 It could be mistaken for Hanoi's Central Railway Station at Rorschauer. But these people aren't buying tickets or boarding trains. They're picking up the results of tests, collecting medication or registering for treatment. This is a typical morning at Vietnam's National Cancer Hospital, which attends to up to 5,000 patients every day. According to the latest figures, there are roughly 125,000 new cancer cases and 95,000 deaths each year in Vietnam, and the numbers are rising. The mortality rate is high, and the curative rate can't reach the desired results, mainly because cancer patients often go to hospital too late. Over 70% of them are diagnosed with cancer at stage 3 or 4. This time, it's too late to cure the cancer. We can just focus on caring, increasing the lifespan as well as enhancing their living standards. As in many other developing countries, cancer is on the rise because people are living longer, and there's an increased exposure to risk factors such as smoking and alcohol. In Vietnam there are also problems with environmental pollution and lack of physical activity. Nuclear techniques, including radiology and radiotherapy, are critical for the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. This retired farmer suffers from lung cancer, which was detected with an X-ray test. After moving to the National Cancer Hospital, I've been treated with dedication by the doctors and nurses. I'm being treated with radiotherapy. Up until now, I've been treated seven times. It seems to be working. For over three decades, the IAEA has played a key role in providing cancer-related assistance to countries throughout the world. It operates a programme of action for cancer therapy known as PACT. We received a lot of support from the IAEA, particularly since 2006, when the IAEA PACT helped us set up our National Cancer Control Program. It was approved by our government in 2008 and is working well. We received some essential equipment, for example, a new cobalt radiotherapy machine, which is located in Can Tho province. We also receive annual scholarships for training abroad in aviation medicine in places like the USA, Australia, Singapore, the Republic of Korea and other countries. In addition, we frequently receive IAEA experts in Vietnam to provide technical support. Since taking office in 2009, the IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano has paid particular attention to cancer issues and often visits cancer wards when visiting IAEA member states. Cancer control is a very important activity for the IAEA, and we help countries to procure machines and equipment. Also, we train medical doctors and technicians to update themselves for the latest technology. We have spent millions of euros to procure equipment and also training people. But cancer is a serious problem and we need to do more. At the National Cancer Hospital, the two radiotherapy machines are in operation for 18 hours a day. The sole mammography machine, which is used to diagnose and manage breast cancer, serves 160 patients on a daily basis. The increasing number of patients is leading to long waiting times for treatment and severe overcrowding. More needs to be done to help institutes like the National Cancer Hospital. But thanks to the ongoing support of the IAEA and its partners and the dedication of the medical staff, cancer patients in Vietnam can look forward to a brighter future.