Vietnam saved 400,000 kWh of electricity, equal to VND500 million ($23,809), by switching off lights for an hour during the Earth Hour campaign, on March 26, the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) said. The event attracted participation of 30 provinces and cities across the country from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, compared to 20 localities in 2010 and only six in 2009. In the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, the center of Vietnam’s 2011 Earth Hour campaign, a 60-minute art performance was held in Nghinh Luong Dinh in Hue city under the candle light. Addressing the event, Chairman of the Government Office Nguyen Xuan Phuc called all people nationwide not only to respond to Earth Hour but also to take actions to protect the environment, asking international environmental organizations to continue their assistances in Vietnam environment-related issues. In Hanoi, lighting equipments in such places as Ngoc Son temple-The Huc Bridge, the Opera House, Trang Tien Plaza, Vincom City Towers were also turned off in response to the campaign, which expressed the city’s strong commitment to joining common efforts to cope with climate change. Launched by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Earth Hour was first held in Sydney, Australia in 2007 with two million participants turning off lights. In 2010, 128 countries joined in the campaign. Vietnam saved 140,000 kWh of power, equivalent to VND126 million in 2009 and 500,000 kWh of power in 2010 during campaign. (vietnamplus.vn Mar 27, hanoimoi.com.vn Mar 28, tuoitrenews.vn Mar 27)
