As part of its preparations for a new research reactor, Vietnam hosted an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review for Research Reactors (INIR-RR) mission to identify improvements needed for successful and sustainable development of the project.

The Vietnamese delegation was headed by Pham Cong Tac, Vietnam's deputy minister of science and technology. The delegation provided a number of documents to facilitate the assessment of the national nuclear infrastructure that has been developed in preparation for the new research reactor project. The new facility, which is planned to start operation in 2026, is expected to serve needs in education, training, radioisotope production and materials sciences.

“Vietnam has demonstrated strong government support and understanding of long-term national commitments for developing the nuclear infrastructure for the new research reactor,” said Andrey Sitnikov, who led the IAEA review that took place in Hanoi from 3 to 7 December 2018. “We noted that Vietnam had adopted a holistic approach to this project, to ensure effective use of resources in developing infrastructure for the proposed multipurpose research reactor.”

The team made recommendations and highlighted areas where action could assist Vietnam in making further progress, including:

  • strengthening the independence of the regulatory body;
  • updating and broadening the human resources development plan, and
  • conducting a more detailed assessment of the potential use of the research reactor.

The team also identified the use of Information Centre for Atomic Energy for public outreach as a good practice of stakeholder involvement.