According to Decision 1279 of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the retail price of domestic electricity currently ranges from about VND 1,984/kWh at the lowest level to about VND 3,460/kWh at the highest level (excluding VAT).
However, according to records at some boarding houses near universities in Bach Mai ward (Hanoi), electricity prices in many places are being collected at 4,000 VND/kWh, even up to 5,000 VND/kWh. Water bills are also calculated at 100,000 - 120,000 VND/person/month.
This collection level puts pressure on many students, patients and low-income workers in the context of increasing living costs.
Living in a rented room of about 10m2 with a rent of 1.4 million VND/month, Ms. T.T. T (Bach Mai Ward, Hanoi) - a patient said that she used to be able to sell water or work as a hired laborer to cover living expenses. Since her health declined, she is no longer able to work, so her income is also tighter.
With an electricity price of 5,000 VND/kWh, even on hot sunny days, Ms. T.T. T also limits the use of air conditioners because she is worried about increased costs.
When the heat is at its peak, 39 - 40 degrees Celsius is unbearable, then I turn on the air conditioner for about 20 minutes to cool down and then turn it off again, because turning on the air conditioner consumes electricity, and the electricity bill is very expensive" - Ms. T.T. T shared.
Each month, she has to pay about 300,000 - 400,000 VND for electricity and 100,000 VND for water. During peak heat, electricity bills can increase to 600,000 - 700,000 VND, equivalent to nearly half of the rent.
According to Ms. T.T. T, she had previously complained to the landlord about collecting electricity bills higher than regulations, but only received the answer: "Stay if you can, stay if you can't". Because the rental price is reasonable and convenient for treatment, she had to accept staying.
At a student dormitory not far away, N.T. S (Bach Mai Ward, Hanoi) - a final year student of a university said that she has to spend about 250,000 - 300,000 VND per month on electricity (4,000 VND/kWh) even though the room does not have air conditioning.
Because I am a student, the economy is not abundant. I hope that electricity bill collection at boarding houses will be managed more strictly in the near future" - N.T. S shared.
In the role of a renter, reporters contacted a landlord in the area. This person said that the room is about 27m2 wide with a rent of 4 million VND/month, water bill 120,000 VND/person/month and electricity bill 4,500 VND/kWh. When asked why the electricity price is higher than regulations, the landlord replied: "Electricity and water bills for rent are calculated according to business prices". This is also the common answer of many landlords contacted by reporters.Regarding this issue, the Government has issued Decree 133/2026/ND-CP, effective from May 25, 2026.
According to Clause 7, Article 13 of the decree, landlords collecting electricity bills from tenants higher than the prescribed level in cases of purchasing electricity at the retail price of domestic electricity may be fined from 20 - 30 million VND.
In addition to the fine, the landlord must also return the illegal profits obtained from the violation to return to the lessee with interest. In case the person to return cannot be identified, the entire difference will have to be paid to the state budget.
Many people expect the new regulation to contribute to rectifying the situation of collecting electricity bills exceeding prices in boarding houses, thereby reducing the cost burden for tenants.
