According to Decision 1279 of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the retail price of domestic electricity currently ranges from about 1,984 VND/kWh at the lowest level to about 3,460 VND/kWh at the highest level (excluding VAT). However, surveys in many boarding houses in Hanoi show that the common collection level is still around 3,000 - 4,500 VND/kWh.
In Hanoi, reporters' records also show that electricity prices in boarding houses have a fairly large difference. Nguyen Ngoc Diep - a first-year student renting a room in Ha Dong - said that she has moved in twice since coming to Hanoi to find a place with a more reasonable cost.
In the previous rented place, the electricity price was 4,200 VND/kWh, water was 35,000 VND/m3. Currently, the new rented place has an electricity price of 3,800 VND/kWh, water price of 100,000 VND/person/month. In my opinion, the general electricity price is about 3,800 - 4,000 VND/kWh, which is quite expensive higher than this level" - Diep shared.
Meanwhile, Ms. Tran Khanh Linh (My Dinh, Hanoi) - who has lived in a rented room for many years - said that she is currently paying 4,000 VND/kWh. According to her, this price has been adjusted after the general electricity price increase. However, the cost fluctuates according to the time of use.
In March, electricity bills are lower because it coincides with the Tet holiday, and the usage time is short. In April, the weather is hot, so costs increase. This is the explanation from the building management board where I am staying. I hope that the electricity price for tenants can be around 3,000 VND/kWh to reduce spending pressure in big cities" - Ms. Linh said.
Many students and workers renting rooms also said that electricity prices depend on each homeowner. If renting a whole apartment and calculated according to household electricity prices, the price can range from 2,000 - 3,000 VND/kWh. However, with the form of renting individual rooms through homeowners, the common price is about 4,000 VND/kWh. Even some places add service costs such as Internet, cable television... to electricity bills, causing the total cost to increase and lack transparency.
Notably, according to Decree 133/2026/ND-CP on sanctioning administrative violations in the electricity sector, from May 25, the act of collecting electricity bills from tenants higher than the retail price of domestic electricity will be fined from 20 - 30 million VND.
The calculation of electricity bills at boarding houses currently depends on the rental term and the declaration of the number of electricity users. For contracts from 12 months or more and temporary residence registration, the lessee or representative can sign electricity purchase contracts directly with the electricity industry.
Conversely, if the lease term is less than 12 months and the homeowner does not fully declare the number of users, the entire electricity output will be calculated according to step 3 of the living price schedule (101 - 200 kWh), equivalent to about 2,380 VND/kWh (excluding VAT).
In case of full declaration, the electricity quota will be calculated according to the number of temporary residents, for every 4 people, it is equivalent to one household using electricity; each person corresponds to 1/4 of the quota. When the number of tenants changes, the homeowner is responsible for notifying to adjust accordingly.
