Official buildings will be constructed with funding from the state budget, Hiep said.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) are currently engaged in the preparation of guidelines for energy saving measures in official buildings in accordance with the Prime Minister’s directive.

The biggest obstacle is the funding for the improvement of energy systems in existing, aging buildings, which is expected to be very costly, Hiep added.

In 2006, the Ministry of Construction issued guidelines regarding the design of energy-efficient buildings, but it has taken time to implement the guidelines. In 2008, 28 of Vietnam’s 100 energy-efficient buildings qualified for entry into a competition for environmentally friendly buildings meeting ASEAN standards, though just three of them were awarded.