HANOI - VIETNAM'S Communist-dominated parliament on Wednesday brushed aside criticism and approved building the country's first nuclear power stations, a project keenly watched by potential foreign partners.

The 'draft law on nuclear electricity' was approved by 77 per cent of deputies present in the single-chamber national assembly, said one deputy critical of the project, Nguyen Minh Thuyet.

He described debate in the chamber as 'lively' as some deputies preferred the idea of building just one power station, rather than the plan finally approved for four reactors at two sites.

According to the government's plans, at least one reactor should be operational from 2020. Together, the four reactors should have a capacity of 4,000 megawatts. The intention is to meet the energy needs of an economy that is growing annually by an average of 15 percent.

The plan is that nuclear should initially account for under five per cent of Vietnam's electricity production, but by 2050 should meet as much as 30 per cent of the country's power needs.

Critics have objected that the country lacks workers qualified to operate the plants, that legislation is not adequately developed and that there are holes in the planned security arrangements, notably relating to nuclear waste.

Some deputies have also objected on environmental grounds, particularly at the proposed siting of the plants in the southern province of Ninh Thuan, home to a nature reserve known for its sea turtles.