当初越南北部地区是苏联的附庸，南部地区则听命于美国。那个时候，美苏这两个超级大国可能都没有考虑过在越南修建核电站。
如今，俄罗斯与美国重新开始争夺在越南的影响力，而这一次，它们开始主动提供核反应堆。
俄罗斯国有核能垄断企业——俄罗斯原子集团公司(Rosatom)负责人谢尔盖•基里延科(Sergei Kirienko)上周五到访河内，与越南总理阮晋勇(Nguyen Tan Dung)握手言欢。
去年12月份，阮晋勇访问了莫斯科。两个月之后他宣布，越南计划于2020年前修建的两座核反应堆中的第一座，将承包给Rosatom负责出口的子公司Atomstroiexport。
阮晋勇计划在俄罗斯总统德米特里•梅德韦杰夫(Dmitry Medvedev)今年10月份访问河内时，与他共同在建设合同的最终版本上签字。
与此同时，河内也在致力于与美国签署《123条款协议》(Section 123 Agreement)。该协议将允许越南进口美国的核技术。
西屋电气(Westinghouse Electric)与日本的日立GE核能公司(Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy)正在竞争越南第二座核反应堆的建设合同。这两家公司均使用美国技术。一个美国专家组7月初访问了河内，旨在推动《123条款协议》的签署；美国大使迈克尔•麦克拉克(Michael Michalak)认为，今年年底前，相关法律框架可能会就位。
越南方面没有就为何将首座反应堆合同授予Rosatom给出明确的解释。6月份，在河内一个关于核安全的讨论会上，一名越南专家表示，俄罗斯最新的高压水核反应堆，性能比西方的设计更好，而且价格也更低廉。
但一些分析师指出，2月份在莫斯科的时候，除了签署首座核反应堆的协议外，阮晋勇还订购了价值高达32亿美元的俄罗斯军事装备。
在河内，几乎就在美国与越南专家为签署《123条款协议》努力的同时，美国国务卿希拉里•克林顿(Hillary Clinton)7月出席了一次东盟(ASEAN)外交部长会议，并暗示支持越南在与中国就南中国海领海纠纷上的立场。8月份，美国海军与越南海军历史上第一次举行了内容有限的联合军事演练。
此外，越南似乎不曾考虑过从一家中国公司购买核反应堆。越南能源部官员时不时宣布与法国核能高管会晤，尤其是涉及安全问题的会晤。而韩国公司似乎已被淘汰出局。
长话短说：越南专家认为，战略方面的考量，将影响到第二座核反应堆交由哪家公司的决定。
在国防事务上，越南通常喜欢说，它希望与所有国家做朋友。此言尤其适用于那些拥有强大军力与核技术的国家。
河内方面已经允许莫斯科向自己赠送表达友情的“礼物”。下一次，可能该轮到华盛顿了。
译者/何黎
http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001034500
Back when the northern half of Vietnam was a Soviet client state, and the southern half an American one, neither superpower would have contemplated building a nuclear power plant here.
But today Russia and America are again jockeying for influence in Vietnam, and this time they’re offering reactors.
The head of the Russian state-owned nuclear power monopoly Rosatom, Sergei Kirienko, was in Hanoi on Friday, shaking hands with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
In December, Dung had visited Moscow. Two months later, he announced that the first of two nuclear reactors Vietnam plans to build by 2020 would be contracted to Rosatom’s export subsidiary, Atomstroiexport.
Dung plans to co-sign the final version of the construction agreement with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev when the latter visits Hanoi in October.
Meanwhile, Hanoi has been working towards a Section 123 Agreement with the US, which would allow it to import American nuclear technology.
Westinghouse Electric and Japan’s Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, both of which use American technology, are bidding on the contract for Vietnam’s second reactor. A team of American experts visited Hanoi in early July to work on a Section 123 Agreement, and US Ambassador Michael Michalak says he thinks the legal framework could be in place by the end of this year.
Vietnam has not laid out a clear explanation of why it awarded the first reactor contract to Rosatom. At a workshop on nuclear safety in Hanoi in June, one Vietnamese expert said recent Russian high-pressure water reactors displayed higher performance than Western designs, and at a lower price.
But some analysts noted that, while in Moscow in February to sign the deal for the first reactor, PM Dung also placed orders for as much as $3.2 billion worth of Russian military hardware.
In Hanoi in July, at around the same time US and Vietnamese experts were working on the Section 123 Agreement, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended a meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers, and offered implied support for Vietnam’s position in its dispute with China over maritime territory in the South China Sea. In August, the US and Vietnamese navies conducted limited training activities together, for the first time ever.
Meanwhile, Vietnam doesn’t appear to have considered buying a nuclear reactor from a Chinese company. Vietnamese energy officials occasionally announce meetings with French nuclear power executives, particularly on safety issues. But South Korean companies seem to be out of the running.
To make a long story short: Vietnam experts believe the choice of which company will build the country’s second nuclear reactor is affected by strategic considerations.
In defence affairs, Vietnam generally likes to say that it wants to be a friend to all nations. That goes double for nations that have powerful militaries and nuclear technology.
Hanoi has already allowed Moscow to present it with a token of its affection. It seems likely that Washington’s turn is next.
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