Cave in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) province of Dak Nong were discovered. This proved the adaptation of residents in the Basalt land of the Tay Nguyen region and was a milestone in anthropology and paleoanthropology in Việt Nam. These were the first human remains discovered in a Southeast Asian volcanic cave. ­­

4. On October 21, in London, the software to calculate charge in real-time ‘vOCS 3.0’ of the Military Industry and Telecoms Group Viettel received the ‘Best Product or Service of the Year’ Award at the International Business Stevie Awards. This software is highly appreciated thanks to its creativity and great effects on a large number of customers.

At the moment, vOCS 3.0 has been used in 11 nations in the world, possessing around 170 million mobile subscribers. This software is remarkable in that it can customize an individual package for each user, helping it to be easily applied in various markets in the world.

5. The Center for High Technology Development under the Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology has successfully developed a snow ice generator from sea water. It is light, durable, and has a simple structure, which is absolutely suitable for Vietnamese fishing boats. What is more, it is easily maintained or repaired.

 The event marks a milestone in manufacturing, managing and automatically monitoring the energy system. 

6. On August 21, Vingroup introduced its VND 2 trillion Supporting Fund for Scientific and Technological Research to finance studies in the fields of computer science, artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, Nano technology, renewable energy and new generations of materials.

Along with this fund, Vingroup also introduced Vintech Technological Company, Big Data Research Institute, Vin Hi-tech Research Institute, the agreement for human resources training with more than 50 leading universities in Vietnam, the announcement on its plan to become an international group of technology – industry – service.

7. On November 1, the management board of the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park in Hanoi appointed A Chau Industrial Technology Joint Stock Company to carry out the project ‘A Chau Factory for Hi-tech Electronic Equipment’. These two organizations also co-signed a cooperation agreement with Schneider Electric Group for technology transfer, marking a milestone in manufacturing, managing, and automatically monitoring the energy system.  

The event marks a milestone in manufacturing, managing and automatically monitoring the energy system. 

8. On July 13 in Hanoi, The high-level forum and international exhibition on Industry 4.0 (Industry 4.0 Summit 2018) kicked off with the aim of building policies that allow Việt Nam to actively participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and provide opportunities for investment in the technological field.

9. On August 8,  Vietnamese Prof. Dam Thanh Son from Chicago University and physicists Subir Sachdev from Harvard University and Xiao-Gang Wen from Massachusetts Institute of Technology received the 2018 Dirac Medal for their research on how quantum mechanics affects large groups of particles, also known as many-body systems. They found laws on how quantum mechanics affect the activities of very tiny particles, contributing to the discovery of new states of matter besides the traditional gas, liquid and solid states.

He and his two colleagues have used various kinds of knowledge in many fields like material science, black hole, and cold atoms to research on many-body system to prove the value of the inter-field approach.

10.  Dr. Nguyen Thi Hiep, lecturer on biomedical technology at the International University, a member of the HCM City National University, was honoured as an International Rising Talent by the L’Oréal – UNESCO Fund in France for her contribution to regenerative medicine. Her research team tested the use of bio-glue to optimise its safety and effectiveness in hope of creating a product that can stick to any kind of injury to eliminate bacteria and boost the tissue regeneration process.

By Vien Nhu