Why delay the issuance of motorcycle emission standards by 1-2 months?

Air pollution in Hanoi is a burning issue. (Photo: VNA)

On April 24, 2025, a representative of the Department of Environment ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ) said that the Vietnamese emission standards for motorbikes are expected to be issued in May or June.

Previously, the Government Office issued Notice No. 111/TB-VPCP dated March 17, 2025, concluding the conclusion of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha at the meeting to listen to the report on the development and roadmap for applying Vietnamese Standards on emissions of road motor vehicles in circulation.

Based on the reports and the air pollution situation in localities, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to urgently issue, under its authority, the Vietnam Standards on emissions for automobiles in circulation in March 2025, and issue the Vietnam Standards on emissions for motorbikes in circulation in April 2025.

Regarding the delay in issuing motorcycle emission standards by 1-2 months, at the National Scientific Conference on Controlling and Improving Air Quality in Vietnam, held on April 24, Deputy Director of the Department of Environment - Mr. Le Hoai Nam said that the spirit is that emission regulations will be stricter, with a roadmap for application to each locality, especially in large cities with heavy pollution such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

According to Mr. Nam, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is also collecting opinions similar to the automobile emission standards.

According to the Department of Environment, issuing standards on motorbike emissions is one of the solutions to reduce air pollution, which is becoming a pressing issue today, especially in large cities.

Citing the monitoring results in 2024, Mr. Nam said that the PM 2.5 fine dust index in most northern provinces and cities (such as Hanoi, Ha Nam, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen) exceeded the standard.

Among the causes, according to the leaders of the Department of Environment, as well as experts at the workshop, traffic activities (such as emissions, road dust) are ranked highest with a contribution rate of more than half compared to other sources such as industry, construction, open burning (burning straw, waste outdoors), and people.

Regarding emissions from vehicles, Mr. Nam also said that Vietnam currently has over 70 million registered motorbikes and scooters in circulation, of which more than 45 million are used by people every day. According to the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction), motorbikes are the largest source of pollution emissions, but have not been controlled because the old Road Traffic Law has not yet regulated them.

Contributing her comments at the workshop in the spirit of promoting air pollution control, Dr. Angela Pratt - Chief Representative of the World Health Organization in Vietnam, emphasized that poor air quality is a significant risk to people's health, especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, poor households and those directly affected.

“Without immediate action, the health impacts of air pollution could threaten the gains we have made in recent decades,” warned the WHO Representative in Vietnam.

According to vietnamplus.vn

Source: https://baodanang.vn/xa-hoi/202504/vi-sao-lui-thoi-diem-ban-hanh-quy-chuan-khi-thai-xe-may-1-2-thang-4005739/