Vietnam saves 500,000 kWh thanks to Earth Hour

Vietnam has saved 500,000 kWh after switching off lights for one hour on March 27 in response to Earth Hour 2010, according to the National Electricity System Control Centre.

Vietnam ‘fell asleep’ from 8.30pm to 9.30pm – the rush hour for using electricity – in a demonstration of the effectiveness of saving electricity.

Together with more than 20 provinces and cities, Hanoi actively joined Earth Hour 2010 with the message “small action for big change”. The Hanoi municipal People’s Committee asked the municipal Department for Electricity to switch off non-essential lights for an hour at major public places, such as Ngoc Son Temple, Turtle Tower, The Huc Bridge, the Hanoi Opera House, West Lake and Truc Bach Lake, as well as the headquarters of the Hanoi municipal Party Committee, the Hanoi municipal People’s Council and the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee.

Lights were also switched off at the headquarters of the People’s Councils and the People’s Committees in 29 towns and districts nationwide. Many business, organisations and families also participated in this year’s Earth Hour to prevent climate change in Vietnam.

Last year, Vietnam saved 140,000 kWh when it joined Earth Hour 2009.

Earth Hour is a global campaign initiated by the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF). The campaign began in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and has since then been implemented in many countries around the world to raise public awareness of the need to save energy and respond to climate change.