Viet Nam

Solar uptake has recently gained momentum in Viet Nam, but has not yet been sufficient to push coal out of the generation mix. Indeed, the share of coal generation increased steadily in the country from 33% in 2015 to 52% in 2021. 

Viet Nam is lagging behind China and India in the clean power transition, where the share of coal generation has already started falling, although not yet to the extent considered essential for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. 

The coal-to-clean electricity transition is likely to accelerate in Viet Nam as the country seeks to phase out coal power in the 2040s, in an effort to attain net zero emissions by the mid-century. Given the substantial environmental and social costs of domestic hydro power development, this will mean a significant ramp up of non-hydro capacity expansion to keep pace with rising demand while pushing coal out of the generation mix. 

Last updated: March 2022