Hanoi - Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) has issued an urgent directive calling on provincial authorities and government ministries to accelerate the development of self-produced, self-consumed rooftop solar power, after the vast majority of localities failed to meet a national policy deadline set earlier this year.
In a formal communication issued in mid-September 2026, the MOIT urged all ministries, provincial People's Committees and Vietnam Electricity (EVN) to swiftly implement coordinated measures to promote rooftop solar installations across government buildings, schools, hospitals and private households. The ministry set an explicit target of completing all tasks mandated under Prime Ministerial Directive No. 10/CT-TTg by March 31, 2027.
Progress Falls Short of Ambitions
Implementation has, however, moved slowly despite the government's ambitious targets. Only Bac Ninh province in northern Vietnam and Lai Chau province in the mountainous northwest adopted the necessary policies required to support rooftop solar projects as of the end of September 2026. Eight other provinces and cities, including Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, and Can Tho city in the Mekong Delta, are yet to submit any plans for implementation.
The gap extends to the ministerial level as well. Among the 17 national ministries required to issue their own rooftop solar implementation plans, only two - the MOIT and the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs - had done so by the reporting date.
Ambitious National Targets
The objective of promoting rooftop solar is one of the elements of Vietnam's overall energy security strategy in the face of rising energy needs and global uncertainties, while in accordance with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's Directive No. 10/CT-TTg, signed on March 30, 2026, the goal was established of raising the number of public buildings equipped with rooftops solar panels to 10% and ensuring that 10% of households install rooftop solar power systems every year between 2026 and 2030. Otherwise, localities may set a goal of achieving a total rooftop mounted power capacity equal to 20% of the volumes specified in their 2026-2030 development plans.
As reported by the General Statistics Office, Vietnam has about 28.6 million households in early 2026. Assuming that 4 kWp is installed per household on average, the requirement to fulfill the 10% target would imply the introduction of roughly 2.8 million rooftop systems within the first year, resulting in the overall capacity increase by 11,440 MW.
New Incentives Yet to Take Effect
The government has launched several notable policy measures aimed at encouraging the take-up of new technology. The Decree No. 243/2026/ND-CP effective from 26th June 2026, increased the limit on surplus electricity sales from 20% to 50% of the output, allowing citizens and companies to sell more of their excess electricity to the grid. Furthermore, the decree expanded the eligibility requirements for signing power purchase agreements to now include data center operators and charging stations after the multi-step application process was reduced from seven steps to three.
However, liberalization of the power market does not yet translate into any market practices. As stated by Nguyen Xuan Quy, Vice President of the Vietnam Clean Energy Association, no surplus sales of solar energy have been reported under the provisions of the above-mentioned decree due to the lack of regulatory implementation manuals.
State utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) reported 130,811 rooftop solar systems nationwide as of the end of July 2026, with a combined capacity exceeding 11,200 MWp. Of approximately 28,254 systems registered under the current self-consumption rules, only 287 - totaling roughly 16.4 MW - are registered to sell surplus power.
Provincial Pioneers Show the Way
Among the provinces that have achieved numerous successes, Bac Ninh Province is one of the few provinces which have achieved that. On July 31st, 2026, the Chairman of Bac Ninh Provincial Council made the Resolution No. 21 to provide financial aid to households using solar power and energy-storage systems made at home in the period of 2026-2030. As per the policy, households with installed solar panels will be benefited by VND 1 million as a subsidy for every kWp capacity installed, whereas the total limit of subsidies for each household is VND 3 million. Additionally, households with installed batteries will receive an extra subsidy of VND 3 million which leads the total amount of subsidy to be VND 6 million (about 230 dollars).
Lai Chau province has chosen a different way and focused on vulnerable populations. Resolution No. 09 was passed at the end of April 2026 and allows for households to receive subsidies totaling up to VND 50 million per household for solar panels and equipment for electricity generation that comes with them, targeting minority groups, poor and near-poor households, and households that live beyond the electricity grid line.
Meanwhile, Ha Tinh province in north-central Vietnam has set a target for 50% of eligible households to install rooftop solar by 2030, with an overall goal of reaching approximately 313 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar capacity.
Broader Momentum in the North
Rooftop solar power is advancing even in provinces that have not implemented support policies yet. According to the Northern Power Corporation (EVNNPC), a total of 11,481 customers in northern Vietnam (excluding Hanoi) put up rooftop solar systems with a capacity of 499.9 MW in the first seven months of 2026. The cumulative number of customers in the EVNNPC service area reached 13,080 as of July 31, 2026, with total installed capacity at 823.7 MW.
The power company has also instructed its subsidiary companies to install rooftop solar systems at their offices first, with 183 subordinate units putting up a total of 7.1 MWp in capacity, thus providing a concrete model for others to follow.
As Vietnam races to meet its 2027 deadline, the pressure now falls squarely on provincial authorities to translate national policy into local action - a task that, for most, remains unfinished.
