Context:

• India and Vietnam inked three Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs), including on cooperation between the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, India (GCNEP) and the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM).

Other facts:

• The purpose of the MoU is to strengthen the technical cooperation in the field of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. Besides this, the two countries signed an MoU on economic and trade cooperation aimed at establishing a framework for enhancing economic and trade promotion.
• A work plan for the years 2018-2022 between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam was also signed between the two nations. The purpose of this work plan is to promote cooperation in the transfer of technology and exchange of visits of technical experts in the fields of agriculture and allied.

Importance of Vietnam:

• Vietnam has an important place in India’s framework of Act East policy and India’s relations with ASEAN.
• Vietnam is an important partner in Southeast Asia under New Delhi’s Act East Policy and is currently the country coordinator for India with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc, a role that will be handed over to Thailand later this year.

GCNEP:

• Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP) is located near Bahadurgarh in Haryana. GCNEP is the sixth R&D unit under the aegis of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). GCNEP will help in capacity building, in association with the interested countries and the IAEA, involving technology, human resource development, education & training and giving a momentum to R&D in enlisted areas.

The main objectives of the centre include:

• Mark Development of enhanced nuclear safeguards to effectively and efficiently monitor nuclear materials and facilities.
• Mark Promoting the development of advanced, more proliferation resistant nuclear power reactors.
• Mark Training manpower in the field of Nuclear Security and Radiological Safety.
• Mark Educating in the field of Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems, Isotopes and Radiation Technologies, nuclear forensic.
• Mark Establishing accreditation facilities for radiation monitoring.

Source:TH & Wiki