Country energy profile · South-Eastern Asia · latest data 2025

Vietnam energy mix & electricity

In 2025, Vietnam generated 310 TWh of electricity. The biggest single contributor is coal with 48.1%; hydropower adds 33% and solar power 7.4%.

Coal 48.1%Hydro 33%Solar 7.4%Gas 6.2%Wind 4.6%

Renewable electricity

45.4%

45.4% low-carbon incl. nuclear

#67 of 158

Carbon intensity

461g/kWh

World 458 g

#86 of 158 cleanest

Electricity per person

3,051kWh

World 3,860 kWh

#81 of 158

Generation

310TWh

+148 TWh vs 2015

#16 of 213

Net imports

3.6TWh

1% of demand

#25 of 80 importers

Electricity generation by source in 2025

Share of electricity generation by source, with the change in percentage points over the last ten years.

Vietnam electricity mix 2025

Source	TWh	Share	10-yr Δ pp
Coal	149	48.1%	+13.3
Hydro	102	33%	−1.6
Solar	23.04	7.4%	+7.4
Gas	19.34	6.2%	−23.5
Wind	14.37	4.6%	+4.6
Bioenergy	1.03	0.3%	+0.3
Oil	0.62	0.2%	−0.4
Total	310	100%

Vietnam: electricity in context

In 2025, Vietnam generated 310 TWh of electricity. That is about 1% of the world total, in the same league as United Kingdom. The biggest single contributor is coal with 48.1%; hydropower adds 33% and solar power 7.4%.

The renewable share stood at 45.4%, placing Vietnam 67th of 158 ranked countries. That is 12 points above the world average of 33.8%. It is also above the average for Asia (27.3%). The carbon intensity of electricity is 461 g CO₂e/kWh; the global average is 458 g/kWh. The grid is more carbon-intensive than the world average. In the cleanest-grid ranking, Vietnam is 86th of 158.

The decade’s big winner is coal, up 92.8 TWh between 2015 and 2025 (plus 13.3 percentage points of the mix). Meanwhile natural gas lost the most ground, down 28.8 TWh. The net effect: renewables gained 10.6 percentage points of share since 2015. Total generation grew by 148 TWh over the same period. Carbon intensity dropped from 484 to 461 g/kWh, a 5% cut.

Unusually, coal is gaining ground: its share is up 13.3 percentage points since 2015, now at 48.1%.

Solar (7.4%) and wind (4.6%) now add up to 12.1% of generation; the global figure is 17.3%. Per person, that is 227 kWh of solar electricity a year, versus a global average of 338 kWh. Wind adds 141 kWh per person. Solar first passed 1% of the mix in 2019.

Generation per person is 3,051 kWh a year, 79% of the world average of 3,860 kWh. Imports and exports roughly cancel out.

How the power mix has changed

Electricity generation by source since 1985. Switch to shares to see the structural shift independent of demand growth.

Electricity generation by source, 1985–2025

Renewables and carbon intensity

Vietnam against the world and Asia averages.

Renewable share of electricity (%)

Carbon intensity (g CO₂e/kWh)

Solar and wind share of electricity since 2000 (%)

Total energy: beyond electricity

Primary energy covers transport, heating and industry too. Renewables supply 21.5% of primary energy and fossil fuels 78.5% (2024). Per person, that is 14,618 kWh a year (world: 21,654).

Primary energy consumption by source (TWh)

Substitution method: non-fossil electricity is converted to the primary energy a fossil plant would have needed.

Fossil fuel production (TWh)

Domestic extraction of coal, gas and oil, in energy terms.

Power plants in Vietnam

The 236 power plants recorded in Vietnam add up to 41.4 GW of capacity, 41% of it Hydro. The largest is Son La at 2,400 MW. The database was last updated in 2021, so newer wind and solar farms and rooftop PV are under-represented.

Listed capacity by fuel (MW)

Map of the largest plants loads when you scroll here…

Largest power plants

#	Plant	Fuel	Capacity MW	Commissioned	Owner
1	Son La	Hydro	2,400	2012	Vietnam Electricity (EVN)
2	Hoa Binh	Hydro	1,920	1988	Vietnam Electricity (EVN)
3	Ca Mau 1	Gas	1,542	—	Petrovietnam
4	Vung Ang I	Coal	1,245	—	Petrovietnam
5	Duyen Hai 1	Coal	1,244	—	Vietnam Electricity (EVN)
6	Vinh Tan 2	Coal	1,244	—	Vietnam Electricity (EVN)
7	Nhon Trach 1	Gas	1,215	—	Petrovietnam
8	Lai Chau	Hydro	1,200	2015	Vietnam Electricity (EVN)
9	Quang Ninh 1	Coal	1,200	—	Vietnam Electricity (EVN)
10	Mong Duong 2	Coal	1,120	—	AES POSCO CPI
11	Phu My 1	Gas	1,108	—	Vietnam Electricity (EVN)
12	Mong Duong 1	Coal	1,080	—	Vietnam Electricity (EVN)
13	Phu My 21	Gas	896	—	Vietnam Electricity (EVN)
14	Uong Bi	Coal	735	—	Vietnam Electricity (EVN)
15	Phu My 22	Gas	733	—	—

Source: WRI Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0). Explore all 236 plants on the interactive power plant map.

Solar & wind farms: Vietnam

1,833 utility-scale facilities tracked by Global Energy Monitor (2026): 15.5 GW of solar and 6.2 GW of wind operating, plus 88.6 GW under construction or planned.

See them on the map Largest solar & wind farms: Vietnam →

How does Vietnam compare?

Vietnam next to 6 neighbouring countries, plus regional and world averages. Click a column to sort; use “Compare” for full side-by-side charts.

Country	Renewable %	Low-carbon %	Fossil %	gCO₂/kWh	kWh / person	Generation TWh
Vietnam	45.4%	45.4%	54.6%	461	3,051	310	—
China	37%	41.7%	58.3%	525	7,474	10,583	Compare
Laos	76.7%	76.7%	23.3%	232	6,733	52.3	Compare
Cambodia	40.9%	40.9%	59.1%	499	995	17.8	Compare
Thailand	16.6%	16.6%	83.4%	546	2,628	188	Compare
Macau	30.8%	30.8%	69.2%	474	1,083	0.8	Compare
Hong Kong	1%	1%	99%	675	5,049	37.4	Compare
Asia average	27.3%	32.1%	67.9%	573	3,749	18,015	Compare
World average	33.8%	42.6%	57.4%	458	3,860	31,772	Compare

Calculators for Vietnam

Solar panel outputHow much a rooftop PV system would produce in Hanoi, using NASA weather data.Prefilled for Hanoi →Wind turbine energyAnnual energy and capacity factor of a turbine near Hanoi.Prefilled for Hanoi →Electricity CO₂Emissions of your electricity use. The grid here averages 461 g/kWh.Calculate emissions →Compare countriesPut Vietnam side by side with China or up to three others.Open comparator →

Vietnam energy: frequently asked questions

What percentage of electricity in Vietnam is renewable?

In 2025, 45.4% of the electricity in Vietnam came from renewable sources (hydro 33%, solar 7.4%, and wind 4.6%). The world average is 33.8%. Vietnam ranks 67th of 158 countries; see the full ranking.

What is the main source of electricity in Vietnam?

Coal is the largest source of electricity in Vietnam, providing 48.1% of generation in 2025, followed by hydropower (33%) and solar power (7.4%).

How clean is the electricity in Vietnam?

Electricity in Vietnam has a carbon intensity of about 461 g CO₂-equivalent per kWh (2025), against a world average of 458 g/kWh. That is fairly carbon-intensive. Charging an electric car that uses 15 kWh/100 km therefore emits around 69 g CO₂e per km from electricity.

Does Vietnam have nuclear power?

No. Vietnam generated no nuclear electricity in 2025; its low-carbon electricity comes entirely from renewable sources (45.4% of generation).

How much electricity does Vietnam use per person?

Vietnam generates about 3,051 kWh of electricity per person per year (2025), compared with a world average of 3,860 kWh. Including all fuels for transport, heating and industry, primary energy use is about 14,618 kWh per person.

How much solar power does Vietnam produce?

Solar panels produced 23 TWh in 2025, 7.4% of the electricity in Vietnam. The solar share is up 7.4 percentage points in ten years. You can estimate what a rooftop system would produce at your address with our solar panel calculator.

Does Vietnam import electricity?

Yes. Vietnam was a net importer in 2025, importing 3.6 TWh more electricity than it exported.

Sources & references

Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries
World Resources Institute: Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0) — power plant locations and capacity

Electricity data: Ember and Energy Institute Statistical Review via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0); latest year 2025. Power plants: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). Rankings exclude systems under 1 TWh and values older than 2020. Figures may be revised by the original publishers.