(VNF) - Major cities of Vietnam joined many other countries around the world during the 2017 Earth Hour late on March 25^th with the symbolic action of turning off unnecessary electrical devices for one hour.

The launching ceremony of Earth Hour 2017 on March 25^th at Hanoi Opera House. (Photo: anhminh.pham)

The country saved 471,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, equivalent to VND 764 million (USD 33,616), from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on March 25^th, when people nationwide responded to the event switching off unnecessary electrical devices, the Electricity of Vietnam Group’s National Load Dispatch Centre said.

It represented a slight increase against 451,000 kWh of electricity saved in the previous year.

The campaign is one of the activities taken by the Vietnamese Government and people towards reducing eight per cent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, contributing to the global climate change adaptation.

The launching ceremony of Earth Hour 2017 took place in the Hanoi University of Technology on March 5^th, drawing many students from other universities and colleges of the city. Many responding activities such as cycling, running, competitions on environmental protection and energy saving and volunteering were held in localities across the country throughout March, especially in major cities like Hanoi, Da Nang, Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City.

Hanoi's Trang Tien Street lighted-out.

Vietnam saved nearly 12 billion kWh of electricity in 2011-2015, equivalent to VND 17.8 trillion (USD 783,200), following the implementation of various programmes on energy efficiency, according to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).

The EVN targets to provide at least 250 electricity saving solutions nationwide in 2016-2020, targeting to save at least 24 million kWh per year.

Earth Hour campaign was first launched in Vietnam in 2009.

More than 1,000 businesses and organisations across the country have joined the effort.

Earth Hour, organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), is a worldwide grassroots movement uniting people to protect the planet.

This is the ninth year Vietnam participated in the global Earth Hour campaign./.

Compiled by VNF