Australia and Vietnam Share Practical Experience on Energy Transition

On September 18 in Hanoi, the Australian Embassy in Vietnam hosted the Vietnam Status of Energy Transition Conference (VSET).

The conference served as a platform for sharing Australia’s practical experience in power sector development, offering recommendations to help Vietnam achieve a reliable, affordable, and low-emission electricity system, in line with Vietnam’s Power Development Plan VIII.

VSET forms part of the Future of Vietnam’s Electricity (FE-V) program, launched in 2022 by the Australian Government in collaboration with the Central Economic Commission and Vietnam’s key energy authorities.

The aim of VSET is to present the FE-V program’s research findings and to strengthen sustainable partnerships between public- and private-sector stakeholders through collaborative and peer-to-peer working sessions.
The event also lays the groundwork for future FE-V initiatives, such as developing an annual energy transition progress report for Vietnam.

Embassy’s Opening Remarks

In his opening speech, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski emphasized that Australia and Vietnam have upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Both countries view climate change and energy transition as core pillars of this cooperation—an especially distinctive feature of their bilateral ties.

The Ambassador noted that Vietnam and Australia share many similarities, including:

• A mutual commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050

• Large potential for renewable-energy development

Australia, he affirmed, is eager to support Vietnam throughout its energy-transition journey.
“We want to capture expert opinions and innovative ideas to ensure Vietnam’s energy transition is implemented as effectively as possible,” Ambassador Goledzinowski stressed.

At the conference, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hoàng Long provided an overview of Vietnam’s current energy transition status. He highlighted five key challenges that Vietnam must address during this transition: capital mobilization, access to advanced technology, a highly skilled workforce, managerial capacity, and learning from international experience to build appropriate frameworks, policies, and legal structures to support the transition.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that Vietnam is currently on its path to developing wind power. In the near future, several pilot projects will be implemented, and Vietnam will finalize a legal framework that ensures accuracy, transparency, and a fair market for foreign investors as well as domestic private-sector investors participating in the wind power sector.

Audrey Zibelman, former CEO of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), shared Australia’s practical experiences in the energy transition. She stated that ensuring a successful transition requires the simultaneous implementation of multiple initiatives, and that policy frameworks must provide a clear and reliable direction for the transition process.

Ms. Zibelman also highlighted several challenges Australia encountered, including workforce shortages, supply chain issues, and financial mobilization difficulties. Addressing these challenges requires specific, clear, and comprehensive policies at the national level.

Importantly, she noted a key lesson from Australia: innovation solutions in the energy transition do not only involve technical aspects, but also require attention to market dynamics, policy impacts, and system design. Innovation efforts must reflect the full nature of change occurring across these dimensions.

She emphasized that the energy transition is not simply shifting from one energy source to another, but transforming the entire energy system, from production to consumption. For example, transitioning to electric vehicles requires electrifying the entire transportation ecosystem. Therefore, to carry out this transition systematically and effectively, a country must adopt a holistic perspective and a clearly defined roadmap.