Raising emission standards for cars
Air pollution is an urgent problem, especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City - where it was among the most polluted cities in the world for many days in early 2025. In addition to emissions from construction and production, motor vehicles are the main source of pollution.
Party Central Committee member and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has requested to speed up the roadmap for controlling vehicle emissions, especially in highly polluted urban areas.
Notice 153/TB-VPCP dated April 4 also clearly states the promulgation and implementation of local emission standards in a more strict direction than national standards, expected to be implemented in May 2025.
Speaking with Lao Dong, 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 for newly manufactured, assembled and imported automobiles. As for cars currently in circulation that are still subject to inspection according to National Standard TCVN 6438:2018, the Department of Environment is developing a new set of standards in the direction of raising the emission standards for cars 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, National Standard TCVN 6438:2018 has 4 levels, but only applies to level 2. Units are coordinating to raise it to level 4 and move forward to apply level 5 in the future.
For motorbikes and mopeds, 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 standard set is expected to be issued in April and will be piloted in major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
"This is a huge pressure because we have to have a roadmap for emission limits depending on each type of vehicle, the year of manufacture and the situation of each locality. For example, Hanoi plans to apply a low-emission zone model, but that zone will have its own standards, only vehicles that reach the level can enter that zone. All policies must be linked together" - Mr. Duc added.
The need for 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, policies of competent authorities need the support of the people to bring the highest efficiency, contributing to reducing air pollution from circulating vehicles.
Assoc. When the emission regulation set is issued, each person should compare with their vehicles to ensure compliance. For cars that are too old, the quality is no longer guaranteed, need to accept to eliminate. There have been policies to support the exchange of old motorbikes to new cars, people can choose the appropriate vehicle depending on the situation.
Previously, concluding at the meeting on the development and roadmap for applying emission standards to current road motor vehicles, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized the need to carefully assess the multi-dimensional impact of the standards, especially for current vehicles, imported vehicles and domestically produced vehicles.
The process of developing standards and a 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 should be synchronous economic, social, scientific and drastic solutions to reduce air pollution from vehicles.
