HÀ NỘI — New diesel vehicles are required to follow Euro 4 emission standards before December 31 this year, according to the Ministry of Transport (MoT).

The information was released in a Government message sent to the MoT last week, urging implementation of the roadmap for application of exhaust emission standards to manufactured, assembled and imported new cars and motorbikes.

The Prime Minister said automakers and importers of diesel vehicles would have to ensure completion of procedures related to customs, registration and rolling out of vehicles for the domestic market before December 31.

If the procedures were incomplete until the given date, businesses would have to re-export or export the vehicles, the message stated.

Meanwhile, other newly manufactured, assembled and imported cars were obliged to meet Euro 4 norms from January 1, 2017 onwards to be eligible to register in Việt Nam.

The Prime Minister asked the MoT in co-ordination with relevant agencies to take responsibility for supervising the implementation process in accordance with Government Decision No 49/2011/QĐ-TTG on the application of exhaust emission standards for vehicles in Việt Nam.

He also requested wholesale petrol businesses to set up a plan to supply and distribute fuel that adheres to Euro 4 and 5 standards, meeting the demand of local automakers and importers. By the fourth quarter of this year, they will have to complete necessary infrastructure, ensuring the supply of Euro 4 standard diesel to the market latest by January 1, 2018.

Euro standards are a series of emission control standards compiled by the European Union for all new land vehicles. At present, Euro 6, currently the highest standard, is widely used across European countries.

Experts have said the leading cause of air pollution in Việt Nam is from means of transport, particularly engine-run vehicles, necessitating strict limits on emissions.

Việt Nam has applied Euro 2 standard since 2007. However, it is lagging behind neighbouring countries such as China and Singapore, which have applied Euro 5 standards, and Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia, which have applied Euro 4 standards.

Đặng Việt Hà, deputy head of Vietnam Register (VR), told baogiaothong.vn that in the first two months of this year, the VR granted certificate of Euro 4 standard to 24,996 cars, of which 14,060 units were imported and 10,936 were locally produced and assembled.

VR also gave the Euro 3 certificate to 271,577 motorbikes, of which 263,856 units were locally produced and assembled and the remaining were imported, Hà said.

"The VR has verified and certified qualified vehicles following the Prime Minister’s Decision 49 and the MoT’s guidelines. In case the vehicles are not qualified, they will be re-exported according to the regulation," Hà said. — VNS