In 2025, fossil fuels supplied more than half of Vietnam’s electricity consumption, at about 54%, while low-carbon sources provided the remaining 46%. Coal dominated the fossil share, accounting for almost 48% of electricity, with gas contributing around 6%. Hydropower was the largest clean electricity source, supplying roughly a third of the total, followed by solar at about 8% and wind at 4%. Vietnam therefore already has a substantial low-carbon electricity base, but coal remains its largest single source, contributing to climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Vietnam?

Vietnam’s electricity consumption per person fell in 2025 rather than continuing to grow. It reached about 2,550 kWh per person, down roughly 500 kWh, or 16%, from the 2024 record of about 3,050 kWh. Low-carbon electricity generation also declined, reaching around 1,170 kWh per person compared with the previous record of about 1,340 kWh in 2024—a drop of roughly 170 kWh, or 13%. These declines are concerning given the need for more clean electricity to support electrification, industry and growing digital demand. The figures establish a fall in per-person electricity consumption, though they do not by themselves establish whether total national consumption fell.

Suggestions

Vietnam can increase clean electricity generation by expanding solar and wind alongside developing nuclear power, supported by stronger transmission networks and electricity storage. Pakistan offers a useful regional comparison: solar supplies about 24% of its electricity and nuclear another 13%, demonstrating how both sources can contribute to a diversified low-carbon mix. South Korea, another Asian industrial economy, generates a quarter of its electricity from nuclear, while France demonstrates the potential for nuclear to provide roughly two-thirds. For solar, Vietnam can also learn from the US state of California, where it supplies around 31% of electricity. Wind development could draw lessons from places such as Uruguay, where wind provides about a third. These examples offer practical directions for expanding Vietnam’s clean electricity supply beyond its existing hydropower base.

History

Vietnam’s low-carbon electricity history has been shaped mainly by hydropower, with solar and wind making important contributions more recently. Hydropower generation increased by about 4 TWh in both 2001 and 2009, followed by substantial gains throughout much of the 2010s: about 13 TWh in 2011, 12 TWh in 2012, 8–9 TWh in both 2014 and 2016, and 23 TWh in 2017. These gains were partly reversed by declines of about 5 TWh in 2018 and 18 TWh in 2019. Solar then grew strongly, adding roughly 5 TWh in 2019, 6 TWh in 2020 and 15 TWh in 2021. Hydropower recovered during 2020–2022, including a 17 TWh increase in 2022, when wind also added almost 6 TWh. More recently, hydropower fell by 15 TWh in 2023 before rebounding by nearly 15 TWh in 2024. The 2025 declines of about 8 TWh in hydropower and 5 TWh in solar were a disappointing setback, reinforcing the importance of sustained expansion across several clean electricity sources.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade