The programme will take place in northern Ha Nam and Vinh Phuc provinces and central Ha Tinh province from now until 2008.

A master plan to develop the observation network by 2020 has been submitted to the Government, and opinions on the issue are being gathered from relevant agencies, said Nguyen Cong Thanh, Deputy Minister of Environment and Natural Resources (MoNRE), at a seminar held in Hanoi on June 29.

The plan aims to provide basic surveys for the forecast and prevention of natural calamities, as well as management work in the field.

The observation network of Vietnam now has 21 regional stations under the management of eight ministries and agencies, and 800 observation sites located in 45 provinces and cities nationwide; many of them need to be modernised.