Vietnam Launches Its First Satellite

Vietnam has entered the satellite age, with a rocket launch from South America hurling its first orbiter into space. From a command centre outside the capital Hanoi, scientists tracked the Arianespace rocket on Saturday as it propelled the Vinasat-1 on its path to hover 36,000km above the equator. 

 

"This project is politically, economically and socially important," said Nguyen Tan Dung, the prime minister, soon after the launch, noting that it would help to "raise Vietnam's image on the international stage"