After years of anticipation, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh recently approved Power Development Plan 8 (PDP8, Decision 500/QĐ-TTg). This plan determines how to invest $13.5 billion per year and put the country’s electricity system on the way to a net-zero future. The decision comes as Vietnam, which made a head start on other Mekong countries in the clean energy race in 2019-2021, was running out of steam. Releasing the PDP8 was critical to give a new dynamic and unlock investment in the electricity sector.