Viet Nam
Viet Nam is an example to be followed by other states, as it has adhered to all of the seven key treaties in the legal architecture on disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in addition to being party to a nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) treaty.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2018) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1982) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2006, Annex 2 state) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1996, Bangkok) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1990) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2012) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1980) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1998) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compliant |
| Possess or stockpile | Compliant | |
| Test | 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 (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 3 (37.5%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Viet Nam noted the ‘successful conclusion’ of the Second Meeting of States Parties (2MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and welcomed the new adherents to the Treaty since then.1 It also noted that it was among the first states to ratify the TPNW, and it urged ‘the international community to pay attention to and support the TPNW process, in both its disarmament and humanitarian aspects’.2
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Viet Nam called on states to expedite their ratification processes for the TPNW and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). These ‘crucial legally binding instruments’ complement the NPT, it said.3
During the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in September 2024, the then-President of Viet Nam, Tô Lâm, warned of the possibility of ‘nuclear war, or even a third world war’, considering that the ‘vicious cycle of conflict and violence escalates in various regions, causing immense suffering to millions of innocent civilians’.4
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, Viet Nam said that ‘progress in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation has not met expectations’, with over 12,000 nuclear warheads still in existence. It noted that it had joined all relevant treaties on nuclear weapons, including the TPNW, and reaffirmed its commitment to work ‘with all fellow [UN] members towards a world free of nuclear weapons’.5
Viet Nam was one of the co-sponsors for the 2024 UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW, which welcomed the Treaty’s entry into force and called upon ‘all States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify, accept, approve or accede to the Treaty at the earliest possible date’.6
Recommendations
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Viet Nam should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Viet Nam should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.