Although Hà Nội previously launched a campaign to shift from gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles and plans to restrict gasoline-powered vehicles in inner-city areas, the capital is now facing a severe power shortage that has left many neighborhoods without electricity at night.
Driving the News: Since May 25, many Hà Nội residents have reported repeated nighttime power outages over several days, disrupting daily life.
- On May 26, a Threads account, ttu_146610, posted: “In Hà Nội’s furnace-like heat, my entire rental alley suddenly lost power at 11 p.m.” As of 10 a.m. on May 28, the post had drawn more than 2,000 likes and 350 shares.
- Another account, carafurley_, also wrote on their personal page on May 26 that “it is now 4:30 a.m. in Hà Nội, 40 degrees, and the POWER IS OUT.” In the comments, the user said they lived in “Mỹ Đình,” Hà Nội.
- A search for the keyword “Hà Nội power outage” on Threads shows hundreds of posts related to nighttime blackouts in multiple areas of the capital in recent days.
- In the early hours of May 27, VnExpress also reported that several areas in Hà Nội had lost power three to four times on the evening of May 26.
Context: Since May 23, Hà Nội has been under an intense heat wave, with temperatures at times exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. It was also the fourth consecutive day that the capital ranked among the hottest localities in the country.
- According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, Hà Nội is affected by a western low-pressure heat zone, foehn winds, and the “urban heat island effect” caused by high levels of concrete development. Hà Nội often records temperatures that are 1 to 2 degrees Celsius higher than those in surrounding areas.
- On May 26, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Sinh Nhật Tân said that extreme heat and increased production activity were putting major pressure on the power system. Tân added that he “very much hopes residents and production facilities will work together to use energy economically and efficiently.”
- The Ministry of Industry and Trade also warned that in July, there is a continued risk of “prolonged heat, drought, and declining water levels at hydropower reservoirs.”
The Company’s Statement: On the morning of May 27, the Facebook page of the Hà Nội Power Corporation, or EVNHANOI, posted that there was “no planned power cut schedule in Hà Nội on May 27, 2026. Content posted on social media about power cut schedules is INACCURATE.” However, in the comments below the post, many accounts said their areas were “still without power.”
- By the afternoon of May 27, EVNHANOI announced that it would postpone all planned power cuts through June 1. In the comments below the post, an account—Bùi Thiệu Nguyệ—wrote: “Power is out on Road 197 in Hoàng Mai.”
- According to an EVNHANOI representative, as electricity consumption has surged, pressure on the power system could emerge earlier, last longer, and become harder to forecast. EVNHANOI also called on residents to save electricity to reduce pressure on the system.
The Bigger Picture: At the end of 2025, during a conference to launch 2026 tasks, Hà Nội People’s Committee Chairman Vũ Đại Thắng emphasized that the city was determined to achieve GRDP growth of 11% or higher in 2026. However, by the end of the first quarter of 2026, Hà Nội’s GRDP had grown only 7.87%.
- On clean energy, Hà Nội also expects to implement a policy that supports residents who switch to electric motorbikes before Jan. 1, 2030. Under the proposal, individuals who are using gasoline-powered motorbikes and have permanent household registration or temporary residence in the locality for at least two consecutive years would receive support equal to 20% of the vehicle’s value, capped at 5 million đồng per vehicle, when switching to an electric motorbike.
Lăng Nguyên wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on May 28, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights to the English translation.
