Vietnam says it will still build country's first nuclear power plants

Deputy Director of Vietnam's National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecast, Le Thanh Hai, has denied rumours that Vietnam was going to be hit by “radioactive rain” travelling from Japan. He added: “No wind can bring radioactive dusts from Japan to Vietnam. There is no wind from Japan to China and then to Vietnam. There is only wind blowing from Vietnam to Japan. The current rain is caused by monsoon, not acid rain.”

Subsequently, the Vietnamese government has said that it intends to implement the plan to built the country's first nuclear power plants, with the help of both Japan and Russia.

A spokesman for Vietnam's Foreign Ministry, Nguyen Phuong Nga, said that the country's environmental security was at the top of the government's agenda and was “particularly important in the context of climate change and natural disasters, particularly the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.” She went on to say that Vietnam would work with Japan and other international partners to develop nuclear energy while “ensuring nuclear safety and environmental protection.”

Former director of Vietnam's institute for nuclear science and technology, Tran Thanh Minh, said the government was right to stay on course despite the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan. He said: “I'm concerned about what's happening in Japan but...Vietnam will be using the latest nuclear technology and will have to put a bigger focus on safety and engineering when it comes to our nuclear reactors.”

Sources: FT, MSN Philippines News, Vietnam Net

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