General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and President To Lam visited the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and witnessed the exchange of cooperation deals on September 11 (local time).
The stop was part of his official visit to France and attendance at the International Space Summit at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
A CEA leader briefed the Vietnamese delegation on core technologies where France holds an edge. The CEA is a top French and global research, development and innovation hub, combining advanced scientific and technological achievements with highly skilled workforce, particularly in such strategically important fields as nuclear energy, semiconductors, quantum technology and artificial intelligence (AI).
General Secretary and President Lam said developing science-technology and innovation is no longer optional for Viet Nam but imperative to its goal of becoming a developed, high-income nation by 2045. This is also in line with the Politburo’s Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science-technology, innovation and national digital transformation. Nuclear energy, semiconductors, aerospace and quantum technology are designated top-priority strategic technology fields.
As Viet Nam resumes its national nuclear power programme, including the Ninh Thuan nuclear power plant and nuclear science and technology research centre projects, he suggested the CEA should accompany Viet Nam in workforce training, nuclear regulatory capacity and joint research on reactor safety, and expand cooperation into nuclear medicine.
In his view, technology transfer cooperation should be accelerated so that Viet Nam can gradually master core technologies and link research with actual production, rather than focusing solely on processing and assembly. He also called for deeper cooperation to raise the localisation rate of core technologies in Viet Nam’s new-generation Earth observation satellite scheme, as well as for doctoral and supervised master’s training courses to cultivate a generation of Vietnamese scientists able to master quantum technologies.
The same day, the top Vietnamese leader visited and held a working session with a technology research centre of Thales Group in the Paris-Saclay science and technology cluster, and toured a cleanroom laboratory researching semiconductors and advanced materials.
A Thales Group leader said as a leading international technology group with more than 85,000 employees in 65 countries, it is investing in and supplying avionics equipment, developing telecommunications satellite systems and providing cybersecurity and digital technology solutions, with a focus on data security, digital identity management and cybersecurity protection for government agencies, banks and major enterprises. Thales has operated in Viet Nam since 1994 in air traffic management, telecommunications and cybersecurity.
Its key research areas include advanced hardware and components, quantum technology, AI and intelligent software to support human decision-making in crises, as well as safe autonomous systems.
On the occasion, the Vietnamese leader witnessed the signing and handover of a cooperation agreement between Thales Group and Viet Nam’s Gtel Group to drive cooperation in AI, quantum technology and cybersecurity in Viet Nam.
