HÀ NỘI — Southeast Asia’s first outdoor astronomy park will be built on 12ha of land in Việt Nam.

Located in the centre of the 200ha Dương Nội Township, the VNĐ260 billion (US$11.5 million) park, which is invested by Nam Cường Corporation, is expected to be operational this year.

The park will be one of the highlights of the township, which aims to increase the value of scientific knowledge for people living in the region and the capital’s residents.

The park will be built with an advanced scientific research and entertainment astronomical theme on an area roughly equal to the size of the Kazan Planetarium in Russia, known as the world’s first astronomy park with an area of 15ha.

Speaking to the press in Hà Nội on Tuesday, Trần Thị Quỳnh Ngọc, the corporation’s vice chairwoman, said the park would be an exciting destination for those who love science and space exploration, since not much investment has been made in astronomy in Việt Nam in comparison with other sciences.

The park will be built in two phases. Phase 1, including construction investment of eight main features and 41 other areas, will be implemented in the 2017-18 period. Phase 2, which will be implemented in the second quarter of 2018, will include the Centre for Astronomical Research.

The park’s concepts will be developed under the guidance of Nguyễn Xuân Anh, head of the Institute of Earth Physics, Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology, and Italian landscape design company Ego Landscape.

A website on astronomy will be developed, which will be a complete and comprehensive information channel on current phenomena and provide new information about astronomy. International scientific conferences related to this field will also be held. — VNS