On 22 March, Plenipotentiary Representative of Vietnam in JINR, Vice-President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Tran Tuan Anh met with JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov. The expansion of the participation of Vietnamese employees in JINR, staff training, and further plans for the development of cooperation were the key topics of the meeting. Tran Tuan Anh arrived in Dubna to participate in the meetings of the JINR Finance Committee and the Committee of Plenipotentiary Representatives.

Vietnam’s significant contribution to JINR activities was noted at the meeting. “Vietnam has a rapidly growing economy and a noticeable population growth. This is a very good indicator of an active development of the country. At a time like this, science is able to take a more influential position in the country and strengthen its role in the economy and education,” Grigory Trubnikov highlighted.

The parties expressed a common opinion on the need to increase the number of Vietnamese employees working at JINR. Participants discussed the possibilities of training highly qualified staff in nuclear and accelerator technologies. Theoretical physics and information technologies were selected among promising scientific areas for the development of cooperation. Participants emphasised the need to strengthen cooperation with scientific organizations and universities of Vietnam, as well as opportunities for the implementation of projects for the development of scientific infrastructure.

Tran Tuan Anh, in his turn, noted the need to disseminate information about JINR’s capabilities among the Vietnamese scientific community. In this regard, the parties agreed to continue the participation of Vietnam representatives in the JEMS Training Programme, which proved its efficiency. In addition, representatives of Vietnam confirmed their intention to open a JINR Information Centre. The meeting participants took into account the dynamically developing cooperation and decided to hold JINR Days in Vietnam at the end of this year.

The parties paid attention to the formation of a strategic plan for the development of cooperation between Vietnam and JINR. They agreed to continue discussions at the next coordination meeting organized with the International Symposium on Physics of Unstable Nuclei (ISPUN23), which will take place in Vietnam in May. The parties confirmed the course for further development of joint contacts with scientists of the Southeast Asia region. The course started in November 2019 during the conference “Challenges and Opportunities for International Cooperation in Natural Sciences” held alongside the CP session in Hanoi.

At the end of the meeting, Grigory Trubnikov and Tran Tuan Anh signed an agreement. It regulates certain aspects of the work of Vietnamese employees at the Institute, as well as the implementation of cooperation programmes and grants of the Plenipotentiary Representative of Vietnam in JINR.