The working session had representatives from several ministries and central agencies, the Government Office, and Lam Dong Province.

Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son and the Government delegation visited the Da Lat Nuclear Reactor.

On behalf of the Government, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son highly appreciated the contributions of generations of leaders, scientists, and staff of the institute, along with the achievements in research and application of nuclear technology in socio-economic development of the locality and the country over the past 40 years.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that these contributions have helped to enhance Viet Nam's prestige and position in the international arena in the field of using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that, in recent times, the Party and State have issued many major policies to create a legal foundation and favourable conditions for the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and identified that nuclear energy is as a strategic pillar in ensuring national energy security.

He stressed that the development of nuclear energy requires a strategic vision and policy consistency, with a comprehensive approach from institutions, infrastructure, governance systems to technology, and most importantly human resources.

In the coming time, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that the institute continue to manage and efficiently operate the Da Lat Nuclear Reactor and the research equipment system; improve scientific and technological capacity and human resources to bring Viet Nam's nuclear industry to the leading group in the region and approach the level of developed countries by 2045.

At the same time, he urged for the expansion of international cooperation to enhance capacity, with a focus on human resource training to meet the growing demands of nuclear energy applications in civil activities and socio-economic development.

The institute must play a key role in research, training, and implementation of the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant project; and participate in the construction of the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Centre in Dong Nai Province.

The Deputy Prime Minister also asked the institute to establish a long-term research programme, adopt advanced technologies, and master core technologies to independently develop and the goal is to master technology.

Moreover, the institute must align its activities with the socio-economic development needs of Lam Dong Province and the southern region, contributing to local development and promoting comprehensive advancement of sectors applying nuclear energy in the near future.

At the same time, the institute must closely follow the requirements of socio-economic development of Lam Dong Province and the southern region to contribute to the development of localities and industries applying atomic energy to develop comprehensively in the coming time.

Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son responded to a number of proposals and recommendations of the Nuclear Research Institute and assigned relevant ministries, branches, and Lam Dong Province to research and handle according to their functions and authority.

At the meeting, Cao Dong Vu, Director of the Nuclear Research Institute, said that after 40 years of operation, the institute has achieved many important results, contributing to applications in many fields of medicine, agriculture, industry, environment, irrigation, and transportation.

At the same time, he proposed granting permission to study the possibility of using new fuels and increasing the capacity of the Da Lat Nuclear Reactor (about two to three times the current capacity) with new fuels; supplementing fuel for the Da Lat Nuclear Reactor to ensure its operation after 2030, until the new reactor of the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Centre comes into operation; and converting the Da Lat Nuclear Reactor into the target of human resource training. He also proposed special mechanisms to attract and train human resources.

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