Demand for interdisciplinary human resources
Viet Nam has built a human resource base in nuclear energy through many years of research, training, and practical application. Staff at the Atomic Energy Institute of Viet Nam, alongside universities, hospitals, research institutions, and businesses, have gradually mastered and implemented a range of nuclear technology applications in healthcare, agriculture, industry, natural resources, and the environment, as well as radiation monitoring and radiation safety. However, human resource requirements are changing as the nuclear energy sector enters a new stage of development.
The Law on Atomic Energy identifies the promotion of nuclear energy development and peaceful applications as a State policy aimed at supporting socio-economic development, protecting the environment, improving people's quality of life, and contributing to energy security.
The Strategy for the Development and Application of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes to 2035, with a vision to 2050, also aims to expand the use of radiation and radioisotopes across economic and technical sectors, while bringing nuclear power plants into safe and efficient operation.
These goals require human resources to be developed in terms of numbers, workforce structure, and professional capabilities, covering research, application, operation, regulation, nuclear safety, and security.
According to Dr Tran Chi Thanh, Director of the Atomic Energy Institute of Viet Nam, as the scale and scope of nuclear energy applications continue to expand, particularly with Viet Nam developing nuclear power, the existing workforce is not yet sufficient to meet long-term demand.
The task is to prepare a new generation of personnel in terms of numbers, quality, and professional specialisations, while retaining experienced experts, training successors, and introducing policies to attract young professionals, overseas Vietnamese, and international experts.
The nuclear workforce is not limited to engineers or nuclear physicists. Applying nuclear technology in production and everyday life requires an interdisciplinary workforce spanning physics, nuclear engineering, radiochemistry, materials science, electrical engineering, electronics, automation, information technology, computational modelling, artificial intelligence, nuclear medicine, biology, agriculture, environmental science, and radiation safety.
Many experts believe that each field has its own specific workforce requirements. In healthcare, specialists in radioisotopes and radiation equipment need to work alongside doctors, engineers, medical physicists, and radiopharmacists.
In agriculture, radiation technology needs to be combined with biology, post-harvest technology, and plant breeding.
In industry, nuclear engineering must be integrated with mechanical engineering, materials science, electronics, and automation. In the environmental sector, radiation monitoring personnel need knowledge of data technology, dispersion modelling, hydrometeorology, and risk analysis.
The challenge, therefore, is not simply to increase the number of trained personnel but, more importantly, to establish an appropriate workforce structure and teams of experts capable of mastering technology.
Training needs to be linked to practical programmes and projects, giving learners opportunities to work with research reactors, laboratories, irradiation facilities, nuclear medical equipment, radiation monitoring systems, industrial facilities, and research and development projects.
International cooperation and training in countries with advanced nuclear industries remain important ways to improve workforce quality. According to the Atomic Energy Institute of Viet Nam, training should provide a continuous pathway from fundamentals to applications and from research to industry.
The goal is not only to meet operational staffing requirements but also to gradually build a workforce capable of researching, designing, mastering, improving, and developing nuclear technologies suited to Viet Nam's needs.
Enhancing nuclear regulatory and management capacity
Alongside personnel engaged in research, applications, and operations, nuclear power development also creates an urgent need for human resources in State management and nuclear regulation.
These professionals are responsible for assessment, inspection, examination, safety oversight, emergency response, and technical support, ensuring that nuclear facilities are regulated and operated in accordance with safety requirements.
According to Dr Nguyen Hoang Linh, Director of the Viet Nam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety under the Ministry of Science and Technology, preparing this workforce must follow a long-term roadmap based on the requirements of individual job positions.
In addition to training a new generation of officials, it is necessary to continue providing professional development, updating knowledge, strengthening specialised capabilities, and drawing on the experience of existing personnel, with particular emphasis on practical skills, safety, security, and emergency response.
Developing human resources for State management and nuclear regulation has been identified as a key task in implementing the Nuclear Power Development Programme and the Strategy for the Development and Application of Atomic Energy to 2035, with a vision to 2050.
Under Decision No. 893/QD-TTg dated May 20, 2026, the Viet Nam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety will serve as the focal agency for developing competency standards and coordinating training and capacity building for personnel supporting nuclear power development.
Speaking about training plans, Dr Nguyen Hoang Linh said that, alongside domestic training programmes, the agency would strengthen cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), nuclear regulatory authorities, and technical support organisations in countries with advanced nuclear industries, including Russia, to obtain technical assistance and transfer knowledge and experience.
The focus is on building a workforce capable of assessing, inspecting, examining, and overseeing safety, responding to emergencies, and providing technical support for nuclear power plants, small modular reactors (SMRs), and advanced nuclear technologies.
In recent years, several experts from the Viet Nam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety along with relevant agencies and organisations have been sent to Russia for training to strengthen their professional capabilities in surveying, selecting, and evaluating nuclear power plant sites; assessing site approval applications for nuclear power plants and nuclear research reactors; and enhancing their capacity to prepare technical foundations for decisions by State management agencies.
Through these training programmes, the Viet Nam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety aims to gradually master the assessment, inspection, examination, and safety oversight of nuclear power plants, while developing a highly qualified workforce of managers and nuclear regulatory experts capable of meeting the requirements of nuclear power development in the new phase.
