Hanoi scooter riders baulk at petrol-powered bikes ban
"Of course everyone wants a better environment," said housewife Dang Thuy Hanh, baulking at the 80 million dong ($3,000) her family would spend replacing their four scooters with electric alternatives.
"But why give us the first burden without any proper preparation?" grumbled the 52-year-old.
Hanoi's scooter traffic is a fixture of the city's urban buzz. The northern hub of nine million people has nearly seven million two-wheelers, hurtling around at rush hour in a morass of congestion.
Their exhausts splutter emissions regularly spurring the city to the top of worldwide smog rankings in a country where pollution claims at least 70,000 lives a year, according to the World Health Organization.
The government last weekend announced plans to block fossil-fuelled bikes from Hanoi's 31 square kilometre (12 square mile) centre by next July.
It will expand in stages to forbid all gas-fuelled vehicles in urban areas of the city in the next five years.
Hanh -- one of the 600,000 people living in the central embargo zone -- said the looming cost of e-bikes has left her fretting over the loss of "a huge amount of savings".
While she conceded e-bikes may help relieve pollution, she bemoaned the lack of public charging points near her home down a tiny alley in the heart of the city.
"Why force residents to change while the city's infrastructure is not yet able to adapt to the new situation?" she asked.
Many families in communist-run Vietnam own at least two motorcycles for daily commutes, school runs, work and leisure.
Proposals to reform transport for environmental reasons often sparks allegations the burden of change is felt highest by the working class.
London has since 2023 charged a toll for older, higher pollution-emitting vehicles.
France's populist "Yellow Vest" protests starting in 2018 were in part sparked by allegations President Emmanuel Macron's "green tax" on fuel was unfair for the masses.
- 'Cost too high' -
Hanoi authorities say they are considering alleviating the financial burden by offering subsidies of at least three million dong ($114) per switch to an e-bike, and also increasing public bus services.
Food delivery driver Tran Van Tan, who rides his bike 40 kilometres (25 miles) every day from neighbouring Hung Yen province to downtown Hanoi, says he makes his living "on the road".
"The cost of changing to an e-bike is simply too high," said the 45-year-old, employed through the delivery app Grab. "Those with a low income like us just cannot suddenly replace our bikes."
Compared with a traditional two-wheeler, he also fears the battery life of e-bikes "won't meet the needs for long-distance travel".
But citing air pollution as a major threat to human health, the environment and quality of life, deputy mayor Duong Duc Tuan earlier this week said "drastic measures are needed".
In a recent report, Hanoi's environment and agriculture ministry said over half of the poisonous smog that blankets the city for much of the year comes from petrol and diesel vehicles.
The World Bank puts the figure at 30 percent, with factories and waste incineration also major culprits.
Several European cities, such as Barcelona, Paris and Amsterdam have also limited the use of internal combustion engines on their streets -- and other major Vietnamese cities are looking to follow suit.
The southern business hub Ho Chi Minh City aims to gradually transition delivery and service motorbikes to electric over the next few years.
But with the high costs, office worker Nguyen My Hoa thinks the capital's ban will not be enforceable.
"Authorities will not be able to stop the huge amount of gasoline bikes from entering the inner districts," 42-year-old Hoa said.
"It simply does not work."
tmh/sjc/jts/fox
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Infosys: Fiscal Q1 Earnings Snapshot
BANGALORE, India (AP) — BANGALORE, India (AP) — Infosys Limited (INFY) on Wednesday reported fiscal first-quarter profit of $809 million. The Bangalore, India-based company said it had net income of 19 cents per share. The results matched Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was also for earnings of 19 cents per share. The business consulting services provider posted revenue of $4.94 billion in the period, topping Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $4.84 billion. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights ( using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on INFY at Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
India's Infosys narrows annual forecast helped by banking and financial unit strength
BENGALURU (Reuters) -India's Infosys narrowed its full-year forecast on Wednesday after reporting stronger-than-expected revenue for the first quarter, driven by growth in its financial services segment. The Bengaluru-based software services company narrowed its annual revenue growth forecast to 1%–3% from a prior range of flat to 3%- in line with analyst expectations for a lift in the lower end. Consolidated sales rose 7.5% year-on-year to 422.79 billion rupees ($4.89 billion) in the June quarter, while analysts, on average, expected revenue of 418.06 billion rupees, as per data compiled by LSEG. Revenue from Infosys' banking and financial services segment rose for the fifth consecutive quarter, helped by marquee deal wins including Bank of Sydney, Metro Bank, and U.K.-based AIB. Net profit rose 8.7% in three-month period to 69.21 billion rupees. Analyst had expected 67.55 billion rupees, as per data compiled by LSEG. Analysts have said that U.S. President Donald Trump easing some tariff restrictions, along with global interest rate cuts by central banks, could boost India's $283-billion IT industry, where the banking and financial services segment contributes about a third of total revenue. Net new bookings rose $3.8 billion during the quarter, compared with $2.6 billion in the previous quarter and $4.1 billion in the year-ago period. Infosys also retained its operating margin forecast at 20-22% for FY26. Earlier this month, bellwether Tata Consultancy Services missed revenue estimates and flagged delays in decision making and project starts. Smaller rivals and Tech Mahindra fared better than large caps on account of higher deal wins and better margin. Shares listed in Mumbai closed 0.8% higher ahead of the results. ($1 = 86.3880 Indian rupees) Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hasbro lifts annual revenue forecast on strong demand for "Magic: The Gathering" games
(Corrects paragraph 3 to say segment revenue rose 16%, not 28%, and revenue for "Magic: The Gathering" surged 23%, not 32%) (Reuters) -Hasbro raised its annual revenue forecast on Wednesday, as the toymaker leans on strength of "Magic: The Gathering" games and cost-cutting efforts to weather the impact from mounting economic and tariff uncertainty. The Play-Doh maker saw strong demand for its "Wizards of the Coast" and digital gaming segments for a second straight quarter, as its pivot to digital gaming helped add younger customers even as it struggles to revive interest in toy business. For the second quarter, the company's revenue in "Wizards of the Coast" and digital gaming segment rose 16% due to momentum in "Magic: The Gathering", whose revenue surged 23% driven by growth in tabletop. Hasbro's turnaround efforts, including cutting 3% of its global workforce as well as diversifying its manufacturing and logistics footprint, have helped it reduce its reliance on China, from where it imports nearly half of its goods. It also has manufacturing hubs in Vietnam, India and Japan. The company expects annual revenue to be up mid-single digits in constant currency terms, compared with prior predictions to be up slightly.