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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.
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