SWIFT sanctions add twist to Vietnam-Russia coal plant dispute

Hanoi refrains from condemning Ukraine invasion by its old Soviet partner

Building of the Long Phu 1 thermal power plant has been delayed in Vietnam's Mekong Delta because of U.S. sanctions against a Russian contractor. (Photo courtesy of PetroVietnam's PTSC)

LIEN HOANG, Nikkei staff writer

March 10, 2022 18:18 JST

HO CHI MINH CITY -- A half-finished Vietnamese power plant is at the center of a dispute over whether its Russian contractor will get paid for the work it has done -- and now new U.S. sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine are further complicating the issue, raising questions over whether such payment would even be possible.