Vietnam starts banning ICE motorcycles next year, cars are next

Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, has announced a plan to ban all ICE motorcycles from its city center from July 1, 2026. The plan will expand in 2027 to cover more of the city, and a ban on ICE cars is coming too after that, though an exact date for that hasn't been revealed yet.

Vietnam's overall plan is to ban all ICE two-wheelers entirely, nationwide, by 2045. Vietnam, and especially its biggest cities like Hanoi, is known for millions of motorcycles and ICE scooters creating a lot of air pollution (and thus, smog) as well as noise pollution, and these measures are meant to combat that.

Of course, this means hundreds of thousands of people in Hanoi now need to buy electric two-wheelers by next July, which will prop up sales for such vehicles for sure, but will come as a pretty huge imposition on people's budgets in a country where the average monthly wage equates to about $600.

The government's moves will inevitably quiet down the streets, and fix a lot of the smog issues, but so far it's looking like the inhabitants will have to pay for all of this, with the government not yet unveiling any schemes to help them switch to electric vehicles - but it is said to be exploring such options at the moment.

VinFast will be one of the main beneficiaries, as the electric car maker also makes electric motorcycles and scooters - Selex is another brand that will benefit as well. Selex's battery swapping system may alleviate some of the issues regarding the lack of a huge charging station network in Vietnam.

Via