Viet Nam plans to light up more city streets and use energy-saving public lighting within 15 years. Under the country's urban lighting development plan to 2025, recently approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, all streets in Viet Nam's 12 biggest cities and major streets in 56 second-and-third-class cities with a population of 10,000 or more will be illuminated.
The plan also includes lighting for 85 per cent of streets less than 2m wide in second-and-third-class cities and 90 per cent of major streets in 700 smaller towns.
All urban public spaces, including streets, public hospitals and schools, as well as advertising banners will use energy efficient lighting.
As part of the plan, between three and five of every 10 lighting devices will use solar energy.
A database of energy consumption for public lighting in all cities and provinces across the country will also be launched next year to keep the management of the sector on track.
"Public lighting is an indispensable in urban life. It reflects a city's level of development and quality of life," says Construction Ministry's Technical Infrastructure Administration director Nguyen Hong Tien.
However, public lighting in Viet Nam remains inadequate. There is also little use of green lighting, he says.
A Construction Ministry report is also critical of the present situation, indication that the quality of urban lighting is still below par.
This report shows about 97 per cent of major streets in the 12 biggest cities have adequate lighting. The same is true for only 6.5 in every 10 of their smaller roads.
The picture in Viet Nam's smaller cities is even darker as many smaller roads and alleys has been neglected, shows the report.
The report also says that inefficient energy products remain popular for public lighting across the country. In the group of most developed cities, energy-saving lighting accounts for a little over 30 per cent of all public lighting. This rate is 44 per cent for Ha Noi, and 42 per cent for HCM City.
However, the Construction Ministry is currently reviewing lighting requirements and regulations so that they would match up with the Law on Energy Using Efficiency which takes effect next year, says Tien.
Going green
The step-by-step replacement of normal lighting devices with energy efficient ones in public lighting is in line with the global trend of energy saving, he adds.
"If this can be done, a considerable amount of energy will be saved up for the whole country," says Prof Phan Hong Khoi, chairman of the Viet Nam Physics Association.
Lighting accounts for 25.3 per cent of all electricity consumption in Viet Nam, much higher than the world average of 19 per cent.
This is partly because the country uses out-of-date technologies, says Dr Nguyen Thi Bac Kinh, senior technical advisor of the Viet Nam Energy Efficient Public Lighting project, which has helped the Construction Ministry put public lighting management into law.
Public lighting makes up nearly one-tenth of general lighting, or 2 per cent of all electricity consumption. Street lighting is responsible for about 1 per cent.
Overhauling public lighting is especially important because it means savings happen during peak hours of electricity consumption, says deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Science and Technologies Department Phuong Hoang Kim.
Kim adds that this is a "visible policy", which would make the public more aware when it comes to efficient energy usage.
American energy consultant Jeanne Clinton said more use of energy efficient products in Viet Nam would help the country cope with future electricity shortages.
Dr Kinh says saving public lighting is the most feasible way to save energy, a view shared by Khoi and Kim. "Economically, it requires less investment than other methods, such as replacing air-conditioners," says Kinh.
To give one example, dual power lamps use 25-35 per cent as much energy as normal lamps because they reduce lighting levels by 55-60 per cent when there is less traffic.
A dual power lighting system for 5km of road costs VND400,000-500,000 (US$20-25) more than normal lighting. But costs can be recovered in a year and a half. Besides, energy-saving lamps last much longer, says Khoi.
For public buildings, compact bulbs cost VND30,000 ($1.5), which is about six times more than normal bulbs. At 9W, however, they use 4.5 times less energy.
A compact bulb can last up to 5,000 hours, five times longer than a normal one.
These new technologies will help lower costs in the face of Viet Nam's rapid urbanisation, says Khoi.
"However, awareness on this issue in Viet Nam remains low," he adds.
"It takes time to persuade Vietnamese people to go for greener technologies."