Visitors explore the turbine chamber of the Hoa Binh hydropower plant.
The Hoa Binh hydropower plant was built with the support of the former Soviet Union, with construction beginning in 1979. However, the groundwork was laid even earlier, in 1971, when Vietnamese and Soviet Union geologists began intensive surveys to determine the most suitable location along the fierce Da River. At the peak time, up to 40,000 workers and 2,500 Soviet Union experts worked at the construction site, reflecting the massive scale of the project and the deep-rooted friendship between Vietnam and the Soviet Union.
Unfortunately, 168 Vietnamese and Soviet Union engineers and workers lost their lives during construction - a lasting testament to sacrifice, dedication, and international solidarity.
The plant’s first turbine was connected to the national grid on December 30, 1988, marking a historic milestone in Vietnam’s electricity industry. The eighth and final turbine was completed on April 4, 1994, bringing the total installed capacity to 1,920 MW. The plant’s official inauguration on December 20, 1994, was celebrated nationwide as the culmination of 15 years of relentless labour on one of the greatest engineering feats of the 20th century.
Since its operation, the plant has successfully mitigated dozens of severe floods, including the historic flood in August 1996, with a peak flow of over 22,650 cu.m per second, and the unusually late flood in October 2017, which posed complex and unpredictable challenges with nearly 16,000 cu.m per second in flow while the reservoir was already full.
For years, Hoa Binh’s eight turbines, with a total installed capacity of 1,920 MW, were crucial in addressing Vietnam’s electricity shortage, supplying a stable and reliable source of power for national development.
From the moment its first turbine connected to the national grid on December 30, 1988 to November 9, 2024, the Hoa Binh hydropower company generated over 280 billion kWh of electricity, an extraordinary achievement reflecting 36 years of efficient operation and management of this multi-purpose strategic power project.
In early 2021, Vietnam launched the Hoa Binh hydropower plant expansion project to further harness the invaluable water resource and meet the country's growing energy needs. The project will add two turbines with a combined capacity of 480 MW, bringing the plant’s total output to 2,400 MW upon completion.
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