Ho Chi Minh City businesses switch off billboards to save power

The move follows a three-month electricity-saving initiative launched by the municipal People’s Committee in line with Directive No. 10 issued by the prime minister.

Under the plan, companies are encouraged to turn off or reduce lighting from outdoor advertising and decorative displays after 10:00 pm until the early morning.

The measure is seen as one of the most practical and immediately effective steps to ease pressure on the power grid while ensuring stable electricity supply throughout the dry months of 2026.

Vu Quang Dao, director of Hoa Sen Advertising Trading Joint Stock Company, said his firm, the operator of several high-capacity billboards in the city, has fully complied with the directive.

The company has programmed its LED screens and large-format displays to power down overnight.

“Reducing operating hours cuts electricity consumption by 30-50 percent,” Dao said, adding that the firm has also worked with clients to gain support for the campaign.

Hoa Sen currently manages six large billboards.

By shutting them down for eight hours each night, the company can save an estimated 21,600 kWh of electricity each month.

Electricity costs, previously ranging between VND32 million (US$1,215) and VND34 million ($1,292) per billboard, are expected to be halved.

A representative from Saigon Power Company said the enterprise has issued internal guidelines on energy saving and called on 19 wards which are provided with electricity by the firm to raise awareness among residents, businesses, and public institutions to save power.

“We are also working directly with advertising companies in downtown Ho Chi Minh City to implement the shutdown or reduction of high-capacity lighting systems,” he said.

Some illuminated screens remain in operation, he noted, because they use energy-efficient LED technology with relatively low power consumption.

Bui Trung Kien, deputy general director of Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation, asserted that the initiative reflects a wider push to reshape electricity usage habits across society.

“With demand continuing to rise during the dry season, saving electricity is no longer optional, but it is essential to ensure the safe and stable operation of the entire system,” Kien said.

“Measures such as reducing power use and turning off advertising lighting directly ease supply pressures across the city."