Hanoi will ban petrol motorbikes by set hours or zones within ring road 1 from July 1, 2026. Illustrative photo.
Hanoi’s People’s Council approved the low-emission zone plan on November 26 with full support from attending delegates. Under the resolution, petrol-powered motorbikes will be banned in designated hours or sectors, while cars failing to meet level 4 emission standards will face restrictions before a phased ban.
The city outlined a green transition for transport services using fossil fuels. Motorbikes must complete conversion before 2030. From July 1, 2026, all new taxis must be electric or powered by green energy. From January 1, 2035, the city will define the scope and timing for wider road traffic limits based on real conditions.
The low-emission zone will also bar new investment or registration for fossil-fuel vehicles replacing scrapped ones, especially those owned by organisations, and will prohibit petrol or diesel trucks over 3.5 tonnes from entering.
From July 1, 2026 Hanoi will pilot the zone in selected wards within ring road 1 including Hai Ba Trung, Cua Nam, Hoan Kiem, O Cho Dua, Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam, Ba Dinh, Giang Vo, Ngoc Ha and Tay Ho. From January 1 2028 the zone will expand to all of ring road 1 and parts of ring road 2 such as Lang, Dong Da, Kim Lien, Bach Mai and Vinh Tuy. By January 1, 2030 it will reach ring road 3, covering 36 wards and communes.
An earlier version of the plan was approved in late 2024 for piloting in Hoan Kiem and Ba Dinh from 2025 to 2030, but no area has been implemented so far.
City authorities said applying time-based rather than full-time bans follows consultations indicating the need for a slower transition suited to infrastructure, welfare and travel habits. Hanoi views low-emission zones as essential to tackle air pollution, a long-standing challenge.
The national environmental report for 2016 to 2020 found PM2.5 levels in Hanoi nearly double national limits and PM10 at 1.3 to 1.6 times higher. Road traffic is the largest pollution source, producing 58 to 74 per cent of emissions depending on the period, with motorbikes the main contributor.
Hanoi has more than 8 million vehicles, including 1.1 million cars and 6.9 million motorbikes, along with roughly 1.2 million vehicles from other provinces entering the city each day.
