Laos Wind Farm Powers Vietnam’s Growth as Region Diversifies Energy

Southern Laos has become home to 133 Chinese-built wind turbines that now supply electricity to Vietnam, highlighting a regional push to diversify energy sources beyond hydropower. The turbines stand along the green ridgelines of southern Laos. Local resident Toukta Phonsala, 23, described them from her wooden stilt house in Dak Wai village: "The view is beautiful. They're bigger than trees." Hydroelectric dams have spread rapidly across Southeast Asia in recent years. However, dam output falls during the dry season, and critics have raised concerns about their environmental and social impact.