US-based Pacifico Energy has received a site survey licence for a 500 MW offshore wind project in Ba Ria–Vung Tau, offshore Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The licence, granted by Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), allows the company to carry out site survey assessment activities at the proposed project site. According to Pacifico Energy, it is one of the first licences awarded to a foreign developer under the country’s new regulatory framework.
The company said the project forms part of its growing portfolio in the Asia-Pacific region. In Vietnam, Pacifico Energy has previously developed a 40 MW solar farm in Lam Dong and a 30 MW wind farm in Vinh Long.
Vietnamese authorities have recently issued similar survey permissions to domestic developers. Earlier this year, the government assigned sea areas to state-owned companies Petrovietnam and Vietnam Electricity (EVN) to carry out offshore wind site investigations.
In 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment granted marine survey rights to Refrigeration Electrical Engineering Corporation (REE) for a large-scale offshore wind project, allowing geological and measurement studies as part of early project development.
The Vietnamese company recently revealed plans for a billion-US-dollar push into offshore wind as part of its renewable energy expansion strategy.