VietNamNet Bridge – Having found the Truong Sa submarine’s path to the open sea to be too bumpy, it’s inventor has officially decided to postpone his testing plan.

Nguyen Quoc Hoa, Director of the Quoc Hoa Mechanical Engineering Company, and father of the Truong Sa mini-submarine, has confirmed with the local press that all his plans for the submarine have been postponed, notwithstanding the support he has garnered from concerned agencies and influential businessmen.

“In the immediate future, I have to do as guided in the document released by the Thai Binh provincial People’s Committee,” Hoa said on Dat Viet on May 3.

This means that Hoa has decided to follow the “straight” and official way to have his mini submarine tested on the open sea, though he anticipates a series of obstacles.

Just some days earlier, scientists still believed that there was a ray of hope for putting the submarine through its paces.

Hoa told the local press on April 30 that after the Thai Binh provincial authorities refused to allow Truong Sa to be tested in Thai Binh’s waters, he and his associates were considering testing the vesselat Tuan Chau Tourism Complex on Tuan Chau Island at the invitation of the “Island’s King”, Dao Hong Tuyen.

Tuyen is well known in Vietnam as one of the richest billionaires and most influential businessmen, and one who is willing to provide financial support to scientific inventions.

“I have asked for permission from the Ministry of National Defense, and I have received an invitation from Mr Dao Hong Tuyen,” Hoa told the local newspapers.

But he has to rethink. “I need to calm down. Everything needs to be done step by step. I have to get permission first. If not, the testing will be illegal, no matter whether it is carried out in other provinces,” he said.

“I’ll have to make a report about the measures for ensuring the safety of the submarine and people. I’ll have to survey the waters for testing. It will take time,” he continued.

“But first of all, I’ll need to get permission,” he repeated.

In its document, the Thai Binh provincial People’s Committee stated that it has assigned the province’s relevant agencies to show Hoa what he needs to do to build up a perfect plan meeting the requirements for the testing. It has also suggested that the submarine should be tested at the Naval Technology Institute under the permission of Naval Command Zone 1.

If so, Hoa would have to submit his plans to a series of state management agencies. And Truong Sa, a civil submarine, would have to wait for guidance from military agencies.

Meanwhile, Admiral of the Fleet, Deputy Minister of National Defense Nguyen Van Hien, said Truong Sa is not a military submarine. Therefore, he said, it would be better to assign a civil agency, possibly the Ministry of Science and Technology, to take responsibility for the sub’s testing.

Hence, to date, Truong Sa still does not know what path it must take to reach the open sea. And that’s because the relevant agencies don’t know as well.

Dat Viet