The ministry has directed its dependent units to supplement more regulations on encouraging people to run vehicles using electricity, green energy and smart means of transport in the 2024 Road Law and the 2024 Road Traffic Safety and Order Law.

In Decision No 1191 on the plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector by 2030, MOT sets a target that 30 percent of people will use electric cars and 22 percent electric motorbikes out of the total number of vehicles in use.

In order to reach those goals, from now to 2030, the Vietnam Register (VR), Vietnam Road Administration and the Vietnam Expressway Administration are required by MOT to review and propose amendments and supplements of national technical regulations related to electric cars and motorbikes.

MOT is compiling a set of criteria and drafting Vietnamese standards for green stopovers, green airports, and green railway stations as a basis for new construction works. 

Development of electricity charging stations and electricity supply infrastructure at stopovers will be set to satisfy demand from people and businesses.

It is expected that by 2030, all motorbikes will meet the fuel consumption standard of 2.3 liters/100 km; all newly manufactured, assembled and imported cars with 9 seats or less must meet the fuel consumption standards. Cars with engine capacity <1400cc must meet the 4.7 liters/100 km standard; cars with 9 seats or less with engine capacity 1400-2000cc must meet 5.3 liters/100 km standard and cars with engine capacity >2000cc 6.4 liters/100 km.

Regarding the roadmap for the regulations, 30 percent of total vehicles have to meet the requirements by 2027, 50 percent by 2028, 75 percent by 2029 and 100 percent by 2030.

By 2030, the proportion of public passenger transport in Hanoi will be 45-50 percent, HCM City 25 percent, Da Nang 25-35 percent, Can Tho 20 percent, Hai Phong 10-15 percent, and first-class urban areas will reach at least 5 percent.

Signs to identify green-energy vehicles 

MOT instructed VR (Vietnam Register) to write a circular guiding the classification of road transport vehicles, showing the signs to identify vehicles using clean energy and green environmentally-friendly energy.

After a period of compilation and opinion collection, in November 2024, MOT issued Circular 53 on classifying road transport vehicles, which took effect on January 1, 2025.

Clause 3, Article 9 of Circular 53/2024 says motor vehicles using clean energy, green energy, and environmentally friendly energy are motor vehicles that do not directly emit carbon when operating (such as plug-in electric vehicle - PEV, or battery electric vehicle - BEV, Plug in Fuel Cell Vehicle - PFCEV, or Fuel cell electric vehicles - FCEV, vehicles using hydrogen).

Article 10 of the circular says people can recognize clean energy vehicles through the examination stamp with a green color background.

On January 2, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha presided over a meeting discussing the policies to encourage the use of electric and green-energy vehicles in the Prime Minister’s Decision No 876 which set the action program on green energy transition and carbon and methane emission reduction in the transport sector.

Regarding serious air pollution, especially in large cities and densely populated areas, Ha emphasized that there must be overall solutions to eliminate pollution sources, including means of transport using gasoline and diesel.

"This is the State's responsibility to the people and there must be specific and timely actions," Ha said.

It is now the time for ministries and branches to propose overall strategy and set a roadmap to heighten people’s awareness and behavior in order restrict production, import and use of gasoline and diesel-run vehicles; to shift to green energy vehicles; strengthen investment in green public means of transport; set networks of convenient public transport points; and have a plan to distribute personal vehicles for areas with different levels of pollution.

Implementing Vietnam's commitments at COP26, the Prime Minister has issued Decision 876 approving the action program on green energy transition and CO2 and CH4 emission reductions in the transport sector, with the goal of developing a green transport system, aiming to achieve the goal of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.

The action program mentions solutions, including developing urban railway systems, high-speed railways, electrified national railways and green ports, and setting up a roadmap to shift to electric and green-energy vehicles.

N. Huyen