Vietnam saved a total of 500,000 kWh of power, 67,000 of which were saved in Ho Chi Minh City, during Earth Hour on the evening of March 27.
The environmental campaign saw cities around the world turning off lights for one hour, from 20:30 to 21:30, to raise awareness about energy conservation.
According to the National Center for Power Moderation, this time period is a peak energy consumption hour in Vietnam and thus, the country saved vast amounts of power by turning off lights.
HCMC: candles in the rain
At around 19:00, hundreds of students wearing Earth Hour T-shirts gathered in front of the HCMC Opera House with banners in a show of support for the event.
Organizers used solar energy to light up a stage in front of the venue and by 20:00, despite a burst of rain, thousands of enthusiastic young people had arrived.
The inclement weather did little to dampen spirits, however, and when the event kicked off at 20:30, the boisterous crowd began chanting “Earth Hour” in unison.
As lights were turned off around the city, thousands of candles were lit instead.
Students from HCMC University of Architecture brought a collage to the event, which was created using 60,000 photos featuring the environment from countries that have participated in Earth Hour.
At the Saigontourist Hotel and Tourism School, a fashion show was held at 19:00 as part of a program themed “A warm hour without power,” which attracted hundreds of young people.
At the show, students modeled clothes made of paper, plastic bags and recycled materials.
Lights were also switched off at many theaters and clubs around HCMC while artists performed by candlelight.
Hanoi: foreign visitors join in
In the capital, lights were turned off at Ho Tay Lake for Earth Hour, while people set flower garlands and colored lanterns on the lake.
Many foreign tourists staying at hotels in the area switched off their lights and took to the streets to join the event.
Sofitel Plaza Hanoi organized a party with a candlelit opera performance with partial proceeds going to the International Nature Preservation Fund.
Thousands of residents and students in Hue City also flocked to Nghinh Luong Dinh relic area to participate in the event.
In total, 20 cities and provinces in Vietnam turned off their lights for Earth Hour 2010, an increase of 14 over last year.
Earth Hour is a WWF Global initiative, which started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and has since become a global campaign. Last year it attracted over one billion people in over 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries.
This year, Earth Hour attracted the participation of 4,000 cities in 125 countries.
