VNExpress-July 23
Vietnam will need tens of thousands of direct and indirect workers in the atomic energy and nuclear power sectors by 2035 as the country presses ahead with plans to develop nuclear energy. Under Vietnam’s strategy for the peaceful development and application of atomic energy to 2035, with a vision towards 2050, nuclear power is expected to account for between 6% and 8% of the country’s total electricity output.
The plan includes the construction of four large-scale nuclear power units and between 10 and 15 small modular reactors (SMRs), requiring a sizeable workforce trained to international standards across the entire nuclear value chain. According to Nguyen Hoang Linh, director general of the agency, the Ninh Thuan 1 and Ninh Thuan 2 nuclear power plants alone will require around 3,900 workers for direct operations by 2030.
Of those, approximately 670 personnel will need university-level training overseas. However, experts stress that the demand for human resources extends far beyond plant operations. Personnel will also be needed in state management, nuclear safety and security regulation, research and development, technical support, education and training, nuclear medicine, radiation technology, radioactive waste management, emergency response, environmental monitoring, as well as industrial and agricultural applications. The breadth of these requirements underscores the fact that developing nuclear power is not merely a matter of building power plants, but also of establishing a comprehensive, multidisciplinary ecosystem supported by highly qualified professionals capable of integrating into international networks. To prepare for the program, the Government has approved a national project on training and developing human resources for nuclear power through 2035, alongside initiatives aimed at strengthening personnel involved in state management, research, applications and technical support in the atomic energy sector. At the same time, the capacity of state agencies, including the Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, is being enhanced to meet the demands of a new phase of nuclear development.
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