Ho Chi Minh City plans petrol vehicle restrictions
Ho Chi Minh City is preparing to restrict petrol-powered vehicles in parts of the city centre as part of a wider effort to accelerate the adoption of electric mobility. According to state-controlled media, Vietnam’s largest city is targeting electric vehicles to account for 50 per cent of motorbikes used by officials and ride-hailing drivers by 2027, rising to 100 per cent by 2030.
According to Nikkei, a city-backed research institute outlined plans in a July proposal to introduce designated low-emission zones, where petrol-powered vehicles would be restricted during peak hours from January 2027. “From January 2027, gasoline-powered vehicles would be restricted from operating during peak hours in designated low-emission zones,” the institute is reported as saying, adding that the restrictions could be tightened further from 2028. An undated article published on the city’s website apparently said the first pilot zone would be introduced in the southern Can Gio district before being expanded to the city centre in 2027.
Enforcement will likely rely on street cameras, with fines issued to vehicles entering restricted areas illegally. In parallel, the city plans to expand charging infrastructure for electric cars and two-wheelers. According to the Lao Dong newspaper, Ho Chi Minh City intends to install 1,338 charging stations at locations such as shopping centres and aims to enable charging at offices, hospitals, parking facilities and bus stations.
Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, announced similar measures last summer. It will ban all fossil fuel-powered motorbikes and scooters within Ring Road 1 from 1 July 2026 as a measure to combat air pollution. Starting from 2028, the ban on combustion-powered two-wheelers will be gradually extended to other areas of the city and extended to combustion-powered cars.
Other than Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi is also preparing to launch a major subsidy programme to help residents replace around 450,000 petrol-powered motorbikes with electric vehicles before the ban comes into force in July 2026. However, in June 2025, HCM City already announced plans to convert approximately 400,000 ride-hailing motorcycles to electric vehicles.
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