Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Quốc Dũng has officially sanctioned a comprehensive national scheme, under Decision No. 893/QĐ-TTg, aimed at bolstering the training, capacity building, and overall development of human resources within Vietnam’s atomic energy sector. This ambitious initiative is designed to cultivate a workforce that possesses both the necessary quantity and high-caliber expertise to meet the nation’s escalating demands for atomic energy development and its diverse applications. Paramount to this endeavor is the unwavering commitment to ensuring stringent radiation safety, nuclear safety, and nuclear security standards.
The national scheme outlines clear targets, with a primary focus by 2030 on ensuring that all individuals involved in the state management of atomic energy, at both central and local levels, receive specialized professional training. This training is crucial for them to effectively manage duties pertaining to radiation safety, nuclear safety, nuclear security, and the application of atomic energy. Furthermore, Vietnam aims to forge a core cadre of highly skilled research and development specialists. These experts will be instrumental in mastering, transferring, and advancing nuclear technologies, thereby supporting the nation’s future nuclear power ambitions and the wider adoption of radiation and radioisotopes across various socio-economic fields. The development of a specialized workforce for the safe and efficient operation of research nuclear reactors is also a critical component, intended to serve scientific research, education, and the production of radioisotopes.
The scheme extends its reach to encompass full training for technical support personnel who serve regulatory agencies. This is to equip them with the capabilities to conduct thorough appraisals, inspections, environmental radiation monitoring, and effective emergency response activities. Personnel tasked with nuclear security, radiation monitoring, and incident response across different ministries and sectors will also undergo advanced professional training. A fundamental requirement will be that all radiation workers at licensed facilities receive radiation safety training, adhering strictly to all legal regulations. The overarching goal is to build a proficient workforce capable of managing radiation technologies safely and effectively in critical sectors such as healthcare, industry, agriculture, environmental protection, and other technical domains. The continuous pursuit of atomic energy workforce development is central to these objectives.
Looking beyond 2030, by 2035, Vietnam aspires to achieve a milestone where 100 percent of state management personnel within the atomic energy sector are fully trained and continuously retrained to meet evolving professional requirements. The national radiation and nuclear safety authority is projected to attain a significant level of self-reliance, aiming to conduct up to 70 percent of appraisal, assessment, inspection, and supervision activities for nuclear power projects independently, and achieve full autonomy for research reactor projects. The long-term vision extends to 2050, envisioning a highly skilled workforce capable of independently undertaking complex tasks such as safety analyses, technical assessments, licensing, inspections, supervision, and emergency response for both large-scale nuclear reactors and the emerging small modular reactors. This strategic initiative is also expected to significantly enhance Vietnam’s capacity for coordinated action in the crucial areas of radiation safety, nuclear safety, and nuclear security, reinforcing its commitment to responsible atomic energy workforce development.
The scope of this approved plan is broad, covering personnel within state management agencies, public and private scientific organizations, enterprises, technical support institutions, and facilities that utilize radiation technologies. Training programs will be meticulously tailored to the specific needs of these diverse groups and will be delivered through a variety of formats. These will include short-term and advanced courses, postgraduate education, on-site training sessions, and specialized radiation safety programs. The scheme further stipulates measures to modernize training curricula, upgrade essential infrastructure, expand international cooperation initiatives, and accelerate the digital transformation of training processes and human resource management within the atomic energy sector. This holistic approach underscores the critical importance of strategic atomic energy workforce development for the nation’s progress.
