According to the agency, except for the existing registration centers, no other entities currently meet the requirements to provide emission testing services for motorcycles.

To enable emission testing facilities to operate, they must have technical infrastructure, trained personnel, emission analyzers, IP cameras for monitoring, and certification from the Department of Construction. Additionally, emission analyzers must undergo annual calibration as per legal measurement regulations.

Under the plan, the motorbike emission inspection will be implemented first in Hanoi and HCM City. However, these warranty and maintenance facilities are not equipped with emission analysis equipment and do not have inspectors to perform the inspection. The warranty and maintenance facilities must have at least one third-class inspector according to regulations.

To take full advantage of skilled workers at maintenance shops, VR has proposed amending regulations to lower the requirement for level-3 inspectors to a high school diploma.

The Vietnam Motorcycle Manufacturers Association supports this proposal, noting it eases the process of certifying inspectors. Many skilled mechanics at dealerships lack vocational degrees, yet emission testing is relatively simple.

Vietnam has about 77 million motorcycles, with 5.6 million registered in Hanoi and 8.6 million in HCM City (after the merger with other provinces). With each test taking roughly 7 minutes, Hanoi needs 400 testing facilities, and HCM City 600.

With such a large fleet, simultaneous testing could lead to significant bottlenecks, warned Tran Hoang Phong from VR.

To avoid this, VR has proposed a phased emission testing schedule based on manufacturing year. For Hanoi and HCM City:

Level 1: From July 1, 2027, for motorcycles manufactured in and before 2008.

Level 2: From July 1, 2029, for those manufactured in and before 2016.

Level 3: From January 1, 2032, for two-wheeled vehicles manufactured in and before 2026.

Level 4: The highest level, applied from January 1, 2035, for inner-city areas.

Other centrally governed cities will follow a similar schedule, delayed by one year compared to Hanoi and HCM City.

The remaining localities will apply:

Level 1: From January 1, 2029, for vehicles manufactured before 2008.

Level 2: From January 1, 2031, for those manufactured from 2009 onward.

Vietnam Register estimates that this plan can meet public demand within the first two years of implementation.

The emission levels in localities should be raised step by step, especially in densely populated cities, to allow people to repair, upgrade and replace their vehicles to adapt to new requirements.

Vehicles failing strict standards in cities can operate in rural areas with lower population density, according to VR.

Vu Diep