Meeting of the Steering Committee for Human Resource Development between the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency

Recently, in Hanoi, the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM) organized the Steering Committee Meeting on Human Resources Development (SCM 2025) with the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). This is an annual activity to review the effectiveness of training cooperation in the nuclear field and develop an implementation plan for the next phase.

Ms. Tran Ngoc Hoan, Deputy Head of the International Cooperation Department, VINATOM, welcomed the JAEA delegation and highly appreciated the role of the Training of Trainers Program (ITP) in maintaining and improving the professional capacity of Vietnamese staff in the fields of reactor engineering, emergency response and environmental radiation monitoring. VINATOM representatives also expressed their appreciation to Mr. Koguchi Masanori, President of JAEA and Ms. Koizumi, Head of the International Cooperation Department, JAEA, for attending the VINANST-16 Conference in October 2025, thereby demonstrating a strong commitment to cooperation between the two agencies.

JAEA delegation took photos with VINATOM staff.

At the meeting, Ms. Naoko Inoue, Director of the Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Security and Human Resources Development (ISCN), presented the merger of the Center for Nuclear Human Resources Development with the Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Non-Proliferation to form ISCN. This merger helps JAEA strengthen its leading role in international support for 3S (Safety - Security - Safeguards) and 2S technology development, aiming to build a safe and sustainable nuclear energy environment. Ms. Inoue also briefly introduced Japan's 7th Strategic Energy Plan, emphasizing the trend of redeveloping nuclear power, and discussed the potential of small modular reactor (SMR) technology and the role of nuclear power in the energy supply structure.

Next, ISCN introduced an overview of the ITP program, including the Instructor Training Course (ITC), Advanced Instructor Training Course (AITC), Follow-up Training Course (FTC) and Nuclear Technology Seminar (NTS), focusing on training nuclear experts for Asian countries. JAEA signed a 5-year training contract from April 2025 to expand teaching capacity, and introduced a new activity called the "Basic Radiation Knowledge in General Education (BRSE)" Seminar, scheduled to be implemented from 2026 to raise scientific awareness in the community.

On the Vietnamese side, Mr. Pham Ngoc Dong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, informed about the nuclear power program after the National Assembly approved the policy of restoring the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project. In the context of Vietnam implementing nuclear power projects, the need to train a team of experts and technical staff has become an urgent task. Mr. Duong Thanh Tung, representative of the Nuclear Training Center, presented an overview of the current state of human resources in the nuclear industry, pointing out that the rate of highly qualified experts in the industry tends to decrease due to many retired officials and a lack of policies to attract young human resources. He also reported the results of the specialized training course on incident response and environment under the FTC Course in 2025.

During the discussion, the two sides agreed on the FTC implementation plan for 2026. JAEA acknowledged VinAtom's proposals to enhance training content related to nuclear power project management, environmental analysis and expand research cooperation. VinAtom also proposed to promote the sending of staff to JAEA for research or joint research in the field of nuclear safety. The two sides agreed to continue discussions to identify appropriate research topics based on areas of interest and common interests.

At the end of the meeting, VINATOM and JAEA signed the Minutes of the SCM 2025 Meeting, recording the discussion contents and cooperation orientation in the coming time. The meeting continued to affirm the important role of the ITP program in supporting Vietnam in building a team of professional human resources, contributing to the sustainable development of the nuclear energy industry in the context of the country preparing to implement new strategic projects.

The two sides signed the Minutes of the SCM 2025 Meeting.

Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/cuoc-hop-ban-chi-dao-phat-trien-nguon-nhan-luc-giua-vien-nang-luong-nguyen-tu-viet-nam-va-co-quan-nang-luong-nguyen-tu-nhat-ban-197251207153331462.htm