Viet Nam and Russia step up Nuclear Science and Technology Center project

<p style="text-align: justify;">During a reception for Mr. Ilya Vergizaev, Director General of Rosatom Construction Technology under Russia State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), Minister Vu Hai Quan requested the Russian side to expedite the construction progress of the Center for Nuclear Science and Technology (CNST) in Viet Nam, assist Viet Nam in gradually researching and mastering technology related to small modular reactors (SMRs), and support human resource training in atomic energy, radiation safety, and nuclear security.</p>

On the afternoon of July 30, 2026, Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan received a working delegation from Rosatom Construction Technology, a subsidiary of Russia State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), led by Director General Ilya Vergizaev.

At the meeting, both sides affirmed that cooperation in the field of atomic energy holds strategic significance and consistently receives close attention and guidance from the high-level leadership of Viet Nam and the Russian Federation. Both sides expressed confidence that this visit would contribute to strengthening mutual trust and understanding, while creating further momentum for agencies and organizations of both nations to effectively implement cooperative activities in the coming time.

The working session aimed to materialize key cooperation orientations, focusing on major priorities: accelerating the implementation progress of the Center for Nuclear Science and Technology (CNST) project, and enhancing collaboration in human resource training in atomic energy, radiation safety, and nuclear security to serve nuclear power development in general and the CNST project in particular.

Regarding the CNST project, Minister Vu Hai Quan emphasized that this is a project of special interest to Viet Nam's leadership. The project will contribute to enhancing research capacity, step-by-step mastering nuclear technology including small modular reactor (SMR) technology, training high-quality human resources, and expanding atomic energy applications for socio-economic development for peaceful purposes.

The Minister highly appreciated the active coordination between the relevant agencies and units of both countries in finalizing the Feasibility Study (FS) report and the site approval dossier. However, to ensure feasibility and compliance with the legal regulations of each country, certain technical, financial, and implementation roadmap details require continued exchange and consensus between the two sides.

Minister Vu Hai Quan proposed that specialized agencies and units from both sides continue to coordinate closely to review and finalize the FS report and site approval dossier, formulate an appropriate implementation roadmap, and explore financial support mechanisms to facilitate the review and approval process by competent authorities.

Mr. Ilya Vergizaev affirmed that Rosatom will continue to cooperate closely with Viet Nam to finalize the reports at an early date, remaining ready to step up cooperation in human resource training, equipment localization, and the execution of subsequent steps for the CNST project.

Both sides expressed confidence that with the attention of high-level leaders from both countries and close coordination among relevant agencies, existing difficulties and obstacles will be gradually resolved, creating favorable conditions for the CNST project to be implemented effectively, meeting the expectations and interests of both Viet Nam and the Russian Federation./.