Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on November 30 presented the first-class Labour Order, the noble distinction of the Party and State, to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) in recognition of its contributions to socialism building and national protection.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (sixth from left) at the event
(Photo: VNA)

The ministry received the honour at a ceremony marking its 60th founding anniversary in Hanoi.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh said the MoST was first established as the Vietnam State Science and Technics Committee in 1959 and has been renamed several times before becoming the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2002.

Be under any name, the MoST has always served as the highest think-tank for the Party, National Assembly and Government in outlining and implementing policies for science, technology and innovation.

In the era of international integration with numerous opportunities and challenges such as the fourth industrial revolution and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership as well as other new-generation free trade agreements, the MoST will continue striving to tap people’s creativity and businesses’ investment resources, as well as work closely with ministries, agencies and localities to perform science-tech tasks, thus making practical contributions to the country’s socio-economic development, he said.

In his speech, PM Phuc emphasized that science and technology is the decisive factor for long-term growth and the key for Vietnam to avoid the middle-income trap. He urged scientific and technological researchers to keep up their passion for research and innovation to promote science-technology development in the future.

Within the framework of the ceremony, an exhibition featuring the science-technology sector’s development in the past six decades was held, introducing products and services used for mechanical engineering, electronics and telecommunications, medicine and pharmaceuticals, among others, along with materials reviewing the history of the sector with important milestones.