Vietnam, U.S. sign agreement on peaceful use of nuclear energy

Vietnam's Minister of Science and Technology (MoST) Nguyen Quan and U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam David Shear signed an agreement on cooperation between the two governments on peaceful use of nuclear energy here Tuesday.

The pact, also known as or agreement 123, was initialed by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on October 10, 2013 in the context of the 23rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Brunei, e-portal of Vietnamese government reported.

The agreement was signed under the spirit of article 123 on " cooperating with other countries" in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 of the Unite States. The agreement aims to create a legal framework to enhance ties between Vietnamese and the U.S. partners in research, training, development and application of atomic energy, especially in developing nuclear power in Vietnam, said the website.

The agreement lays ground for Vietnam to access modern, advanced nuclear technology originating from the United States in its nuclear power projects.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Nguyen Quan said Vietnam has been long pursuing the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Vietnam has joined most of international agreements related to ensure safety, security and non-proliferation of nuclear energy, which is highly appreciated by international community, said Quan.

Specifically, Vietnam has recently completed a program to transfer fuel in southern Da Lat reactor from high-enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) and brought all used HEU fuel to Russia, said Quan, adding that this show Vietnam is a responsible member of the international community.

Cooperation agreement covers the use of nuclear energy, research, development and application of civil reactor technology, training, infrastructure and human resource development, among others.

The cooperation will take the forms of exchanging information and scientific, technological documents, human resources training, holding conference and workshop, providing support service, and technical assistance among others, said the e-portal.