The Vietnam Register (VNA) received a document from the Ministry of Construction regarding the response to citizens' questions as follows: "According to the draft on new emissions of cars manufactured in 2017 must meet level 4 in Ho Chi Minh City, my cars manufactured in 2017 with euro 2 standards according to the old technology will not reach level 4, so when I go for vehicle inspection, I will check the level and will be able to circulate it?".
Regarding this issue, the Vietnam Register has the following opinion:
The emission level applied to newly manufactured, assembled and imported cars is not the emission level applied to cars participating in road traffic. Specifically as follows:
The emission level applied to cars manufactured, assembled and imported is the emission level applied to cars or car engines when they are out of factory. This emission level is inspected and tested according to the provisions of the new National Technical Regulations on emissions of manufactured, assembled and imported cars issued by the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction).
The emission level according to the National Technical Regulation on emissions of cars participating in road traffic QCVN 85:2025/BNNMT issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is the emission level applied to cars in use. The emission levels according to this standard are applied to assess the actual emission levels of cars participating in road traffic at the time the vehicle is inspected.
Therefore, the emission level of cars during use depends on two factors: The emission level of cars when they leave the factory and the actual state of the engine at the time the car is tested for emissions (such as: the remaining quality of the engine, structures related to emissions, the state of lubricants, cooling water, etc.).
Based on statistics on the results of periodic inspections in 2025 at motor vehicle inspection facilities, the Vietnam Register found that the rate of imported, manufactured, assembled and imported cars with level 2 emissions (EURO 2) did not reach level 4 according to QCVN 85:2025/BNNMT when inspected periodically was not large. On the contrary, there are still a number of cars manufactured with level 4 emissions (EURO 4) that do not meet level 4 emissions according to QCVN 85:2025/BNNMT when inspected periodically.
Therefore, car owners need to note: The emission level of cars during use depends not only on the vehicle's emissions when leaving the factory, but also depends largely on the actual vehicle's usage time, vehicle usage conditions, maintenance and repair regimes, etc.
In the coming time, when the Prime Minister's decision regulating the roadmap for applying emission levels to cars participating in road traffic is issued and takes effect, the Vietnam Road Administration will deploy the issuance of inspection stamps for cars, on which the vehicle's emission levels are printed corresponding to the emission levels specified in QCVN 85:2025/BNNMT. The emission level printed on the inspection stamp is the actual emission level of the vehicle determined at the time of inspection.
The regulation on cars participating in road traffic with emissions reaching levels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 being circulated in which areas must be based on the provisions of the Prime Minister's decision on the roadmap for applying emission levels to cars participating in traffic, and must meet the specific regulations of each locality.
