Vietnam In-use Vehicle Inspection and Emissions Market 2026–2030

Summary: regulatory implementation, network expansion and equipment renewal

• 1 | Decision 43/2025 took effect on 1 March 2026 and assigns Level 1–5 emissions requirements by manufacturing year and region. Inspection establishments must check analysers, opacimeters, sampling accessories and decision software against the applicable level. [V3]
• 2 | Two-wheelers will require a new inspection network. Decision 13/2026 phases motorcycle and moped emissions inspection from July 2027 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, July 2028 in other centrally governed cities, and July 2030 in the remaining provinces. [V4]
• 3 | The installed vehicle base is large enough to sustain demand. At the end of 2023, Vietnam had more than 74.3 million motorcycles and 6.3 million cars. The two-wheeler parc was about 11.8 times the size of the car parc, supporting years of emissions and safety inspection demand. [V1]
• 4 | The car-inspection infrastructure is mature but needs renewal. Vietnam Register reported more than 300 motor-vehicle inspection establishments and over 5 million inspections a year in 2025, while also noting ageing equipment and insufficient replacement investment at some sites. [V2]
• 5 | QCVN 103 places measuring devices, control software, encrypted data storage, video monitoring and database connectivity within the same technical framework. Procurement therefore extends beyond stand-alone instrument specifications. [V7]
• 6 | In July 2026, the Ministry of Construction published a draft replacement for QCVN 103. Long-duration projects should define responsibility for software, interface and accessory upgrades after regulatory revisions. [V10]
• 7 | Electrification is progressing quickly. The IEA's 2026 report states that Vietnam's electric-car sales more than doubled in 2025 and approached 40% of new-car sales. Electric two-wheeler sales reached about 735,000 units, more than 20% of two-wheeler sales. [V8]
• 8 | Cross-border delivery requires more than measuring equipment: Vietnamese-language software, regulatory data interfaces, local metrology and calibration, spares and repair support are also required. High-voltage safety and diagnostics must follow the applicable future rules and procurement documents.

Procurement focus | Vietnam projects typically assess regulatory mapping, data integration, metrological traceability, spare-parts supply and fault recovery together. Modular equipment is easier to update when limits, interfaces or inspection procedures change.

01 Market fundamentals: vehicle parc, emissions regulation and electrification

Vietnam's vehicle inspection market is attractive because four drivers are converging: installed-vehicle scale, enforceable regulation, infrastructure renewal and electrification. This is not an equipment market powered only by new-vehicle sales; the compliance regime for vehicles in use creates long-term, recurring inspection demand in its own right.

At macro level, World Bank data show GDP growth of 8% in 2025, with 6.8% projected for 2026 and 7.1% for 2027. Trade equivalent to nearly 170% of GDP reflects a highly open manufacturing, import and cross-border supply chain. [V11]

For inspection-equipment suppliers, macro growth does not translate directly into proportional equipment sales. More useful signals are the expanding vehicle parc, stricter emissions control, the launch of digital certificates and regulatory data systems, and the need to move two-wheeler inspection infrastructure from limited pilots to nationwide capacity.

Data note | Motorcycle inspection frequency, procedural exemptions, equipment combinations, station fees and implementation pace will affect purchasing volume. Project estimates should use local tender prices, station throughput and observed procurement cycles rather than a single headline market-size figure.

02 Existing inspection network and equipment renewal

In its July 2025 review of road motor-vehicle inspection, Vietnam Register reported that the inspection network covered every province and centrally governed city, with more than 300 establishments and over 5 million vehicle inspections a year. [V2]

Existing establishments already operate brake, headlamp, emissions, camera and data systems. New equipment must connect with installed bays and management software, with clear provisions for installation, metrology, maintenance and fault recovery.

• Equipment renewal: Vietnam Register noted that some inspection equipment had been in use for many years and had not yet been replaced. [V2]
• Data systems: centres are managed through centralised software and camera systems, while inspection data are shared with tax, customs, traffic-police and local construction authorities. [V2]
• High throughput: more than 5 million inspections a year make continuous-duty performance, fault recovery, spare-parts availability and local service direct contributors to station revenue.
• Local service: installation, metrology and repair require coordination with local line integrators, service companies and metrology bodies.

Procurement review | 1. Mapping between equipment specifications and QCVN clauses. 2. Connection to the installed management system. 3. Verification and calibration arrangements. 4. Fault response and spares. 5. Software and module upgrades after regulatory revisions.

03 Applicable regulations and administrative responsibilities

QCVN 103:2024 remains the current equipment and site requirement. The Ministry of Construction published a replacement draft for consultation in July 2026; long-duration projects should define how software, interfaces and accessories will be updated after regulatory revisions. [V10]

04 QCVN 85: measurement-chain and operating requirements under tighter emissions levels

QCVN 85 applies TCVN 6204:2008 (ISO 3929:2003) to CO and HC measurement on spark-ignition vehicles. Diesel smoke from compression-ignition vehicles is measured under free acceleration with reference to TCVN 7663:2007 (ISO 11614:1999). [V5]

Decision 43 links QCVN 85 levels to manufacturing year and region. From 1 March 2026, pre-1999 vehicles follow Level 1, 1999–2016 vehicles Level 2, and 2017–2021 vehicles Level 3 nationwide; the latter group moves to Level 4 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from January 2027. Vehicles manufactured from 2022 follow Level 4 from 2026, Level 5 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from 2028, and Level 5 nationwide from 2032. [V3]

Equipment documentation | Tighter limits require verification of zero stability, leak integrity, response, repeatability, sampling lines, RPM and oil-temperature acquisition, and software decisions. Technical files should map each QCVN clause to an equipment function and supporting evidence.

05 Two-wheeler emissions inspection: phased equipment and site requirements

Vietnam's two-wheeler inspection market merits a dedicated product line. It combines an exceptionally large vehicle base, the need to expand the inspection network, and stronger pressure on cost per station and throughput than at traditional car-inspection centres. In January 2026, Vietnamese government news cited an official estimate of approximately 5,000 qualified emissions inspection facilities once the programme is implemented nationwide. This is a capacity-planning estimate, not a fixed licensing quota. [V9]

QCVN 99 identifies CO and HC as the core pollutants for motorcycle and moped emissions inspection. The measurement method refers to TCVN 11215:2015 (ISO 17479:2013 and related amendments). Equipment must also satisfy QCVN 103 and Vietnamese metrology law. [V6]

Typical station configuration | Exhaust gas analyser, RPM acquisition, control software, video, printing and reporting, regulatory data interface, reference gases, quality control, training, and local metrology and repair service.

06 QCVN 103: equipment, software, video and regulatory data connections

QCVN 103:2024/BGTVT specifies both station hardware and software conditions, covering sensor accuracy, sampling, control software, data storage, video monitoring and connectivity with the regulatory database. [V7]

Current QCVN 103 has applied since 1 January 2025. In July 2026, the Ministry of Construction released a draft replacement for QCVN 103 and QCVN 122, with public consultation open until 19 August 2026. [V10]

Upgrades and maintenance | Project documents should define hardware range and accuracy margins, software upgrade methods, interface version control and local metrology arrangements so that regulatory or data-interface changes do not make the installed system unusable.

07 Electronic inspection certificates and Hanoi's low-emission zone

From 1 March 2026, vehicle inspection establishments across Vietnam began issuing electronic inspection certificates. The certificate records the achieved emissions level and supports online verification through a QR code. [V12] This makes the digital chain between inspection result, certificate and road enforcement more direct.

Hanoi's official plan makes clear that the July 2026 pilot was not a blanket ban on every combustion vehicle throughout Ring Road 1. From 2027, fossil-fuel cars in specified areas must reach QCVN 85 Level 4. From 2028, the requirement expands across Ring Road 1; motorcycles and mopeds must reach QCVN 99 Level 3, while cars continue to require Level 4. [V13]

• For inspection establishments, the emissions level will no longer be only a number in a report. It will increasingly affect urban access, maintenance decisions and replacement decisions.
• For equipment suppliers, the commercial value of authentic data, traceability and stable repeat measurement will rise.
• For vehicle owners and workshops, the applicable level, retest conditions and the procedure after repairs must be stated clearly.

Public information | Inspection establishments should explain applicable vehicle levels, test items, certificate verification, retest procedures and low-emission-zone access requirements clearly.

08 Additional inspection capabilities required by electrification

IEA data show that electric-car sales in Vietnam more than doubled in 2025, making the country Southeast Asia's largest electric-car market, with EVs approaching 40% of new-car sales. Electric two-wheeler sales reached about 735,000 units, more than 20% of national two-wheeler sales. [V8]

The large combustion-vehicle parc means emissions inspection will continue, while rapid electrification adds requirements for high-voltage safety, insulation, diagnostics and battery-condition checks. Each vehicle group requires equipment selected against applicable rules, manufacturer procedures and procurement documents.

Inspection establishments and workshop networks can add high-voltage protection, insulation measurement, diagnostics and data tools alongside existing emissions and safety inspection capability. Test items and acceptance limits must follow Vietnam's rules in force at the time of the project.

09 Procurement tasks and decision criteria by customer type

The strongest differentiation in Vietnam will not come from the lowest equipment price. In a regulation-led inspection system, customers carry the risks of operating continuity, regulatory compliance and result validity. Downtime, failed data transmission, unsuccessful metrology or unmaintainable equipment can increase total cost rapidly.

Supply capability | Equipment specifications, regulatory mapping, data interfaces, local metrology and repair service should form one documented delivery. Purchasers use this evidence to judge whether the equipment can remain operational and continue producing valid results.

10 XBW equipment and service scope for Vietnam projects

Equipment must be confirmed item by item against vehicle classes, applicable QCVN clauses, inspection-line software and local metrology procedures. Specific models should enter the project list only after technical review.

Formal project files should include a clause-by-clause standards matrix, equipment list and installation conditions, plus service, calibration, consumables, spares and software-interface descriptions.

Delivery scope | Equipment may be supplied as a stand-alone instrument, an emissions inspection unit or a complete line. Complete-line projects also require data integration, installation acceptance, operator training and local service.

11 Procurement review, acceptance and long-term operation

Before procurement, the project team should complete QCVN mapping, vehicle and axle-load scope, the equipment list, Vietnamese documentation, interface specifications, metrology and calibration arrangements, the spare-parts list and service-response terms.

Acceptance should use representative vehicles and verify pass, fail, retest, network interruption, deferred upload and authorised manual handling. During operation, software versions, calibration status, critical spares and regulatory-interface changes require continuing records.

Operational support | Inspection-network efficiency, data credibility, equipment lifecycle cost and regulatory upgrade capability depend on continuing software maintenance, metrology support, spares and staff training.