New Delhi: Like New Delhi, several major cities in Vietnam are witnessing severe air pollution. According to the reports, conditions in the country’s big cities have become so bad that people wake up every morning to fog and thick smog. The capital, Hanoi, and the largest city, Ho Chi Minh City, are the worst affected areas of the country. Every day, around 7 million motorcycles crowd the streets of Hanoi. These petrol-powered two-wheelers are a key factor in making Hanoi one of the cities with the worst air quality in the world.
Owing to the unprecedented spike in the pollution level, the Vietnamese authorities have planned to ban petrol-powered motorcycles on the streets of Hanoi. To recall, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had issued Directive 20 in July, under which all petrol motorcycles will be prohibited from operating within Ring Road 1 of Hanoi starting July 1, 2026.
Many people in Hanoi have supported the government ban, but there are also many who oppose the decision. People argue that motorcycles are the cheapest and most convenient means of transportation for them.
Is Vietnam ready for the ban?
According to the experts, such a ban should not be implemented in such a short period of time and raised questions about this decision. They argue that the capital, Hanoi, has limited public transportation services. If preference is given to electric scooters, there are no charging stations available for them. The country’s power grid is in poor condition, and even if charging infrastructure is built, it cannot be adequately supplied with electricity.
According to the experts, this could lead to chaos in the capital, and under added pressure, the public transportation system could collapse.
Is Vietnam government helping the industries?
People are of the opinion that the change will have the greatest impact on Hanoi’s poorest residents. They believe that the government’s decision is just an excuse to strengthen the country’s largest conglomerate, Vingroup, and its electric vehicle unit, VinFast. Many feel that under the guise of environmental protection, the government actually wants to help the country’s biggest industrial group.
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