Key facts
- Hanoi will begin limiting gasoline motorbikes during specific hours from July 2026.
- The initial low-emission zone will cover wards within Ring Road 1.
- Restrictions will expand to Ring Road 2 by January 2028 and Ring Road 3 by January 2030.
- Commercial transport vehicles, including taxis, must switch to clean energy by 2030.
- Cars failing to meet Euro 4 emissions standards will also face limits.
- Hanoi aims to phase out all gasoline two-wheelers nationwide by 2045.
Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, has revised its plan to restrict gasoline-powered motorcycles, adopting a more gradual approach to mitigate disruption in a city where motorbikes are a primary mode of transport. The initial phase, beginning July 1, 2026, will ban gasoline motorbikes during specific hours within designated areas inside Ring Road 1, the city's downtown core. This move is part of an ambitious effort to tackle chronic air pollution, with motorbikes identified as a major contributor to PM2.5 concentrations.
The phased rollout aims to allow residents and businesses more time to adjust. The restrictions will extend to cars not meeting Euro 4 emissions standards. By January 2028, the low-emission zone will encompass all of Ring Road 1 and parts of Ring Road 2, with a further expansion planned for January 2030 to cover areas within Ring Road 3. Commercial transport vehicles, including taxis, are mandated to switch to clean energy by 2030, and new taxi vehicles must be electric or use green fuels starting July 2026.
Additional measures include halting new registrations of fossil-fuel vehicles when old ones are scrapped and banning heavy gasoline and diesel trucks from the restricted zones. The government has set a national goal to phase out all gasoline two-wheelers by 2045. This policy is driven by Directive 20/CT-CT-TTg, issued by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, which aims to promote electric vehicles and meet net-zero emissions goals by 2050. Despite the ambitious targets, challenges remain, including the current low market share of electric scooters and the limited capacity of Hanoi's public transport system, which meets only 20% of demand.