Vietnam: ensuring safety and security for peaceful uses of atomic energy

Atomic energy applications have been developed and used in various sectors of the national economy in Vietnam. Recently, the Government has approved the 'Strategy for Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy up to 2020'. The government has also acknowledged that to ensure safety and security for the development of atomic energy applications, it is especially essential to strengthen the state management in this field. Therefore, the government has focused its efforts on building the capacity of the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Control (VARANSAC) – Vietnam's regulatory body. This article reports VARANSAC's encouraging changes in the past year. This will help the international nuclear energy community understand, and hence believe in Vietnam's international integration and trust the consistent policy of Vietnam on ensuring safety for the people, society and the environment in the process of socio-economic development in the country.