At present, the VARANS under the Ministry of Science and Technology is tasked with state management responsibilities relating to nuclear safety, nuclear security and nuclear safeguards inspection. However, the Agency’s organisational structure has yet to be designed in a highly specialised and sector-specific manner, making it unsuitable for the management requirements of nuclear power plants.
Specialised units responsible for nuclear safety, nuclear security, nuclear safeguards inspection, in-depth technical assessment and emergency response have not yet been fully and systematically organised in accordance with international practices.
Functions and responsibilities among units remain fragmented, preventing the formation of strong professional divisions capable of conducting independent and comprehensive assessments of the complex technical issues associated with nuclear power plants.
In addition, the technical support organisational model has not been developed in proportion to requirements, resulting in limitations in analytical and assessment capacity, as well as the ability to support state management decision-making.
According to recommendations by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the management of a first nuclear power unit alone requires at least 100 to 150 highly specialised personnel. However, the current staffing level of the VARANS remains far below this minimum recommendation and international practice.
Moreover, there is currently a shortage of core expert groups in key areas serving the appraisal, licensing and safety supervision of nuclear power plants, including reactor physics, nuclear thermal hydraulics, probabilistic safety analysis, electrical and control systems, materials, geology and construction.
Most of the technical equipment serving appraisal and supervision activities has become outdated and no longer meets the requirements for analysis and simulation of modern nuclear power plants. Existing financial mechanisms also lack sufficient flexibility to ensure independence - a principle regarded by the IAEA as fundamental for nuclear safety regulatory authorities.
The current financial mechanism likewise fails to meet the requirements for long-term investment in the development of high-quality human resources, and does not create favourable conditions for attracting and retaining highly qualified experts. It also remains limited in terms of allocating timely resources for unexpected tasks such as safety dossier appraisal, on-site inspections, emergency response operations, or the hiring of international experts and technical support organisations.
In response to the urgent requirements of nuclear power deployment, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 624/QD-TTg approving a scheme to strengthen the capacity of the VARANS until 2035, with the orientation of gradually developing the Agency into a national regulatory body possessing sufficient authority, resources and technical capacity to fully perform state management functions in radiation safety, nuclear safety and nuclear security.
The highlight is the upgrading and enhancement of management functions directly linked to the nuclear power programme, with particular emphasis on appraisal, assessment, inspection and supervision capacities in nuclear safety and security, together with the establishment and operation of all-day radiation and nuclear emergency response system.
The organisational structure of the VARANS will be strengthened in the direction of greater specialisation, ensuring it meets management requirements for nuclear power plant projects, other nuclear facilities and international standards. In terms of resources, the target is to increase staffing to at least 288 personnel by 2030, ensuring sufficient human resources across the necessary specialisations to support state management of radiation safety, nuclear safety and nuclear security for the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power project and the research nuclear reactor project.
In implementing the scheme, the Ministry of Science and Technology said it would simultaneously deploy multiple groups of tasks aimed at enhancing state management capacity in radiation safety, nuclear safety and nuclear security to meet the requirements of upcoming nuclear power and research reactor projects.
One key task is the development of a scheme for training, fostering and developing human resources for state management, research, application and technical support in the field of atomic energy, which is expected to be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval in 2026.
