Inspectors check under a truck at Tien Vinh Motor Vehicle Inspection Centre (70-04D) in Tây Ninh province. Older vehicles must undergo strict emission testing under the new law.

HÀ NỘI — The Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, which will take effect from January 1, 2025, stipulates that motorcycle emission testing must protect the environment.

However the application of this regulation is being studied and calculated carefully before implementation.

The law states that emission testing must be carried out in accordance with the law on environmental protection and at emission testing facilities that meet national technical standards.

Nguyễn Tô An, a Deputy Director of the Vietnam Register, has stated that a full roadmap, timeline, applicable standards, implementation methods and specific subjects for the motorcycle emission inspection will be issued by the Government before the regulation is implemented.

The regulation, from January 1, 2025, will be implemented according to the roadmap issued by the Government.

The large number of motorbikes in use in Việt Nam, including many old vehicles, needs to be carefully considered when implementing the new regulation.

The implementation plan and method need to be harmonious, reasonable and feasible, according to the Deputy Director of the Vietnam Register.

For newly imported and assembled vehicles, emissions have already been controlled. The focus will be on older vehicles that have not been properly inspected.

New vehicles will not be inspected immediately, but will have to undergo emission testing after two to three years of use.

For vehicles of different ages, specific and detailed calculations will be made to determine the appropriate emission testing requirements.

Experts believe the authorities need to develop a comprehensive plan soon to inspect motorbike emissions, as this remains a popular and common mode of transport that contributes significantly to environmental pollution.

Emissions from older motorbikes and mopeds (over five years old) in major cities like Hà Nội, HCM Minh City, and Đà Nẵng tend to exceed current emission standards. Vehicles over ten years old have very high emission rates and are reported to account for over 50 per cent of the total number of motorbikes and mopeds in these areas.

The chairman of the Vietnam Clean Air Network, Hoàng Dương Tùng, has stated that the increasing number of vehicles makes emissions control more difficult. He proposes focusing emission control efforts first on the big cities where there are large numbers of vehicles and then expanding to remote mountainous areas where vehicle numbers and emissions are lower.

According to the Institute of Transport Strategy and Development, the growth of motorbikes in Việt Nam has reached an average of about 9.1 per cent per year.

The total number of registered motorbikes nationwide is about 69.2 million, with about 45.5 million currently in circulation.

The Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety states that the Minister of Transport will set the procedures for granting, re-granting, temporarily suspending operations and revoking certificates of eligibility to operate for motorbike and moped emission testing facilities.