Controversy over ban on parking electric vehicles in apartment buildings
Within less than 10 days (from November 25 to December 4), two apartment buildings in Hanoi, HH Linh Dam (Hoang Liet ward) and CT1 Thach Ban (Long Bien ward), issued a notice that would completely ban the sending of electric vehicles or refuse to receive new shipments. The reason given is that the capacity of electric vehicle manufacturers is overloaded; there is a potential risk of fire safety and fighting during parking and charging electric vehicles.
A resident living in HH Linh Dam apartment building said that last month, he decided to sell a gasoline motorbike and buy an electric car for 20 million VND, but the apartment building's announcement that he would not accept sending electric cars made his family worried. Currently, the apartment buildings' tunnels still have a lot of space for electric vehicles. The Management Board's announcement that they would not be allowed to keep them is unreasonable.
Regarding this issue, on December 4, the People's Committee of Hoang Liet Ward issued a notice requesting investors who are private enterprises No. 1 of Dien Bien province and Linh Dam Housing Services Branch (the investor's representative unit managing and operating the apartment building) not to refuse to keep electric vehicles according to the provisions of Clause 1 and Point a, Clause 2, Article 144 of the 2023 Housing Law (except in cases where there is an official request from the competent authority).
Hoang Liet Ward also requested the investor to develop a solution to arrange a place to store electric vehicles of residents according to the roadmap in Resolution No. 57/2025/NQ-HDND dated November 26, 2025 of the City People's Council.
Hanoi proposes to review land fund for electric vehicle parking lots
Mr. Dao Viet Long - Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Construction - said that according to the 2023 Housing Law and current regulations, the current problems or disputes in the apartment building are under the authority of the People's Committee at the commune level.
In the immediate future, the Department of Construction requested the People's Committees of communes and wards to coordinate with the Management Boards and Management Boards of apartment buildings to conduct inspections, reviews, determinations, and separate parking areas (motorbikes, electric bicycles, electric motorbikes) into separate areas to ensure fire safety in the basements of apartment buildings.
Reviewing land areas in apartment buildings to ensure areas suitable for conversion to function to arrange for use as parking lots for electric bicycles, electric motorbikes and building electric vehicle charging stations to ensure convenience for people as well as fire safety.
In the long term, Mr. Dao Viet Long said that the city's departments and branches will coordinate and guide the People's Committees of communes and wards in resolving disputes and disagreements in the management and use of apartment buildings to ensure security and order in the area.
The Department will also recommend that ministries (Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Science and Technology) promptly issue regulations and standards on parking spaces in the basement of apartment buildings to ensure absolute safety for fire prevention and fighting.
Speed up the installation of charging stations and electric vehicle battery conversion
To date, the Department of Construction has compiled 110 potential locations and allocated them over many types of land and many different areas, focusing on Ring Road 3 and above, and has reported to the city on piloting the installation at licensed parking lots and in appropriate locations in survey results to proactively prepare infrastructure in the coming time. Along with that, the department is also working with relevant units on the proposal to set up a battery exchange station system for 2-wheeled electric vehicles.
Mr. Phan Le Binh - transportation expert, Head of the OCG Japan Consulting Office - emphasized that people will charge and replace the batteries outside when the network of public charging stations and battery swaps are fully covered. This will solve concerns about fire and explosion in apartment buildings.
