Progress of Vietnam's first nuclear power plant project after more than a year of restart

At a meeting on April 6, 2026, Nguyễn Việt Hùng, Vice Secretary of the Khánh Hòa Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, together with Vice Chairman Trịnh Minh Hoàng, chaired a briefing on the progress of the Ninh Thuận 1 and Ninh Thuận 2 nuclear power projects. Leaders of relevant departments, agencies, and localities attended.

Compensation, support and resettlement: key milestones reported

The meeting reported that compensation, support, and resettlement work for both projects has achieved concrete results.

Ninh Thuận 1 project

For Ninh Thuận 1, surveying, counting, and determining land origin have been completed 100% for the plant area of 449.37 hectares and the resettlement area of 65.62 hectares.

• Plant area: Compensation was approved for 154 households, with total funding of 168.2 billion VND. Compensation has been paid to 18 households that have handed over land. Compensation plans for 109 households have been posted, and 118 families have graves requiring relocation to support the project.
• Resettlement area: Compensation was approved for 56 households, and payments have been made for 12 cases. Remaining cases are being processed for land acquisition and for posting compensation plans in accordance with regulations.

Ninh Thuận 2 project

For Ninh Thuận 2, surveying and land-origin determination have also been completed 100% for 534 households within a 318.8-hectare area. Land valuation has been completed for all cases.

• Advances: Over 109 billion VND in advance payments has been made to 120 households.
• Grave relocation funding: Funding for relocating graves for 172 households has been approved, totaling more than 18.8 billion VND.

Resettlement area planning and land-recovery implementation

In the Vĩnh Hải resettlement area, the detailed plan at 1/500 scale has been approved for 422 housing plots. The Provincial Project Investment and Construction Management Board is coordinating with relevant units to conduct surveying, mapping, and land pricing to issue land-recovery notices and implement compensation as required.

The 173-hectare resettlement area is planned to allocate 320 agricultural plots to meet production needs of about 280 households.

Policy mechanisms and remaining procedural steps

Regarding policy mechanisms, on March 30, 2026, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly issued Resolution No. 121/2026/UBTVQH15 to supplement and adjust certain special investment mechanisms for the Ninh Thuận nuclear power project under Resolution 189/2025/QH15.

The resolution addressed 5 of the province’s 7 requests. Khánh Hòa provincial authorities are continuing to coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ministry of Justice, and other related ministries to finalize procedures for presenting a government-approved support resolution, thereby addressing the remaining two obstacles.

Directives to accelerate land clearance and project implementation

Concluding the meeting, Vice Chairman Trịnh Minh Hoàng urged localities to speed up compensation payments for eligible cases and accelerate land clearance to hand over land to the investor for project implementation. He also directed the Project Investment and Construction State Management Board to work closely with the Khánh Hòa Department of Industry and Trade to establish contractor selection criteria for future guidance to provincial authorities.

Chairman Nguyễn Việt Hùng emphasized that this is a favorable time to accelerate land clearance. He called on localities to maximize responsibility and leadership, and to organize regular briefing sessions to promptly resolve arising issues. Local authorities were asked to actively mobilize public support to ensure project progress.

Localities were instructed to prepare detailed compensation and land-clearance plans, set out implementation timelines, and report to the Provincial Nuclear Power Project Steering Committee by the afternoon of April 6. They were also asked to coordinate with relevant departments to expedite the construction of a new cemetery to accommodate grave relocations in line with the resettlement site plan, and to pay attention to temporary housing policies for residents during the resettlement period. Security forces were requested to proactively prepare contingency plans to ensure social stability. The Khánh Hòa Department of Finance was tasked with advising the province to propose additional funding from the Ministry of Finance to ensure the project proceeds on schedule.

Project background

In 2009, the National Assembly approved the policy to build the Ninh Thuận Nuclear Power Project with two plants and a total capacity of 4,000 MW on more than 1,600 hectares. The project was intended as a major energy initiative and a milestone for Vietnam’s nuclear science and technology development.

The project was paused in 2016 due to high capital requirements, macroeconomic concerns, and safety concerns following the Fukushima incident. Momentum returned in late 2024, and on November 25, 2024, the Party’s 8th Central Committee endorsed restarting the project and set out a long-term program for nuclear energy in Vietnam. On November 30, 2024, the National Assembly approved a resolution continuing the investment, marking a legal turning point for the project’s revival.

Amendments to the Electricity Law broadened provisions related to nuclear energy, and the Government incorporated amendments to the Nuclear Energy Law into its legislative program to strengthen the regulatory framework. The commitment was reaffirmed on December 5, 2024, when General Secretary Tô Lâm inspected the Ninh Thuận 1 site and urged full preparation and speedy implementation to avoid repeated delays.