On October 23, the Department of Energy and Petroleum under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), in coordination with the Industry and Trade Magazine, held a ceremony to launch the 2026 "Legal Knowledge on Energy Efficiency and Conservation" competition under the theme "Save Energy - Prosperous Future." The event forms part of the National Programme on Economical and Efficient Use of Energy for the 2019-2030 period (VNEEP3).

Raising awareness of energy efficiency legislation

At the launch ceremony, Tran Thanh Tung, Acting Director-General of the Department of Energy and Petroleum, emphasized that economical and efficient energy use plays an important role in ensuring national energy security, enhancing economic competitiveness and promoting sustainable development.

For businesses, energy efficiency offers a practical solution to reducing production and operating costs. For households, energy conservation helps lower daily expenses while contributing to environmental protection and easing pressure on the energy supply system.

The year 2026 marks the first year of implementation of the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Economical and Efficient Use of Energy, which took effect on January 1, 2026.

Alongside efforts to improve the policy framework, greater emphasis must be placed on helping organizations and individuals understand legal regulations, recognize their responsibilities and apply the provisions in daily life, production and business activities. Legal communication and dissemination must therefore be accessible, easy to understand and closely linked to practical situations.

Building on the success of its inaugural edition, the 2026 competition aims to encourage proactive learning about legal regulations, promote the exchange of practical energy-saving measures and gradually foster habits of economical and efficient energy use across the community.

In 2025, the competition attracted tens of thousands of participants from nearly 900 agencies, organizations, businesses and educational institutions nationwide.

"To achieve this year's objectives, the organizing panel hopes that educational institutions, businesses and mass organizations will actively disseminate information and create favorable conditions for young people, students and workers to participate. We also encourage them to integrate their participation in the competition with energy-saving activities within their own organizations. Practical initiatives and small changes maintained consistently will help translate knowledge gained from the competition into everyday life," Tran Thanh Tung emphasized.

Promoting practical action among students and communities

According to Associate Professor Pham Thi Thu Hoai, Vice Rector of University of Economics - Technology for Industries (UNETI), the competition represents a practical initiative within the industry and trade sector to bring legal knowledge closer to students and the wider community.

For students, it also provides an opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in real-life situations while developing practical skills, creativity and a sense of civic responsibility.

As a university under the Ministry of Industry and Trade with an application-oriented training approach, UNETI has consistently emphasized the integration of academic learning with practical experience, encouraging students to participate in academic activities, legal awareness programmes and community initiatives.

The university actively supported the inaugural competition in 2025, with its student team winning the championship. Hosting the 2026 launch ceremony at UNETI aims to build on this achievement and further promote legal awareness and efficient energy use among students, educational institutions, organizations and individuals nationwide.

Pham Thi Thu Hoai noted that the competition's long-term significance extends beyond results and prizes to the knowledge, experience and sense of responsibility students gain through participation.

From understanding legal requirements to adopting simple practices such as using electricity responsibly and avoiding energy waste in studying and daily activities, individuals can help promote a more economical, responsible and sustainable lifestyle.

At the launch ceremony, the organizing panel called on organizations, businesses, educational institutions and people across the country, particularly young people and students, to actively participate in the competition.

Participants can enter the online preliminary round at https://timhieuphapluat.tapchicongthuong.vn/ and form teams to compete in subsequent rounds.

An interactive online quiz on energy efficiency and conservation legislation also created a lively atmosphere at the ceremony, attracting enthusiastic participation from students. Through interactive questions, students had the opportunity to assess their knowledge, learn more about relevant legal regulations and explore practical approaches to economical and efficient energy use.

As part of the event, the organizing panel presented a commemorative championship trophy to the UNETI team, winners of the inaugural competition. The university's students also restaged their first-prize performance from the 2025 final round.

Under the theme "Save Energy - Prosperous Future," the 2026 competition is expected to continue attracting participation from educational institutions, businesses, organizations and the wider community, particularly younger generations.

The initiative seeks to bring legal knowledge on economical and efficient energy use closer to everyday life, encourage responsible energy consumption choices and foster a culture of energy conservation throughout society.

The 2026 competition consists of three main rounds:

Preliminary round: The preliminary round takes the form of an online multiple-choice competition open to individual and group participants using electronic devices. It runs for three weeks, from October 23 to November 13, 2026. At the end of this stage, the organizing panel will announce the teams eligible to advance to the training round.

Training round: The organizing panel and experts will provide legal knowledge and training to participating teams, while helping them develop presentation and communication skills to convey key messages effectively. Following this round, three to five teams will be selected to compete in the final.

Final round: Scheduled to take place in person in November 2026, the final round will bring together the strongest teams. Participants will demonstrate their legal knowledge, understanding and creativity through theatrical performances illustrating the application of energy efficiency and conservation legislation and the handling of relevant legal situations.