Addressing the conference, Le Trong Minh, VIR’s editor-in-chief, said, “If each car on the road is considered a mobile emission station, Vietnam has nearly 6.5 million such emission stations. These cars are also considered a major cause of air pollution, directly affecting people's health.”

“It is vital to convert, replace, or even shut down these emission stations in line with the global trend. It is also an urgent task if Vietnam wants to achieve its net zero goal by 2050. This is particularly true in the context that Vietnam has a rapidly increasing population, stable economic growth, and ample room for development in the automotive industry.”

If the country doesn’t find immediate solutions to promote the green automobile industry, the mobile emission stations will remain a hurdle to solving sustainable development problems, he added.

Realising this reality, both the government and the business community have taken practical actions to create new momentum for the automobile industry, paving the way for green cars to roll, and creating greener, cleaner traffic.

More four-wheeler vehicles are now equipped with modern, fuel-saving, and eco-friendly technologies. This trend has contributed to reducing smoke, dust, and noise pollution, gradually creating a new face of transportation towards the country's net zero goals by 2050.

According to Minh, there are tremendous opportunities for the low- or no-emission vehicle market to grow strongly. At the same time, there are not so many major issues hindering Vietnam's transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles like other automotive production powerhouses. The country even has a golden opportunity to become an EV manufacturing and export powerhouse if drastic actions are taken alongside the government’s efforts to promote green economy transition.

“Encouraging consumers to switch to EVs requires the collaborative efforts of all ministries and businesses. Every path needs to be planned harmoniously and reasonably to reach the same destination. The green energy transition is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation industry in general and the automotive sector in particular,” Minh noted.