Key facts
- Vietnam became the 78th country to sign the Artemis Accords.
- Minister Vũ Hải Quân signed on Vietnam’s behalf during Vietnam International Digital Week in Ha Long; U.S. Ambassador Jennifer Wicks took part in the ceremony.
- NASA highlights cooperation with Vietnam in satellite innovation, land-use research and radar-based Earth observation.
- In early 2026, NASA collaborated with the Vietnam-Germany University to support SMAP, a mission that measures soil-surface water worldwide.
- Vietnam inaugurated its National Space Center in Hanoi and is developing the LOTUSat program for Earth observation, weather monitoring and disaster response.
- Established in 2020, the Artemis Accords promote safety and coordination principles for the civil exploration of the Moon, Mars and other destinations.
Related records
Vietnam joined the Artemis Accords, becoming their 78th signatory country, NASA reported on October 28, 2026. The signing took place during Vietnam International Digital Week in the city of Ha Long. Minister of Science and Technology Vũ Hải Quân signed the accords on Vietnam’s behalf, and U.S. Ambassador Jennifer Wicks took part in the ceremony.
NASA presented the accession as part of a developing space relationship between the two countries. In recorded remarks for the ceremony, the agency’s associate administrator, Matt Anderson, said collaboration with Vietnam’s National Space Center had advanced satellite innovation, research into land use and radar-based Earth observation.
What the Artemis Accords establish
NASA, the U.S. Department of State and seven other founding countries established the accords in 2020 in response to growing interest from governments and private companies in activities on the Moon. The framework brings together practical principles to improve the safety and coordination of civil exploration of the Moon, Mars and other destinations in space.
The commitments include conducting activities for peaceful purposes and transparently, providing assistance to those in need, and facilitating access to scientific data so it can benefit people around the world. Signatories also commit to seeking to ensure that their activities do not cause harmful interference with those of others and to developing good practices for preserving sites and objects of historical importance in space.
NASA’s official page also describes principles concerning the publication of information about space policies and plans, interoperability of systems, registration of space objects, resource management and mitigation of orbital debris. The accords draw, among other instruments, on the Outer Space Treaty and agreements on the registration of space objects and on rescue and return.
Space cooperation between NASA and Vietnam
The announcement places the signing alongside Earth observation projects and the development of Vietnam’s space capabilities. In early 2026, NASA collaborated with the Vietnam-Germany University to support the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission. The mission measures water present at the soil surface around the world.
Vietnam has also inaugurated its National Space Center in Hanoi and is developing its own satellite capabilities through the LOTUSat program. According to NASA’s statement, the program focuses on Earth observation, weather monitoring and disaster response. The agency presented these activities as part of the context for cooperation between the two countries; the statement does not announce a specific future joint mission.
NASA says Vietnam’s accession expands the coalition of countries committed to the accords’ principles. Its signature adds the country to a framework for coordinating civil space activities, while the projects described illustrate areas of cooperation already identified by the agency.