Vehicles on the road will soon have to meet new emission standards.
Following the Government’s direction, the Department of Environment (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) is developing a roadmap to raise automobile emission standards and apply emission standards to motorbikes. The new set of standards is expected to be issued in April.
Raising emission standards for cars
Air pollution is an urgent issue, especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City - where many days in the first months of 2025 are among the most polluted in the world. Besides emissions from construction and manufacturing, motorized traffic is the main source of pollution.
Party Central Committee member and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has requested to accelerate the roadmap for controlling vehicle emissions, especially in highly polluted urban areas.
Notice 153/TB-VPCP dated April 4 also clearly stated the promulgation and implementation of local emission standards in a more stringent direction than national standards, expected to be implemented in May 2025.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Duc - Department of Environment (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) - said that the ministry has coordinated with the Ministry of Construction to complete the roadmap for applying emission standards to newly manufactured, assembled and imported automobiles. As for automobiles in circulation that are still subject to inspection according to National Standard TCVN 6438:2018, the Department of Environment is building a new set of standards in the direction of raising the emission standards for automobiles in circulation.
According to Mr. Nguyen Hoang Duc, implementing the Government's direction, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is coordinating with the Ministry of Construction and the Vietnam Register to develop emission standards for cars in circulation. Currently, the National Standard TCVN 6438:2018 has 4 levels, but only applies to level 2. The units are coordinating to raise it to level 4 and move towards applying level 5 in the future.
Regarding motorbikes, the Department of Environment is also urgently developing standards for motorbikes in circulation according to the provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection and the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety. The new set of standards is expected to be issued in April and will initially be piloted in major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
"This is a huge pressure because we have to come up with a roadmap for emission limits depending on each type of vehicle, year of manufacture and the situation of each locality. For example, Hanoi plans to apply a low emission zone model, so that area will have its own standards, and only vehicles that meet certain standards will be allowed to enter that area. All policies must be linked together," Mr. Duc added.
Need people's cooperation
According to Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Anh Le - Head of the Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Environment, University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, the policies of the authorities need the support of the people to bring about the highest efficiency, contributing to reducing air pollution from circulating vehicles.
Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Anh Le said that the policies issued demonstrate the determination of the Party and State in reducing air pollution, and the people are the biggest beneficiaries. When the emission standards are issued, each person should compare with their vehicle to ensure compliance. For vehicles that are too old, the quality is no longer guaranteed, they should accept to be discarded. Currently, there is a policy to support the exchange of old motorbikes for new ones, people can choose the appropriate vehicle depending on their circumstances.
Previously, concluding the meeting on the development and roadmap for applying emission standards for road motor vehicles in circulation, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized the need to carefully assess the multi-dimensional impacts of the standards, especially on vehicles in circulation, imported vehicles and domestically produced vehicles. The process of developing standards and the roadmap for application must be based on a clear political, legal and practical basis, accompanied by a comprehensive impact assessment. At the same time, there must be synchronous economic, social and scientific solutions and resolute implementation to reduce air pollution from vehicles.
