Hundreds of charging pillars for motorbikes and cars have been set up in the parking area of the Việt Nam Exhibition Centre in Đông Anh, Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hiếu

Charging and parking infrastructure must be treated as a core component of Việt Nam’s transition to electric vehicles. Yet Hà Nội’s progress remains constrained by the absence of clear, comprehensive standards and fire safety regulations for this new type of facility.

Architect Trần Huy Ánh, a permanent member of the Hà Nội Association of Architects, spoke with VOV Giao thông (Transport) about the gaps and what it will take to build a charging network that is both safe and accessible.

How do you assess the current national standards and technical regulations for electric vehicle charging and parking infrastructure?

The Ministry of Science and Technology has drafted a set of safety standards and assigned the Hà Nội Department of Science and Technology to elaborate on them. This guidance is crucial if we want a charging network capable of serving millions of vehicles across Hà Nội.

But the draft falls short. It contains very little substantive information. One standard leads to another, and those in turn point to more documents, leading to a lack in clarity. As someone directly affected, I find this disappointing.

Agencies preparing to build charging stations will struggle, because securing land is difficult. They must also obtain planning approval, construction permits and a stable energy supply, as well as worry about financing, protecting their investment and managing risks.

When the most fundamental element – technical safety standards — is unclear, the entire process becomes far more challenging.

What kind of standards and regulations are needed to support green transport in Hà Nội?

We need integrated standards that provide concrete, specific requirements for charging stations, not a library of documents bundled together.

The lead agency must work with key bodies, especially the fire prevention police and urban construction regulators, to define what a model charging station must look like.

This includes prescribed distances, materials, scale, dimensions, safety conditions and economic and technical specifications for materials and equipment.

We also need clarity on which standards have already been internationally harmonised and which still require testing. Investors and agencies should be able to treat the standards as a practical handbook, not a set of riddles.

In terms of finding space for charging infrastructure, where should the city look, given that parking is already a longstanding challenge?

The city has consulted various stakeholders and businesses have shown interest, but current participation remains limited. Firms tend to act only where conditions are convenient, skipping difficult sites or asking the city to prepare everything for them. This risks leading to monopolies and exclusive advantages.

For a policy that affects millions of residents, Hà Nội needs a regulatory environment that encourages broad participation.

Discussions must be more open, identifying limitations in energy supply, land access, financing and technical tools. The city should be more proactive in seeking contributions from experts, investors, communities and service providers.

We have redundant offices, idle facilities and long-abandoned projects across the city. These do not need to be reclaimed immediately, but they can be repurposed to ease pressure on mobility.

Even underused bus stations could be converted. What the city needs is not to find land by itself, but to craft policies that create opportunities for multiple parties to join.

With only around seven months left to meet key milestones, continued hesitation will place greater strain on the daily journeys of millions of citizens. — VNS