Vietnam’s Government has issued Decree No. 133/2026/ND-CP dated April 6, 2026, setting administrative penalties in the electricity sector. The decree takes effect on May 25.
Key fine levels under the decree
- 20,000,000–30,000,000 VND: Landlords collecting electricity charges from tenants higher than regulations.
- 3,000,000–5,000,000 VND: Failure to notify the electricity supplier when reducing the number of households using a shared meter.
- 3,000,000–5,000,000 VND: Obstructing inspectors when assessing electricity usage.
- 3,000,000–5,000,000 VND: Violations including using devices or actions that cause damage or faults in the electricity supplier’s system; or using electricity for purposes not in the contract at a price higher than agreed.
- Up to 14,000,000 VND: Using metering devices that have not been tested, calibrated, or inspected.
- 5,000,000–8,000,000 VND: Unauthorized installation, operation, or modification of electrical equipment or infrastructure of the electricity supplier.
- 8,000,000–10,000,000 VND: Energizing before acceptance; or energizing during suspension due to legal violations.
- 10,000,000–14,000,000 VND: Metering equipment not tested/calibrated.
- Up to 10,000,000 VND: Electricity theft where the value of stolen electricity is below 1,000,000 VND.
- 4,000,000–10,000,000 VND: Electricity theft where the value is below 1,000,000 VND (as specified in the decree’s fine brackets).
- 10,000,000–20,000,000 VND: Electricity theft where the value is from 1,000,000 VND to below 2,000,000 VND.
- 20,000,000–30,000,000 VND: Landlords overcharging tenants when purchasing electricity at the retail price for household use.
Penalties for large-scale electricity users
The decree also sets administrative penalties for large-scale electricity users for violations including:
- Using non-compliant connecting equipment.
- Failing to follow dispatch orders.
- Failing to cut or reduce consumption on demand.
- Failing to invest in metering and data management systems as required by law.
Administrative vs. criminal handling for electricity theft
Upon detecting electricity theft with a value of 2,000,000 VND or more, or with a value below 2,000,000 VND but under specified criminal-law scenarios, authorities must forward the case for criminal proceedings.
If criminal investigations end without prosecution or are halted for administrative violations, the case is forwarded to the administrative penalties authority.
Reported by Nguyen Phuong.
