Located in the tropics, Vietnam still cannot take full advantage of its sun and wind resources to generate electricity. This has been attributed to the unreasonable mechanism which is unattractive to investors.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will continue to closely cooperate with and assist Vietnam in the field of its charge, especially nuclear safety and security.

Vietnam and Denmark have pledged to work hand-in-hand on the advancement of indoor energies, under an agreement signed on November 7 in Hanoi.

Danish Ambassador to Vietnam John Neilsen said that Denmark would provide US$14 million for the energy efficiency and conservation program in Vietnam.

Vestas, the world’s biggest wind turbine manufacturer, and other Danish businesses will seek opportunities to boost cooperation with Vietnam in the fields of economics, trade and wind energy.

The Finance Ministry and the European Investment Bank (EIB) on October 31 signed an agreement for a 150 million EUR loan to help Vietnam in mitigating impacts of climate change.

Vietnam Energy Association Chairman Tran Viet Ngai has said that Vietnam's energy efficient product market has plenty of room for investors due to limited product categories. At current, only a few such as compact and LED lamps are being produced.

The Trung Son Hydropower One-member Co., Ltd. under the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) concluded an Engineering-Procurement-Construction (EPC) contract on October 22 in Hanoi for Package W-MW-01 on construction of the Trung Son Hydropower Project under a joint venture between the Sam Sung C&T and Irrigation Construction Joint Stock Company 47.

A variety of Japanese businesses participated in a seminar on October 26 to discuss new financial mechanisms for applying energy saving technology to buildings and hotels.

A conference entitled “Green Housing in Vietnam: between Tradition and Modernity” opened at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi on October 16.

The 5th International Exhibition and Seminar on Nuclear Power will be held in Hanoi from October 25-27.

The light spectrum of the artificial lights being used in Vietnam does not fully match the photosynthesis spectrum of plants. LED lamps would be a good solution.

A Green Economy conference on September 16 promoted the need to develop renewable energy sources in Vietnam, with participants from business and academia sharing experience and technological applications.

Issues relating to waste and sewerage management, energy saving and renewable sources of energy in Vietnam were high on the agenda at the Poland-Vietnam Environmental Protection Forum that opened in Hanoi on October 8.

On October 17, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced two new five year programmes to help Vietnam address the impacts of climate change.

To ensure energy security for sustainable development and build green, environmentally friendly industries, as well as to reduce the production cost and enhance the competitiveness of businesses to build a green economy, Vietnam is promoting renewable energy development, energy efficiency and conservation.

As an agricultural country, Vietnam has great potential of biomass energy. Especially with vast rice fields, the Mekong Delta has abundant resources of rice husk and straw that can be used as types of biomass fuel.

Positive electricity saving results last year has encouraged Vietnam to continue with a new target this year to save at least one percent of commercial electricity output, to reduce electricity/GDP elasticity coefficient, and to save 10 percent on electricity use in manufacture and 10 percent of consumer electricity from now to 2015.

Vietnam won an Energy Globe Award 2012 from experts representing the United Nations, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), World Bank (WB), European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and Seibersdorf Research Center, for its project on hybrid power system to supply power for Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands and the DK1 marine defense platform in the East Sea.

Viet Nam has outlined its commitment to reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions with the implementation of the Green Growth strategy, approved by the Prime Minister last week.