The city is also considering similar curbs on petrol-run cars, not only motorbikes.
Thanh met with the Vietnam Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (VAMM) on Monday morning to discuss the capital's transition away from fossil-fuel-powered motorbikes.
Hanoi to pilot low-emission zones in Hoan Kiem District (Photo by Manh Quan)
At the event, Sayaka Arai, President of VAMM, warned that phasing out fossil-fuel motorbikes could seriously affect millions of people in Hanoi. She added that a sudden transition could also hit around 2,000 dealerships, 200 parts suppliers, and hundreds of thousands of workers.
The VAMM president voiced her concerns over Hanoi's limited electric vehicle charging infrastructure, noting that most residents can only charge at home or in shopping centres. This raises safety risks due to potential overloads and fire hazards, particularly in older apartment blocks.
According to her, switching to electric motorbikes would put a considerable financial burden on residents, especially as no support policies are currently in place. Sayaka Arai said that Hanoi adopted a feasible and gradual roadmap, aiming for a complete transition by 2030 at the earliest.
Careful consideration before implementation
At the meeting, Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Sy Thanh welcomed VAMM's recommendations as valuable input for shaping the low-emission zone policy.
Thanh, however, said that the municipal authorities had adopted a resolution on motorbike management and low-emission zones in early 2017. Therefore, it should not surprise either the public or businesses.
"The city will launch low-emission zones in four central districts, as outlined in the current resolution. We will carefully consider the timing of implementation. This must be done and can't be delayed any further. We will start with motorbikes and will also study similar measures for cars," Thanh emphasised.
The chairman highlighted that the governments of Japan, several European nations, the EU, and other developed countries are actively supporting Hanoi and HCM City in expanding their public transport networks, with urban rail systems serving as the backbone. By 2035, Hanoi aims to finish around 10 metro routes.
He said motorbike use is a part of Vietnamese culture, so phasing out fossil-fuel vehicles needs a clear roadmap. However, without firm resolve, Hanoi would struggle to become as modern and clean as major cities elsewhere.
Hanoi approved a resolution to implement low-emission zones across the city in December last year.
Under the city's roadmap for low-emission zones, Hanoi will pilot the scheme between 2025 and 2030 in selected areas of Hoan Kiem and Ba Dinh districts while encouraging other localities to designate similar zones.
All areas across the city that meet the required criteria will need to implement low-emission zones from 2031 in accordance with regulations.
