Speaking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Thai Ho Phuong, Director of the Hanoi Traffic Management and Operation Center, said that Hanoi strives to greening 100% of buses by 2030 (5 years ago). By June 2026, Hanoi strives to achieve 20% of buses using clean energy. However, up to this point, Hanoi has had 360 clean energy buses, reaching more than 21%, exceeding the set target.
Although there are 360 buses using clean energy, this number is still quite modest compared to the demand of Vietnam.
In the report "References for national roadmap and action plan on converting to electric vehicles in Vietnam" conducted by the World Bank, it is stated that to realize the goal of net zero emissions by 2050, Vietnam needs about 140,000 inter-provincial electric buses and more than 2.6 million electric trucks of all kinds.
According to the WB, by the end of 2023, the whole country had 1.5 million registered trucks, not including imported used cars. Nearly 30,000 buses are in circulation, most of which are old. The group of buses, trucks and passenger cars between provinces accounts for less than 3% of the total number of vehicles, but emits more than 65% of greenhouse gases from traffic, double the number of motorbikes and cars combined.
To reduce emissions from large-sized transport vehicles, the World Bank recommends that Vietnam should simultaneously improve fuel-efficient standards, promote the transition to green vehicles and shift the demand for long-distance passenger and cargo transport to lower-emission transport forms such as rail and waterway.
Many localities have taken action. In Hanoi, according to plan 149/KH-UBND, all fossil fuel-powered buses will be replaced with electric vehicles or vehicles using clean energy before 2030. In the 2025-2026 period, the city will support businesses in building charging infrastructure, converting 20-23% of the number of vehicles; then gradually increase, prioritizing the inner city (in Ring Road 4).
Currently, Vietnam has an advantage thanks to the formation of a domestic electric vehicle ecosystem. VinFast has launched many electric bus models. Recently, the company introduced small electric trucks VinFast EC Van.
However, the WB emphasized that the transition requires a synchronous ecosystem including support policies, tax incentives, legal corridors, fast charging networks and domestic battery manufacturing capacity.
Experts say the Government needs to have a roadmap to ban internal combustion engine vehicles in large cities, develop renewable energy and upgrade the power grid to meet charging needs.
According to the WB, to achieve the target, Vietnam needs to increase electricity output by 30% and grid capacity by 15% compared to the present. In the 2031-2050 period, it is necessary to invest an average of 14 billion USD per year in electricity - lower than the cost of gasoline imports (13 billion USD in the first 10 months of 2023).
If the recommendations are fully implemented, Vietnam can reduce 226 million tons of CO2e from road transport by 2050, equivalent to 60% of the national emission reduction target. The target by 2030 alone is to reduce 5.3 million tons of CO2e, accounting for 8% of the energy sector target.
