Viet Nam
Speaking at the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW (1MSP) in Vienna in June 2022, Viet Nam said: ‘This significant meeting reflects the international community’s desire for a world free of nuclear weapons.’ … ‘We are confident that this process will help effectively contribute to the universalisation of this vital legally binding instrument.’[1]
TPNW Status
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compliant |
| Test | Compliant | |
| Possess or stockpile | Compliant | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compliant |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compliant |
| (d) | Use | Compliant |
| Threaten to use | Compliant | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compliant |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compliant |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compliant |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted yes (2022) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| 1MSP delegation size (% women) | 2 (0%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) treaties | |
|---|---|
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1996, Bangkok) |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1982) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2006, Annex 2 state) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1980) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1998) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | No |
| Additional Protocol | Yes |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
At the Tenth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in August 2022, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, Kim Ngoc Ha, said that the NPT is complemented by the TPNW. He welcomed the outcomes of the 1MSP and called on others to join the TPNW.2 In a closing statement to the NPT Review Conference, Viet Nam and 64 other TPNW supporters urged ‘all states committed to attain and maintain a world without nuclear weapons to join the TPNW without delay’.3
Marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2022, Viet Nam described the universalisation of the TPNW as a ‘critical measure’, and vowed to ‘strictly implement its obligations’ under the TPNW and other disarmament treaties.4
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2022, Viet Nam said: ‘Given the potential catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons to human health, and environment, my delegation encourages other states to sign and ratify the TPNW as soon as possible.’5 Viet Nam was also one of the co-sponsors for the 2022 UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW.6
Recommendations
- Viet Nam should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
- Viet Nam should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.