Vietnam is deploying a national nuclear power program, therefore, ensuring safe operation of nuclear power plants is one of the top priorities of the Government, said Nguyen Quan, Vietnamese Minister of Science and Technology in capital Hanoi on Tuesday.

Quan made the remarks during an international conference co- held by the Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) under the Organization for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD) to share information and experience on the importance of establishing national nuclear regulatory body.

The conference will provide experiences for Vietnam in the process of building and improving nuclear regulatory body, Quan said.

Denis Flory, IAEA Deputy Director General said that the countries which want to deploy nuclear power plants should build regulatory bodies promptly. Besides, an effective quality management system and proper roadmap of human resource training are also necessary, Flory added.

An independent, effective and powerful regulatory body is essential to ensure safety and security of nuclear power programs, Flory stressed.

During the workshop, experts clarified suitable requirements to build nuclear regulatory body in Vietnam, and exchanged experience in human resources training and management procedures for nuclear regulatory body in Vietnam.

The construction of Vietnam's first nuclear power plant is expected to be launched in 2014 in central Ninh Thuan Province, some 1,100 km south of capital Hanoi. The plant will have two reactors with total capacity of 4,000 Megawatt and to be put into commercial operation by 2020.