The Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) is a goverment agency, earlier known as Vietnam Academy of Science, established in 1975 by Decree 118/CP dated 20 May 1975 and issued by the former Council of the Vietnam Government. The actual VAST has its origin from a few research units of very small size under the management of the Vietnam State Science and Technics Committee which was established in 1959 and now becomes the Ministry of Science and Technology. The initial basis of these research units were the research teams and laboratories in the mathematical, physical, chemical, biological and geological fields with the total of 200 staff. In 1975 immediately after the country's reunification, the Government issued Decision No. 118/CP dated May 20, 1975 regarding the establishement of the National Centre for Scientific Research of Vietnam (NCSR of Vietnam) which became the National Centre for Natural Science and Technology (NCST). The Government appointed Prof. Tran Dai Nghia the first Director of the NCSR of Vietnam.