<p>We examine relationships among climate policy, renewable energy, non-renewable energy, and CO₂ emissions in Vietnam from 1998 to 2021 using a model-free connectivity approach. Our findings demonstrate the reciprocal relationship between financial development and climate policy. Except for the years prior to 2009, the net total connectedness indicates that climate policy is a net recipient of shocks. While non-renewable energy was the primary net shock receiver prior to 2010, renewable energy shifted from a net shock receiver prior to 2009 to a net transmitter of spillover shocks around 2019. The dominance of renewable and non-renewable energy in climate policy peaked in the middle of the 2015–2019 period, as indicated by net pairwise directional connectedness. In other words, as energy security declines, Vietnam’s climate policy development process faces numerous challenges.</p>