The latest draft of the Project on controlling emissions of vehicles in Ho Chi Minh City proposes forming a low-emission zone (LEZ) in the central area in 2 phases.
Area 1: Existing central area (930ha) and Thu Thiem urban area, with boundaries through Saigon Bridge - Nguyen Huu Canh - Van Thanh 2 Bridge - Thi Nghe 2 Bridge - Hoang Sa - Vo Thi Sau - Cach Mang Thang 8 - Nguyen Thai Hoc - Vo Van Kiet - Saigon River Tunnel - Thu Thiem - Tran Quy Kien - Mai Chi Tho - Luong Dinh Cua - Tran Nao - Saigon Bridge.
This area is about 16.6km2 wide, with a population of about 176,200 people, with a total traffic volume of about 685,000 vehicles/day. The coverage of public passenger transport reaches about 95.91%.
According to the draft, this will be the area chosen to pilot LEZ from July 1, 2027.
Area 2: Expanding to Ring Road 2, including the routes Do Muoi - Le Duc Anh - Le Kha Phieu (Old National Highway 1) - Nguyen Van Linh - Phu My bridge - Vo Chi Cong - Dong Van Cong - Mai Chi Tho - Vo Nguyen Giap - Hanoi Highway.
This area has an area of about 280km2, a population of about 6.17 million people, a total traffic volume of about 11.56 million vehicles/day and a coverage of public passenger transport of about 87.32%.
According to the proposed roadmap, from January 1, 2029, the low-emission zone will be expanded to Zone 2.
The draft project sets out a roadmap for conversion by vehicle group. In which, from 2027, buses operating in LEZs must use electricity or green energy.
For taxis, from January 1, 2028, 100% of vehicles circulating in the LEZ must meet Emission Standard Level 5. From January 1, 2030, all taxis circulating must use electricity or green energy.
For contract cars under 9 seats, contract cars from 10 seats or more, passenger cars and trucks when operating in this area must meet emission standards from Level 4 or Level 5, depending on the type of vehicle.
For 2-wheeled technology vehicles, from January 1, 2028, 100% of vehicles circulating in the LEZ area must use electricity or green energy.
For motorbikes and motorcycles of individuals and organizations not engaged in transportation business, from January 1, 2029, vehicles must meet emission standard Level 3; from January 1, 2030, they must meet Level 4. By January 1, 2035, all vehicles circulating in the LEZ area must use electricity or green energy.
For cars of individuals and organizations, from January 1, 2028, vehicles circulating in the LEZ must meet emission standard Level 4. The requirement is raised to Level 5 from 2030 and by 2035, vehicles must switch to using electricity or green energy.
According to the proposed roadmap, by 2035, most vehicles operating in the LEZ area must use electricity or green energy. Specifically, throughout the city, the goal of completing the conversion is set by 2040.
In addition to the inner city area, the draft project also proposes early implementation of solutions to convert green vehicles in the Con Dao special zone and the Can Gio area (old).
In Con Dao, it is proposed to convert all gasoline and oil vehicles to using electricity and green energy by 2035. The Can Gio area (old) is proposed to complete the conversion by 2040.
After the merger, Ho Chi Minh City has a population size of about 14 million people, with about 1.28 million cars of all kinds and 11.5 million registered motorbikes and mopeds.
The inventory results of the project show that road traffic is the main source of emissions in the transportation sector, accounting for about 88% NOx, 99% CO, 79% SO2 and 88% dust.
