Industry and trade enterprises master new technologies

Science and technology are increasingly underpinning enterprises in the industry and trade sector

Specifically, enterprises in the power industry have applied modern technologies and equipment to increase their generating capacity. The transmission system is constantly expanding with many 500kV lines and substations, and power insulation technology using gas. They have also successfully manufactured 110÷500 kV transmission transformers to boost supply. Currently, 43 percent of transformers on Vietnam Electricity’s grid system are produced domestically.

In oil and gas exploration, exploitation and processing, Vietnamese enterprises have also mastered advanced drilling technologies applied at the Bach Ho, Rang Dong and Su Tu Den fields, and oil extraction technology in granitoid bedrock applied in the Cuu Long Basin fields.

Enterprises are also applying technologies such as Turbo Expender, which helps improve the liquid gas recovery efficiency at gas processing plants; Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) technology compressing dry air into high-pressure receivers; and refrigerated LPG storing technology that accelerates the industry’s development. In particular, they successfully researched, manufactured and deployed a 90-meter water jack-up rig.

The research and investment in technology innovation for mining and mineral processing using machines, self-propelled trusses, and combined excavators have contributed to the coal industry's annual output by an average of 9.4 percent.

Replacing imports

In mechanical engineering, domestic research and application in industries like cement, chemicals, coal-fired power, hydropower, oil, gas, mining, and building materials have enabled Vietnam to manufacture industrial machinery and equipment to replace imports and enhance economic efficiency of manufacturing and production units.

Vietnam has awarded recognition and prizes for these efforts. For example, a project on research, design and application of UD-type powdered coal-fired nozzles for boilers at Ninh Binh Thermal Power Plant won first prize at the Vietnam Science and Technology Innovation Awards. A coal loading and unloading and transportation system for coal-fired thermal power plants with a capacity of about 600 MW, was put into operation at the Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant, resulting in contracts worth VND1,184 billion for the research unit and opening a new development direction for the domestic mechanical engineering industry. The conveyor belt system transporting bauxite ore for the Lam Dong and Nhan Co alumina factories has also drawn praise.

In the field of pharmaceutical chemistry, science and technology has enabled commercialization of products equal in quality to imported ones and competitively priced. These include the Cebraton capsules of the Traphaco Company; sedative product ASAKOYA to treat insomnia of the Mediplantex Company; preparations for prevention and control of tumors from the Hoan Ngoc tree, and the Spiny bitter gourd (Gac fruit) oil products of Vimedimex Company.

In the field of biotechnology, research has developed modern biotechnologies to create new microorganism strains of high quality and fermentation efficiency and production stability on a small and medium scale. Enterprises in this field also produce and use enzymes (including recombinant enzymes) to serve the processing industry.