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TREATIES AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL ACTS SERIES 18-529
 

ATOMIC ENERGY 

Nuclear Safety 

Arrangement Between the 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

and VIETNAM 

Signed at Rockville and Ha Noi 

May 9 and 29, 2018 

with 

Addenda and Annex 
 

 

 

NOTE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

Pursuant to Public Law 89—497, approved July 8, 1966 

(80 Stat. 271; 1 U.S.C. 113)— 

“. . .the Treaties and Other International Acts Series issued 

under the authority of the Secretary of State shall be competent 

evidence . . . of the treaties, international agreements other than 

treaties, and proclamations by the President of such treaties and 

international agreements other than treaties, as the case may be, 

therein contained, in all the courts of law and equity and of maritime 

jurisdiction, and in all the tribunals and public offices of the 

United States, and of the several States, without any further proof 

or authentication thereof.” 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIETNAM 

Atomic Energy: Nuclear Safety 

Arrangement signed at Rockville and Ha Noi 

May 9 and 29, 2018; 

with addenda and annex; 

Entered into force May 29, 2018. 
ARRANGEMENT 


BETWEEN 


THE UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY 


COMMISSION 


AND 


THE VIETNAM AGENCY FOR RADIATION AND 


NUCLEAR SAFETY 


OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM 


FOR THE EXCHANGE OF TECHNICAL 


INFORMATION 


AND 


COOPERATION IN NUCLEAR SAFETY MATTERS 


May 2018 
ARRANGEMENT 


BETWEEN 


THE UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 


AND 


THE VIETNAM AGENCY FOR RADIATION AND NUCLEAR SAFETY 


OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM 


FOR THE EXCHANGE OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION 


AND 


COOPERATION IN NUCLEAR SAFETY MATTERS 


The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (hereinafter the USNRC), and the 

Vietnam Agency for Radiation, and Nuclear Safety of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam 

(hereinafter called the VARANS), the two together hereinafter referred to as the Parties; 

Having a mutual interest in continuing the exchange of information pertaining to regulatory 

matters and of standards required or recommended by their organizations for the regulation of 

safety and environmental impact of nuclear facilities; 

Having cooperated under the terms of successive five-year Arrangements for the 

exchange of technical information in regulatory matters and cooperation in nuclear safety 

research, signed on June 25, 2008, and on May 9, 2013, and having indicated their mutual desire 

to continue the cooperation established for an additional five years; 

Have agreed as follows: 

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I. 	 SCOPE OF THE ARRANGEMENT 

A. 	 Technical Information Exchange 

To the extent that the Parties are permitted to do so under the laws, regulations, 

and policy directives of their respective countries, they shall exchange the following 

types of unclassified technical information relating to the regulation of nuclear 

safety, security, radioactive waste management, radiological safety, and 

environmental impact of designated nuclear energy facilities and to nuclear safety 

research programs: 

1. 	 Topical reports concerning nuclear safety, security, radioactive waste 

management, radiological safety, and environmental effects written by or 

for one of the Parties as a basis for, or in support of, regulatory decisions 

and policies. 

2. 	 Documents relating to significant licensing actions and safety and 

environmental decisions affecting nuclear facilities. 

3. 	 Detailed documents describing the USNRC process for licensing and 

regulating certain U.S. facilities designated by the VARANS as similar to 

certain facilities being built or planned in the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam 

and equivalent documents on such facilities licensed and regulated by the 

VARANS. 

4. 	 Information in the field of reactor safety research that the Parties have the 

right to disclose, either in the possession of one of the Parties or available 

to it, including nuclear research reactor safety information from the 

technical areas described in Addenda "A" and "B," attached hereto and 

made integral parts of this Arrangement. Cooperation in these itemized 

research areas may require a separate agreement, as determined to be 

necessary by the research organizations of one or both of the Parties. 

Each Party shall transmit immediately to the other information .concerning 

research results that requires early attention in the interest of public safety, 

along with an indication of significant implications. 

5. 	 Reports on operating experience, such as reports on nuclear incidents, 

accidents and shutdowns, and compilations of historical reliability data on 

components and systems. 

6. 	 Regulatory procedures for nuclear safety, security, radioactive waste 

management, radiological safety, and environmental impact evaluation of 

nuclear facilities. 

7. 	 Early advice of important events, such as serious operating incidents, 

government-directed reactor shutdowns, and emerging technieal issues, 

that are of immediate interest to the Parties. 

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B. Cooperation in Nuclear Safety Research 

The terms of cooperation for joint programs and projects of nuclear safety research 

and development, or those programs and projects under which activities are 

divided between the two Parties, including the use of test facilities and/or computer 

programs owned by either Party, shall be considered on a case-by-case basis and 

may be the subject of a separate agreement, if determined to be necessary by the 

research organizations of one or both of the Parties. When not the subject of a 

separate agreement, the terms of cooperation may be established by an exchange 

of letters between the research organizations of the Parties, and shall be subject 

to the terms and conditions of this Arrangement. Technical areas specified by 

such exchanges of letters may be modified subsequently by mutual consent. 

C. 	 Training and Assignments 

Within the limits of available resources and subject to the availability of 

appropriated funds, the USNRC shall cooperate with the VARANS in providing 

certain training and experience for VARANS inspector and safety personnel. In 

addition, temporary assignments of personnel by one Party in the other Party's 

Agency shall also be considered on a case-by-case basis and shall, in general, 

. require a separate agreement between the Parties. Unless otherwise agreed, 

costs of salary, allowances, and travel of participants shall be paid by the Party 

that incurs them. The following are typical of, but not necessarily exclusive of, the 

kinds of training and experience that may be provided: 

1. 	 VARANS designated inspector accompaniment of USNRC inspectors on 

reactor operation and reactor construction inspection visits_ in the United 

States, including extended briefings at USNRC regional inspection offices. 

2. 	 Participation by VARANS employees in USNRC staff training courses. 

3. 	 Assignment of VARANS experts for certain periods to be determined by 

the Parties within the USN RC staff to work on USN RC staff duties and gain 

on the job experience. 

4. 	 Training assignments of VARANS employees within the radiation control 

program in the United States. 

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II. ADMINISTRATION 


A. 	 The exchange of information under this Arrangement shall be accomplished 

through letters, reports, and other documents, and by visits and meetings arranged 

in advance on a case-by-case basis. Periodic meetings shall be held at such times 

as mutually agreed to review the exchange of information and cooperation under 

this Arrangement, to recommend revisions to the provisions of this Arrangement, 

and to discuss topics coming within the scope of the cooperation. The time, place, 

and agenda for such meetings shall be agreed upon in advance. Visits which take 

place under this Arrangement, including their schedules, shall have the prior 

approval of the administrators referred to in Section 11.B. of this Arrangement. 

B. 	 An administrator shall be designated by each Party to coordinate its participation 

in the overall exchange under this Arrangement. The administrators shall be the 

recipients of all documents transmitted under the exchange, including copies of all 

letters unless otherwise agreed. Within the terms of the exchange, the 

administrators shall be responsible for developing the scope of the exchange, 

including agreement on the designation of the nuclear energy facilities subject to 

the exchange, and on specific documents and standards to be exchanged. One 

or more technical coordinators may be appointed as direct contacts for specific 

disciplinary areas. These technical coordinators shall ensure that both 

administrators receive copies of all transmittals. These detailed arrangements are 

intended to ensure, among other things, that a reasonably balanced exchange 

giving access to equivalent available information is achieved and maintained. 

C. 	 The administrators shall determine the number of copies to be provided of the 

documents exchanged. Each document shall be accompanied by an abstract in 

English, 250 words or less, describing its scope and content. 

D. 	 The application or use of any information exchanged or transferred between the 

Parties under this Arrangement shall be the responsibility of the receiving Party, 

and the transmitting Party does not warrant the suitability of such information for 

any particular use or application. 

E. 	 Recognizing that some information of the type covered in this Arrangement is not 

available within the agencies that are Parties to this Arrangement. but is available 

from other agencies of the governments of the Parties, each Party shall assist the 

other to the maximum extent possible by organizing visits and directing inquiries 

concerning such information to appropriate agencies of the government 

concerned. The foregoing shall not constitute a commitment of other agencies to 

furnish such information or to receive such visitors. 

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Ill. 	 EXCHANGE AND USE OF INFORMATION 

A. 	 General 

The Parties support the widest possible dissemination of information provided or 

exchanged under this Arrangement, subject to the requirements of each Party's 

national laws, regulations and policies and the need to protect proprietary and 

other confidential or privileged information, and subject to the provisions of the 

Intellectual Property Rights Annex, which is an integral part of this Arrangement. 

B. 	 Definitions 

1. 	 The term "information" means unclassified nuclear energy-related 

regulatory, safety, security, radioactive waste management, scientific or 

technical data, including information on results or methods of assessment, 

research, and any other knowledge provided, created or exchanged under 

this Arrangement. 

2. 	 The term •proprietary information· means information made available 

under this Arrangement that contains trade secrets or other privileged or 

confidential commercial information (such that the person having the 

information may derive a commercial benefit from it or may have a 

commercial advantage over those who do not have it), and may only 

include information that: 

a. 	 has been held in confidence by its owner; 

b. 	 has not been transmitted by the owner to other entities (including 

the receiving Party), except on the basis that it be held in 

confidence; 

c. 	 is not otherwise available to the receiving Party from another source 

without restriction on its further dissemination; and 

d. 	 is not already in the possession of the receiving Party. 

3. 	 The term "other confidential or privileged information" means information, 

other than "proprietary information," that has been transmitted and received 

in confidence under this Arrangement and is protected from public 

disclosure under the laws, regulations, or policies of the country ofthe Party 

providing the information. 

C. 	 Marking Procedures for Documentary Proprietary Information 

A Party receiving documentary proprietary information pursuant to this 

Arrangement shall respect the privileged nature of such information, provided that 

such proprietary information is clearly marked with the following (or substantially 

similar) restrictive legend: 

"This document contains proprietary information furnished in 

confidence under an Arrangement dated May _;t2_, 2018, between 

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the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Vietnam 

Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety of the Socialist Republic 

of Viet Nam shall not be disseminated outside these organizations, 

their consultants, contractors, and licensees, or concerned 

departments and agencies of the Government of the United States 

of America and the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet 

Nam, without the prior written approval of (name of transmitting

.Efilb1. This notice shall be marked on each page of any 

reproduction hereof, in whole or in part. These limitations shall 

automatically terminate when the proprietary information is 

disclosed by the owner without restriction." 

This restrictive legend shall be respected by the Parties to this Arrangement. 

Proprietary information bearing this restrictive legend shall not be made public or 

otherwise disseminated in any manner unspecified or contrary to the terms of this 

Arrangement without the prior written consent of the transmitting Party. Proprietary 

information bearing this restrictive legend shall not be used by the receiving Party 

or its contractors and consultants for any commercial purposes without the prior 

written consent of the transmitting Party. 

D. Dissemination of Documentary Proprietary Information 

1. 	 In general, proprietary information received under this Arrangement may be 

disseminated by the receiving Party without prior consent to persons within 

or employed by the receiving Party, and to concerned Government 

departments and Government agencies in the country of the receiving Party, 

provided: 

a. 	 such dissemination is made on a case-by-case basis; and 

b. 	 such proprietary information bears the restrictive legend appearing 

in Section 111.C. of this Arrangement. 

2. 	 Proprietary information repeived under this Arrangement may be 

disseminated by the receiving Party without prior consent to contractors and 

consultants of the receiving Party located within the geographical limits of 

that Party's country provided: 

a. 	 that the proprietary information is used by such contractors and 

consultants only for work within the scope of their contracts with the 

receiving Party relating to the subject matter of the proprietary 

information, and shall not be used by such contractors and 

consultants for any other private commercial purposes; 

b. 	 that such dissemination is made on a case-by-case basis to 

contractors and consultants who have executed a non-disclosure 

agreement; and 

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c. that such proprietary information shall bear the restrictive legend 

appearing in Section 111.C. of this Arrangement. 

3. 	 With the prior written consent of the Party furnishing proprietary 

information under this Arrangement, the receiving Party may disseminate 

such proprietary information more widely than otherwise permitted under 

the terms set forth in this Arrangement. The Parties shall endeavor to grant 

such approval to the extent permitted by their respective national laws, 

regulations and policies, provided: 

a. 	 that the entities receiving proprietary information under Section 

111.0.3. of this Arrangement, including domestic organizations 

permitted or licensed by the receiving Party to construct or operate 

nuclear production or utilization facilities, or to use nuclear and 

materials radiation sources, have executed a non-disclosure 

agreement; 

b. 	 that the entities receiving proprietary information under Section 

111.0.3. of this Arrangement, including domestic organizations 

permitted or licensed by the receiving Party to construct or operate 

nuclear production or utilization facilities, shall not use such 

proprietary information for any private commercial purposes; and 

c. 	 that those entities receiving proprietary information under Section 

111.0.3. of this Arrangement that are domestic organizations 

permitted or licensed by the receiving Party, agree to use the 

proprietary information only for activities carried out under or within 

the terms of their specific permit or license. 

E 	 Marking Procedures for Other Confidential or Privileged Information of a 

Documentary Nature 

A Party receiving under this Arrangement other confidential or privileged 

information shall respect its confidential nature, provided such information is 

clearly marked so as to indicate its confidential or privileged nature and is 

accompanied by a statement indicating: 

1. 	 that the information is protected from public disclosure by the government 

of the transmitting Party; and 

2. 	 that the information is transmitted under the condition that it be maintained 

in confidence. 

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F. 	 Dissemination of Other Confidential or Privileged Information of a Documentary 

Nature 

Other confidential or privileged information may be disseminated in the same 

manner as that set forth in Section 111.D. of this Arrangement, "Dissemination of 

Documentary Proprietary Information." 

G. Non-Documentary Proprietary or Other Confidential or Privileged Information 

Non-documentary proprietary or other . confidential or privileged information 

provided in seminars and other meetings organized under this Arrangement, or 

information arising from the assignment of staff, use of facilities, or joint projects, 

shall be treated by the Parties according to the principles specified for 

documentary information in this Arrangement; provided, however, that the Party 

communicating such proprietary or other confidential or privileged information has 

placed the recipient on notice as to the character of the information communicated. 

H. 	 Consultation 

If, for any reason, one of the Parties becomes aware that it will be, or may 

reasonably be expected to become, unable to meet the non-dissemination 

provisions of this Arrangement, it shall immediately inform the other Party. The 

Parties shall thereafter consult to define an appropriate course of action. 

I. 	 Other 

Nothing contained in this Arrangement shall preclude a Party from using or 

disseminating information received without restriction by a Party from sources 

outside of this Arrangement. 

IV. 	 FINAL PROVISIONS 

A. 	 Nothing contained in this Arrangement shall require either Party to take any action 

that would be inconsistent with its existing laws, regulations, or policy directives. 

Should any conflict arise between the terms of this Arrangement and those laws, 

regulations, or policy directives, the Parties agree to consult before any action is 

taken. No nuclear information related to proliferation-sensitive technologies shall 

be exchanged under this Arrangement. 

B. 	 Unless otherwise agreed, all costs resulting from cooperation pursuant to this 

Arrangement shall be the responsibility of the Party that incurs them. The ability of 

the Parties to carry out their obligations is subject to the appropriation of funds by 

the appropriate governmental authority and to the laws, regulations and policies 

applicable to the Parties. 

C. 	 Cooperation under this Arrangement shall be in accordance with the laws, 

regulations, and policies of the Parties. Any dispute or questions between the 

8 

Parties concerning the interpretation or application of this Arrangement shall be 

settled by mutual agreement of the Parties. 

D. 	 This Arrangement shall enter into force upon signature and, subject to paragraph 

E of this Section, shall remain in force for a period of five years. It may be extended 

for a further period of time by written agreement of the Parties. 

E. 	 Either Party may terminate this Arrangement by providing the other Party written 

notice at least 180 days prior to its intended date of termination. 

DONE in duplicate in the English language. 

FOR THE UNITED STATES NUCLEAR FOR THE VIETNAM AGENCY FOR 

REGULATORY COMMISSION: RADIATION AND NUCLEAR SAFETY OF 

THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM: 

·s ne L. Svinicki Nguyen Tuan Khai 

Chairman Director General 

Date: 	 flJIAY b;I£ 	 Date: 29 Ma:J l01f 

Place: Rockville, Maryland Place: Ha Noi 

United States of America Viet Nam 

9 

Addendum A 

USNRC - VARANS Safety Research Exchange 

Areas in Which the USNRC Is Performing or Sponsoring Safety Research 

1. Digital Instrumentation and Control 

2. Reactor and Electrical Equipment Qualification 

3. Environmental Transport 

4. Radionuclide Transport and Waste Management 

5. Ory Cask Storage and Transport 

6. Fire Safety Research 

7. Nuclear Fuel Analysis 

8. Severe Accident Analysis 

9. Operating Experience and Generic Issues 

10. Human Factors Engineering 

11. Organizational Factors/Safety Culture 

12. Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) 

13. Probabilistic Risk Assessments 

14. Radiation Protection and Health Effects 

15. Seismic Safety 

16. State of the Art Risk Consequences. 

17. Reactor Containment Structural Safety 

18. Reactor Vessel and Piping Integrity 

19. Regulatory Guide Update 

20. New and Advanced Reactor Designs 

21. Decommissioning 

22. Thermal Hydraulic Code Applications and Maintenance 

23. Uncertainty Analysis for Thermal Hydraulic Kinetics 

24. Coupled 30 Neutronic and Plant Thermal Hydraulics 

25. Medical Isotope Production 

26. Long-term Operational Management 

27. Plant and Systems Operations 

28. Experimental data for verification and validation (V& V) of Computer code 
Addendum B 

USNRC - VARANS Safety Research Exchange 

Areas in Which the VARANS Is Performing or Sponsoring Nuclear Safety 

Research 

1. Safety Regulation of Nuclear Research Reactor 

2. Licensing Procedure and Regulatory Inspection 

3. Nuclear Research Reactor Safety Analysis and Safety Assessment of SAR 

4. Radiological Safety Controls 

5. Safety Culture (for Regulatory Agencies and Licensees) 

6. Environmental Radioactivity Monitoring 

7. Contribution to the Computer code Development Computer Codes, and 

8. Thermal Hydraulic Code Applications and Maintenance 

9. Uncertainty Analysis for Thermal Hydraulic Kinetics 

10. Coupled 30 Neutronic and Plant Thermal Hydraulics 

11. Other Areas 
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS ANNEX 


I. General Obligation 

The Parties shall ensure adequate and effective protection of intellectual property created or 

furnished under this Arrangement and relevant implementing arrangements. Rights to such 

intellectual property shall be allocated as provided in this Annex. 

II. Scope 

A. This Annex is applicable to all cooperative activities undertaken pursuant to this Arrangement, 

except as otherwise specifically agreed by the Parties or their designees. 

B. For purposes of this Arrangement, "intellectual property*' shall mean the subject matter fisted 

in Article 2 of the Convention Establishing the Wo.rld lntellecti.Jal Property Organization, done at 

Stockholm, July 14, 1967, and may include other subject matter as agreed by the Parties. 

C. Each Party shall ensure, through contracts or other legal means with its own participants, if 

necessary, that the other Party can obtain the rights to intellectual property allocated in 

accordance with this Annex. This Annex does not otherwise alter or prejudice the allocation 

between a Party and its participants, which shall be determined by that Party's laws and practices. 

D. Except as otherwise provided in this Arrangement, disputes concerning intellectual property 

arising under this Arrangement shall be resolved through discussions between the concerned 

participating institutions, or, if necessary, the Parties or their designees. Upon mutual agreement 

of the Parties, a dispute shall be submitted to an arbitral tribunal for binding arbitration in 

accordance with the applicable rules of international law. Unless the Parties or their designees 

agree otherwise in writing, the arbitration rules of the United Nations Commission on International 

Trade Law (UNCITRAL) shall govern. 

E. Termination or expiration of this Arrangement shall not affect rights or obligations under this 

Annex. 

Ill. Allocation of Rights 

A. Each Party shall be entitled to a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license to 

translate, reproduce, and publicly distribute monographs, scientific and technical journal articles, 

reports, and books directly arising from cooperation under this Arrangement. All publicly 

distributed copies of a copyrighted work prepared under this Arrangement shall indicate the 

names of the authors of the work unless an author explicitly declines to be named. 

B. Rights to all forms of intellectual property, other than those rights described in paragraph Ill.A 

above, shall be allocated as follows: 

(1 ) Prior to participation in cooperative activities under this Arrangement by a visiting 

researcher. the host Party or its designee and the Party or its designee employing or 

sponsoring the visiting researcher may discuss and determine the allocation of rights to 

any intellectual property created by the visiting researcher. Absent such a determination, 

visiting researchers shall receive rights, awards, bonuses and royalties in accordance with 
the policies of the host institution. For purposes of this Arrangement, a visiting researcher 

is a researcher visiting an institution of the other Party (host institution) and engaged in 

work planned solely by the host institution. 

{2) (a) Any intellectual property created by persons employed or sponsored by one Party 

under cooperative activities other than those covered by Paragraph Ill. B( 1 ) shall be owned 

by that Party. Intellectual property created by persons employed or sponsored by both 

Parties shall be jointly owned by the Parties. In addition, each creator shall be entitled to 

awards, bonuses and royalties in accordance with the policies of the institution employing 

or sponsoring that creator. 

(b) Unless otherwise agreed in an implementing or other arrangement, each Party shall 

have within its territory a right to exploit and allow others to exploit intellectual property 

created in the course of the cooperative activities. 

(c) The rights of a Party outside its territory shall be determined by mutual agreement 

considering, for example, the relative contributions of the Parties and their participants to 

the cooperative activities, the degree of commitment in obtaining legal protection and 

licensing of the intellectual property and such other factors deemed appropriate. 

{d) Notwithstanding paragraphs llLB(2)(a) and {b) above, if either Party believes that a 

particular project is likely to lead to or has led to the creation of intellectual property not 

protected by the laws of the other Party, the Parties shall immediately hold discussions to 

determine the allocation of rights to the intellectual property. If an agreement cannot be 

reached within three months ofthe date of the initiation of the discussions, cooperation on 

the project in question shall be terminated at the request of either Party. Creators of 

intellectual property shall nonetheless be entitled to awards, bonuses and royalties as 

provided in paragraph lll.B(2)(a). 

(e) For each invention made under any cooperative activity, the Party employing or 

sponsoring the inventor(s) shall disclose the invention promptly to the other Party together 

with any documentation and information necessary to enable the other Party to establish 

any rights to which it may be entitled. Either Party may ask the other Party in writing to 

delay publication or public disclosure of such documentation or information for the purpose 

of protecting its rights in the invention. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the delay shall 

not exceed a period of six months from the date of disclosure by the inventing Party to the 

other Party. 

IV. Business Confidential Information 

In the event that information identified in a timely fashion as business-confidential is furnished or 

created under this Arrangement, each Party and its participants shall protect such information in 

accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and administrative practices. Information may be 

identified as "business-confidential" if a person having the information may derive an economic 

benefit from it or may obtain a competitive advantage over those who do not have it, and the 

information is not generally known or publicly available from other sources, and the owner has 

not previously made the information available without imposing in a timely manner an obligation 

to keep it confidential. 

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