Longer preparation needed for Hanoi shift to electric vehicles : motorbike makers association

Hanoi’s plan to switch from gasoline to electric motorbikes needs a long period of preparation to work, the Vietnam Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers said.

The government earlier this month ordered Hanoi to ban fossil-fueled motorbikes from within Ring Road 1, which includes most of its downtown, from mid-2026.

But the association, consisting of Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Piaggio, and SYM, says the roadmap should be longer.

While it supports efforts to reduce emissions, it warned that banning gasoline-powered motorbikes as early as 2026 would pose challenges.

« Residents, businesses and regulators need at least two to three years to prepare (for the shift), » it said in a recent communication to the government.

It suggested a phased ban starting with older, high-emission vehicles, followed by commercial ones and leaving personal vehicles for last.

It reasoned that the current roadmap put big pressure on low-income individuals, who now have to buy new vehicles.

The costs for manufacturers, for making the switch to electric vehicles, would be enormous and lead to financial losses, they said.

Hanoi is the biggest market in Vietnam for Honda, which has the largest share of the country’s two-wheeler market.

The Japanese company sold 2.15 million two-wheelers in Vietnam last year, 190,000 in Hanoi alone.

Nationwide, the five member firms work with 200 suppliers that mostly produce components and parts for internal-combustion engines.

If they could not adapt in time, the supply chain and hundreds of thousands of workers would be affected, the association said. It also pointed to the inadequate public charging infrastructure.

Vietnam’s power grid cannot support mass charging of electric vehicles, especially in densely populated areas or during peak hours.

Charging at home poses the risk of fire and explosion in older apartment buildings.

VinFast is the only company to have built a nationwide public charging network, though most of the stations are for electric cars.

Dat Bike has a few charging stations in HCMC while Selex Motors has opted for battery swapping at 90 stations in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

HCMC has decided that ride-hailing and delivery drivers will switch to electric motorbikes in 2026 before fully phasing out gasoline motorbikes by the end of 2028.

Hanoi and HCMC are the country’s largest cities and also lead in motorbike usage.

« Once authorities make a decision, it is no longer about whether you want to adapt, but that you must, » the CEO of a Vietnamese motorbike brand said.

The executive noted that to balance the interests of various parties, the government needs a realistic roadmap.

Other experts believe financial support for private users and public transportation planning should also be part of the transition.

Hanoi is considering measures to help those living within Ring Road 1 replace their 450,000 gas-powered motorbikes, such as by subsidizing registration fee costs of new vehicles.

By Thanh Nhan – VnExpress.net – July 30, 2025