Southern Vietnam province drafts 10 MWt nuclear reactor plan

Vietnam’s southern province of Dong Nai is drafting a 1-to-500 ratio masterplan for a nuclear technology research center, with a 10-MWt nuclear reactor.

Dong Nai People’s Committee approved the drafting task on Monday. The project is set to cover 96.7 hectares in Long Khanh town, Dong Nai province. The task is in line with a governmental agreement signed by Vietnam and Russia in 2011.

The project aims to improve Vietnam's scientific research ability and workforce training, pushing the application of nuclear power for socioeconomic purposes. It is set to employ 800-1,000 experts and technicians.

Vietnam currently has only one viable nuclear reactor, namely Dalat Nuclear Reactor in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. Dalat Nuclear Reactor, the first and currently the only in Vietnam, has reached 70,000 hours of safe operation. It was established in 1963 by the U.S. with the original name TRIGA Mark-2 Nuclear Reactor.

The facility stopped operation before the 1975 reunification of Vietnam. The former Soviet Union then helped Vietnam restart the facility in 1984 and doubled its capacity to 500 kWt.

Another major nuclear power project is the to-be-built Ninh Thuan nuclear power plant.

In 2005, Vietnam's Party Central Committee greenlighted a plan to build two nuclear power plants in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan. Four years later, the parliament approved the plan with an initial investment of VND200 trillion ($7.9 billion at the current forex rate).

In November 2016, the parliament decided to halt the 4,000 MW project, citing safety, funding and technology reasons. In November 2024, it agreed to resume the nuclear power project in Ninh Thuan after an eight-year suspension.

Dong Nai is a manufacturing center in southern Vietnam, together with Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong and Long An.