Vietnam Customs receives radiation detection system installed at Tan Son Nhat Airport

Tan Son Nhat International Airport to install radiation detection systems

Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Viet Nga and Director General Nguyen Tuan Khai at the handover ceremony of the Radiation Detection System. Photo: H.N

At the ceremony, Deputy Director of International Cooperation Department Nguyen Thi Viet Nga and Director General of the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (VARANS) Nguyen Tuan Khai signed the minutes of handing over and receiving the system.

The Nuclear Security Project is funded by the IAEA and implemented in many countries and regions. In Vietnam, the project is implemented through the Ministry of Science and Technology with the main partner as the GDVC.

The implementation of the project aims to strengthen its capacity to detect and deal with the illegal transportation of nuclear materials and other radioactive materials to Vietnam across air borders.

The support conducted within the framework of the IAEA-funded project provides radiation detection equipment, and workshops to raise awareness on combating the illegal transport of nuclear and other radioactive materials, and international responses and training on the use of the device.

The first radiation detection system funded by the IAEA was officially put into operation at Terminal T1 of Noi Bai International Airport in 2013.

The system includes four radiation portal monitors (RPM). In 2016, after Terminal T2 was completed and put into operation, the system was transferred and installed in Terminal T2 and four other RPMs were added to maximize the ability to detect and prevent illegal transportation of nuclear and other radioactive materials at Terminal T2. The system at Noi Bai International Airport is worth nearly VND8.3 billion, said by Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Viet Nga.

On the basis of the results of the implementation of the radiation detection system at Noi Bai, the GDVC has proposed to the Ministry of Science and Technology to ask the IAEA for funding of the same system at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Currently, the system has completed installation at Tan Son Nhat Airport in February 2021 with six RPMs installed in the international arrival area. The total value of the system is nearly VND3.5 billion, the Deputy Director said.

After the handover ceremony, the GDVC continues to coordinate with the VARANS and the IAEA to conduct training for officers of Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch to put the system into operation in 2022.

Director General Nguyen Tuan Khai hopes that the system installed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport will support Vietnam to become a safe country with a modern system capable of effectively warning of radioactive materials illegally imported into Vietnam.