Vietnamese officials from the Central and Central Highlands and lecturers from the UK’s leading research universities discussed opportunities to develop and apply new clean energy resources at a conference in Da Nang city on Sept. 10.

The first ever energy-saving house in Vietnam will be built in Ho Chi Minh City in 2013 with support from Denmark.

On 7th Nov., Minister of Construction Trinh Dinh Dung and Minister of Climate, Energy and Building Martin Lidegaard has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of energy efficiency in buildings.

"Viet Nam has huge potentials for green and renewable energy, including solar, wind, biomass and hydropower to replace traditional ones," said Nguyen Duc Cuong, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT)'s Energy Institute's Renewable Energy and Clean Development Mechanisms Centre.

Nearly 250 policy makers, senior officials and experts of ASEAN and India gathered in a workshop on renewable energy cooperation which opened in New Delhi on November 5.

The government has given the green light on a 300 million USD solar panel manufacturing plant in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

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.

As one of the Ministry of Industry and Trade award-winners in an energy efficient building contest, the Fortuna Hotel in Hanoi is held up as an effective example of energy conversation.

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 team of students at the HCM City University of Polytechnics has developed an automatic solar-powered drip irrigation system for grapefruit farms in the central Ninh Thuan Province.

The Ho Chi Minh Energy Conservation Center in collaboration with the Red Sun Energy JSC and the An Giang Industry Promotion and Development Consultancy Center recently donated solar powered lamps to some poor households living at My Thanh Village, My Hoa Hung Commune, Long Xuyen City, An Giang Province.

The Energy Conservation Center Hanoi (ECC Hanoi) under the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade launched a workshop on October 23 in Hanoi to present energy management models for commercial buildings in the city.

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

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.

To raise the awareness and apply advanced technology to harness renewable energy sources and use them in large scale, Hanoi city has issued renewable energy development program period 2012 - 2015.

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.

Hanoi Energy Conservation Centre (ECC), on 23rd October, 2012, held a confenrence to popularise the energy managemen model for commercial buildings in the city.

Environmental experts have called on Viet Nam to make further efforts in providing economic incentives and better policies to promote "greener" buildings in the face of resource depletion and rapid urbanization.

Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) Energy Saving Office consultant Nguyen Kinh Luan said that the application of energy management systems would help enterprises reduce energy costs, protect the environment and secure national energy security when addressing a workshop on the ISO 50001 Energy Management System.

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.