News analysis · July 15, 2025
Vietnam electricity price increase: what households now pay
The Vietnam electricity price increase took effect on 10 May 2025. Vietnam Electricity (EVN) raised the average retail price by 4.8 percent, to 2,204.0655 dong per kilowatt hour (kWh), before value added tax. This post explains what changed and how a household can estimate the effect on a monthly bill.
What changed on 10 May 2025
EVN issued Decision 599/QD-EVN on 7 May 2025. It set the new average retail price at 2,204.0655 dong per kWh, excluding VAT, from 10 May 2025. EVN said this equals a rise of 4.8 percent on the old average price.
Two days later, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Decision 1279/QD-BCT, dated 9 May 2025. It sets the actual price lists for each customer group, such as households, factories and shops. Your bill follows these group lists, not the single average figure.
The average price is a reference number. It is the base from which each group's price is worked out.
How big is the rise for a home?
The change is not the same for every customer. Saigon Giai Phong reported that the rise against the old price ranges from 4.7 percent to 4.9 percent. It is a little higher at heavy use levels. The aim is to encourage people to save power.
Households pay by tier. The more power you use in a month, the higher the price per kWh for the extra units. A home that stays in the low tiers sees a smaller rise in dong than a home that uses a lot of air conditioning.
For scale, EVN told reporters at a briefing on 9 May 2025 that the adjustment would add about 0.09 percent to the consumer price index in 2025.
How to estimate your own bill
You can make a quick estimate with three steps.
Step one: find your last bill before 10 May 2025 and note the amount before VAT. Step two: multiply that amount by 0.048. Step three: add the result to the old amount.
Here is an example. A household with a bill of 500,000 dong before VAT would see a rise of about 24,000 dong, so the new bill is near 524,000 dong, if it uses the same number of kWh. This is a rough guide. Because the rise runs from 4.7 to 4.9 percent, the true figure can differ a little.
Also check the billing period. A bill that covers days before and after 10 May is split between the old and new prices. Your meter reading dates decide how the days are shared.
Help for poor and policy households
Support stays in place for some homes. Under Decision 28/2014/QD-TTg, poor households receive a monthly aid equal to the cost of 30 kWh. Social policy households that use no more than 50 kWh a month receive the same aid.
EVN said this keeps the effect on these families small. These homes do not need to apply again for the 10 May change.
Why the price went up
EVN gave its reasons. Low cost hydropower was expected to supply only about 25 percent of system output in 2025. The other 75 percent must come from higher cost sources such as coal, gas, oil and renewables. EVN also pointed to a weaker dong against the US dollar. It said generation makes up about 83 percent of the cost of producing power.
Demand is also rising. EVN planned for commercial electricity use to grow about 12.2 percent in 2025, about 33.6 billion kWh more than in 2024. Most of that extra power has to come from costly oil, imported coal and LNG plants.
This was the second 4.8 percent rise in under a year. Saigon Giai Phong noted that the last change was in October 2024, and that rules allow a review every three months.
What to do next
Read your next bill line by line. Check the kWh used, the tier prices and the billing dates. If a number looks wrong, ask your local EVN office to explain it. Landlords have rules too: Ho Chi Minh City told ward offices to check that tenants are charged state household rates and no unapproved extras.
Small habits also help. Set air conditioners to 26 degrees, switch off standby devices and use more efficient appliances. The top tiers cost the most per kWh, so cutting use in your busiest month saves the most.
Business owners should note that rates differ by group and by time of day, so check the list for your customer group in Decision 1279/QD-BCT.
Sources
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