At the meeting, Ambassador Trinh Duc Hai outlined Vietnam’s energy development orientation, stressing the diversification of supply sources and the need to ensure a balance between economic growth, energy security and sustainable development goals.

 He said Vietnam is formulating a long-term energy strategy with a vision spanning several decades, in which nuclear power is being studied as an important component to provide a stable baseload supply, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and support the green energy transition.

According to the ambassador, Vietnam places particular importance on the highest standards of nuclear safety and security, environmental protection, human resource development and the building of a legal framework aligned with international practices. He also stressed a step-by-step, cautious and transparent approach, based on social consensus and the country’s long-term interests. The ambassador affirmed that Vietnam welcomes broad international cooperation in civilian nuclear energy, particularly with partners possessing experience and advanced technology, to strengthen domestic capacity and ensure independence and self-reliance in energy development.

For his part, Frédéric Cheneau said Vietnam is facing decisions of a long-term strategic nature, noting that the choice of technology and implementation model for nuclear power will directly affect economic development, energy security and national sovereignty over many decades. He said Assystem can support Vietnam in negotiating contracts with technology suppliers, ensuring that financial, technical and legal terms are in line with national interests.

The Assystem Vice President proposed the establishment of a joint France–Vietnam technical organization based in Vietnam, dedicated to the nuclear power programme for a period of about 10-15 years.

The entity would bring together international experts and Vietnamese engineers working on site, while recruiting and training domestic human resources, including through training programmes in France or participation in international projects. He also said he will visit Vietnam next week to hold direct discussions with Vietnamese ministries and agencies.

At the end of the meeting, both sides expressed their intention to continue in-depth exchanges in the period ahead to identify appropriate forms of cooperation, contributing to efforts to build a sustainable, safe and independent long-term energy strategy.

Assystem is one of Europe’s leading independent nuclear engineering groups and ranks third globally, providing engineering, project management and digital transformation solutions to support the energy transition.

The company operates mainly in nuclear energy, renewable energy, power grids and transport infrastructure, and has advisory experience in countries such as Russia, China, the Republic of Korea, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates. It currently has around 8,000 experts and is present in 13 countries across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Vietnam accelerates nuclear power project to bolster energy security, says PM

VOV.VN - Vietnam is stepping up efforts to develop nuclear power as part of its strategy to strengthen energy security and meet long-term climate goals, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on January 7.