Vietnam’s commitments at COP26 offer an ambitious agenda to de-carbonize the economy by avoiding new coal plants and transitioning towards clean energy. This is a significant departure from existing energy plans and an indication that Vietnam has made the political decision to move to a more diverse and less carbon-intensive energy mix. In doing so, Vietnam also has the opportunity to reduce threats to the Mekong Delta by importing power from Lao PDR that excludes high-risk dams and prioritizes imports from solar, wind, and low-impact hydropower plants.
Photo: Sekong river tributary in Cambodia © IUCN Viet Nam
