Hoang Duong Tung, chair of the Vietnam Clean Air Network, noted that personal vehicles such as motorbikes and cars are a significant source of air pollution, especially in large cities.

In Hanoi, for example, where there are 1 million motorbikes and 1 million cars, the emission volume makes up 30-40 percent of total greenhouse gases.

There is an increasing number of vehicles with an internal combustion engine and many of them are also older, limiting the country's ability to obtain net zero emissions by 2050 committed by the government. 

Shifting to green cars and hydro-run vehicles is not just a necessity but a "mandate", Tung said. If people don’t develop green transport, air pollution will continue, causing serious consequences to health, the economy and the environment.

To reduce emissions to zero, the Prime Minister released Decision 876, approving an action plan on a green energy transition that aims to reduce carbon and methane emissions from the transport sector.

“This shows the government’s strong determination to reach that goal. Not only cars and motorbikes, but trucks also have to go green,” Tung said.

To help people switch to public transport or electric vehicles, Tung said more trains and buses should use clean energy, and the government should have policies to help people buy electric vehicles.

“The Law on Capital City which has been ratified by the National Assembly mentions an important task – setting up low-emission areas, i.e. in these areas, only electric vehicles, hybrids and vehicles meeting Euro 5 or higher emission standards can operate,” Tung said.

“I think that trucks collecting and carrying waste in Hanoi also need to be replaced with green vehicles before 2030,” he added.

Nguyen Dinh Thao, a lecturer at the University of Transport, said research shows that a small car emits 250g of CO2 per kilometer of travel. As such, within one year, the CO2 volume from one car could be up to 3 tons.

Bui Thi An, head of the Institute for Environmental Resources and Community Development, and a former National Assembly deputy, said green transport is inevitable and those who don’t follow will be left behind. 

However, many things need to be done to develop public transport, including better parking, a well-connected traffic system, improved infrastructure, and charging station networks.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) says that air pollution is a major cause of lung cancer, the second leading cause of death in Vietnam.

Amid concerns about air quality, the Hanoi People’s Committee released a plan on controlling air quality in Hanoi by 2030. The city aims to have a good to medium level on at least 75-80 percent of the year, and a 20 percent reduction of PM 2.5 dust volume from major waste sources compared with 2019.

Experts believe Hanoi needs to immediately reduce vehicles in circulation in the inner city. However, this is a difficult task, with 7 million motorbikes, 1.1 million cars and 1.2 million vehicles from other localities flocking to Hanoi every day.

Regarding the public transport development in Hanoi, Thai Ho Phuong from the Hanoi Department of Transport said Hanoi is one of a few localities which don’t have public vehicles used for more than 10 years.

The operation of 10 electric bus routes in the city has helped to reduce 36,500 tons of CO2.

Dinh Quy