Utilities and Bills in Vietnam: Electricity, Water, Internet

Compared to Western Europe, Vietnamese utilities are cheap and reliable. The trick is knowing what something should cost so your landlord doesn't pad it.

Electricity (EVN)

EVN is the state utility; every meter goes through them. Residential rates are tiered:

Tier	kWh range	Price (VND/kWh, 2026)
1	0–50	1,806
2	51–100	1,866
3	101–200	2,167
4	201–300	2,729
5	301–400	3,050
6	400+	3,151

A typical 1-bedroom apartment using AC eight hours/day in summer burns 250–400 kWh/mo, costing 700,000–1,300,000 VND ($28–52). A family villa running multiple AC units can hit 800–1,500 kWh and 2.5–5m VND ($100–200).

Pay via MoMo, ZaloPay, EVN HCMC app, or your bank app — find by meter number ("mã khách hàng") on any prior bill.

Watch out: some landlords charge a flat 4,000–5,000 VND/kWh. This is above EVN's top tier; refuse anything above 3,500 in a contract.

Water

Local utility (SAWACO in HCMC, HAWACO in Hanoi). Tiered residential:

Tier	m³ per person/mo	Price (VND/m³)
1	0–4	6,700
2	5–6	12,900
3	7–10	16,000
4	10+	24,400

For a household of 2: typical 500,000–1,000,000 VND/mo ($20–40). Many serviced apartments include water in a flat fee.

Internet

Three players cover the country: FPT, Viettel, VNPT (and a smaller fourth, CMC).

Provider	Reputation	Plans
FPT	Best in HCMC, central; fast install	200Mbps from 250k/mo; 1Gbps from 450k/mo
Viettel	Best rural coverage; military-owned, very reliable	200Mbps from 230k; 1Gbps from 450k
VNPT	Older infrastructure, getting better; cheap	200Mbps from 200k; 1Gbps from 400k
CMC	Niche, business-focused	Skip for residential

Most apartments come wired to one provider. Switching is possible but requires the landlord's say-so and a new line. Speeds advertised are usually delivered; latency to Singapore/Tokyo/HK is good (~50–80ms), to US/EU is bad (180–300ms during cable cuts).

Cable cuts: the APG / AAG / SMW3 undersea cables fail multiple times a year, slowing international traffic for days at a time. A VPN to a Singapore endpoint usually routes around the worst.

Pay: monthly auto-debit from your bank account once set up, or pay quarterly/yearly on a discount.

Gas

Most Vietnamese kitchens use LPG cylinders, not piped gas. A standard 12kg cylinder costs 400,000–500,000 VND and lasts a small household 6–8 weeks. Call the local supplier (number on the cylinder sticker), they deliver and swap within 30 minutes.

A few high-end buildings have piped gas at slightly higher cost.

Garbage / sanitation

Collected daily in cities, mostly via cart-pushers in residential lanes. Flat fee of 30,000–50,000 VND/month, usually rolled into your management fee or paid in cash to the lane collector. In apartments, included in management fee.

Management fee (chung cư)

Apartment buildings charge a monthly management fee (phí quản lý) covering lifts, lobby, security, pool, gym. Typical:

Building tier	Per m² per month
Local condo (Vinhomes, etc.)	11,000–16,000 VND
Mid-range (Sunrise City, Masteri)	16,000–22,000 VND
Premium (Vinhomes Golden River, Estella Heights)	22,000–35,000 VND

For a 75m² unit at mid-tier: ~1.5m VND/mo ($60). Always tenant-included in residential leases (paid by landlord through your rent), but check.

Paying bills — the easy way

Set up these once:

1. MoMo linked to bank: pay EVN, water, internet, mobile top-up in 60 seconds
2. Bank app with auto-debit: most providers offer auto-pay
3. VietQR at the corner shop: yes, you can pay your electricity bill at the 7-Eleven counter

Don't bother going to physical EVN/water offices in 2026; nobody does.

Typical monthly utility budget

Household	Electricity	Water	Internet	Gas	Mgmt fee	Total
Solo, studio	600k	100k	250k	50k	500k	1.5m (~$60)
Couple, 1BR	1.0m	200k	350k	100k	800k	2.4m (~$95)
Family, 2BR	1.5m	400k	450k	150k	1.3m	3.8m (~$150)
Villa, 3BR	3.0m	700k	500k	200k	—	4.4m (~$175)

Honest take

If your landlord wants to bundle utilities into your rent at a flat rate, you almost always lose. Insist on paying EVN and water directly off the meter, with the bill in your name. It costs them nothing and saves you a chunk every summer.

Related

• Rental contracts and deposits
• Payment apps for expats
• SIM cards and mobile data
• Finding apartments HCMC