Doctors from Chợ Rẫy Hospital, HCM City, and Vĩnh Long General Hospital test-run a linear accelerator radiotherapy system for cancer treatment. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Thúy Hằng

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has set out a detailed roadmap to expand the development and application of nuclear energy through 2030, with a long-term vision to 2050, as part of a Government push to harness radiation and radioisotopes safely and effectively across key sectors.

On behalf of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Chí Dũng signed Decision No. 2736/QD-TTg approving a plan to implement the national master plan on nuclear energy development and application.

The plan is designed to ensure effective implementation of Decision No. 245/QD-TTg dated February 5, 2025, which approved the national master plan. It concretises objectives, orientations, solutions and resources for applying radiation and radioisotopes across sectors, while assigning responsibilities to ministries, sectors and localities and setting roadmaps and priorities for major programmes and projects.

Through 2030, key tasks focus on developing and applying radiation and radioisotopes in health care, natural resources and the environment, agriculture and industry, alongside strengthening nuclear science and technology capacity, human resources, and nuclear safety and security.

In health care, the plan targets the upgrading and expansion of networks for radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and diagnostic imaging to meet medical demand, improve quality and efficiency, and ensure radiation safety.

Specific tasks include investing in or building oncology and nuclear medicine departments in provinces and cities, with priority given to underserved regions and equipping central hospitals with advanced technologies. Private hospitals are encouraged to invest in modern radiation-based equipment, while systems for clinical dose verification and participation in international quality assurance programmes will be strengthened.

To bolster nuclear science and technology capacity, the plan focuses on improving research infrastructure, legal frameworks, state management capacity and human resources, while maintaining strict standards for nuclear safety and security. Measures include upgrading modern laboratories, enhancing the national radiation and nuclear safety authority and strengthening governance in the application of nuclear energy.

Under the plan, research, application and training institutions in the nuclear field will see improvements in facilities, workforce quality and operational efficiency.

Priorities include studying the establishment of a national institute or centre for radiation medicine; investing in leading oncology and nuclear medicine units, including military facilities; developing specialised human resources and equipment for geological surveys, environmental monitoring and water resources management; and forming strong research groups applying radiation and radioisotopes in agriculture, such as crop breeding, pest control and food irradiation.

Several major projects are slated for implementation. These include upgrading the national radiation environment monitoring and early warning network and enhancing the research and technical support capacity of the Viet Nam Atomic Energy Institute.

Other initiatives involve investing in a cyclotron accelerator and laboratories in Hà Nội to develop radiopharmaceuticals, strengthening national radiation medicine capacity and control of medical exposure in line with international guidelines, and establishing monitoring stations using cosmic-ray neutron techniques and stable isotopes to support soil moisture mapping, drought monitoring and water resources management. — VNA/VNS