By Aniruddha Ghosal and Hau Dinh - Associated Press - Monday, July 14, 2025
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam will ban fossil-fuel motorcycles and mopeds in the heart of the capital, Hanoi, starting July 2026, as part of a nationwide effort to curb air pollution, state media reported.
The directive issued by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh applies to the area inside and along the main ring road that encircles the center of Hanoi. The local government has been tasked with phasing out the two-wheelers by the deadline.
Like the rest of Vietnam, motorcycles are the main mode of transport for most of Hanoi’s 8 million residents. The city has nearly 7 million motorcycles and just over a million cars. But as incomes rise and more people switch to private vehicles, air pollution from traffic has become a growing concern. Hanoi is often enveloped in thick smog, ranking among the most polluted cities worldwide.
Vietnam also wants to switch from fossil-fuel to electric vehicles to cut pollution and tackle climate change. Local EV maker VinFast is leading the shift by holding nearly a fifth of the market share, according to the European Chamber of Commerce. But it still has only a small share of the two-wheeler market.
But many are concerned about the unclear plan for phasing out the vehicles.
Nguyen Van Hung, 62, has spent three decades driving a motorcycle taxi in Hanoi, now working with Grab, a ride-hailing app widely used across Southeast Asia. He worries the ban will hit the working class hardest. “It will affect people who rely on motorbikes to earn a living,” he said, pointing to delivery drivers, commuters and ride-hailing services. “How can people just discard their vehicles?”
Others said that the timeline was unrealistic. Hoang Duy Dung, 32, an office clerk who works in the city center, said he supports cleaner air but believes it is too soon. “We need better public transport and more support before such a big change.”
Central Hanoi is home to much of the city’s business activity, including offices, government buildings and commercial hubs.
A second phase, set to begin in January 2028, will expand the ban to a wider area and include all fossil-fuel two-wheelers, while also restricting some gasoline-powered cars.
Other measures include upgrading waste-treatment plants, using digital tools to monitor pollution and introducing stricter penalties for violators. Whistleblowers could be rewarded for reporting environmental breaches.
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receive support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Vietnam to ban gas-powered motorbikes in central Hanoi next year
The decree, which officials say is aimed at reducing pollution, would curb many residents’ main mode of transport.
Vietnam will ban fossil-fuel-powered motorcycles and mopeds in the heart of Hanoi starting in July 2026 in an effort to reduce air pollution, state media reported on Monday, curbing the main mode of transport for many of the city’s 8 million residents.
Issued by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the directive applies to the area within the main ring road around central Hanoi, home to much of the city’s business activity. The city has nearly 7 million motorbikes and a million cars.
Some residents say that the move will disproportionately impact low-income residents.
“It will affect people who rely on motorbikes to earn a living,” Nguyen Van Hung, who has spent three decades driving a motorcycle taxi and now works with Grab, a ride-hailing app used widely across Southeast Asia, told the Associated Press. “How can people just discard their vehicles?”
Others said that the timeline for the change was too aggressive to make financial sense for residents.
“The life cycle of a car lasts for several decades, not just a few years or a few months,” Pham The Anh, an economics professor, wrote on his personal Facebook page. “The policy roadmap must be announced long enough before being applied so that people can proactively choose” their mode of transportation.
The Vietnamese government aims to replace gas-fueled motorbikes with electric vehicles in what it says is an effort to cut pollution and tackle climate change. Local EV maker VinFast holds nearly a fifth of the market share, according to the European Chamber of Commerce, but its share of the two-wheeler market is still small.
A second phase, set to begin in January 2028, would expand the ban’s geographic area and include some gas-powered private cars.
Includes reporting from the Associated Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment