The government has just issued Decree No. 166/2024 regulating the conditions for conducting motor vehicle inspection services; the organization and operation of vehicle inspection facilities; and the service life of motor vehicles.

Mr. Nguyen To An, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Register Department, said that the decree was developed based on inheriting previously stable regulations, while updating some new regulations to implement the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety and amending and supplementing some regulations to overcome shortcomings, ensuring transparency, convenience and suitability to practice.

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Repair and maintenance facilities may offer motorcycle emissions testing services. (Photo: Archival material)

Notably, the decree adds regulations on the conditions for motorcycle exhaust emission testing facilities to align with the Law on Road Traffic Safety and the Law on Investment.

Accordingly, the decree adds a provision stating that if a vehicle inspection facility is located in the same area as a bus station or rest stop, the regulations regarding area size do not apply.

"However, the inspection workshop must comply with the regulations in the national technical standards on technical facilities and location of motor vehicle inspection facilities, and motorcycle and moped emission testing facilities," a representative of the Vietnam Register Department informed.

The area for testing motorcycle emissions must have a minimum size of 15m2.

One new point in Decree No. 166 is the regulation on the conditions for facilities testing exhaust emissions from motorcycles and mopeds.

Mr. Nguyen To An stated that the requirements for exhaust emission testing facilities are also regulated in a simplified manner, creating favorable conditions for organizations and individuals to easily participate in providing motorcycle exhaust emission testing services.

Regarding the area requirements for fixed emission testing facilities, the testing area must have a minimum area of ​​15m2, corresponding to one emission measuring device, and can be shared with maintenance and repair facilities.

"For mobile emission testing facilities, there is no need to meet the area requirement, but the equipment and measuring instruments used for emission testing must be permanently installed on the specialized mobile emission testing vehicle," Mr. An said.

In terms of personnel, the facility must have at least one Class 3, Class 2, or Class 1 vehicle inspector and professional staff (personnel may hold multiple positions if they meet the professional certification requirements).

Solutions to avoid traffic congestion during motorcycle inspections.

According to statistics, there are currently about 70 million motorbikes nationwide, and 80% (equivalent to nearly 56 million vehicles) of them have been in use for 5 years or more and are subject to emissions testing.

When it comes time for motorcycle emissions testing, the Vietnam Registering and Inspection Department anticipates a huge demand, which could lead to congestion of vehicles arriving for inspection.

The reason is that the number of facilities for testing motorcycle and scooter emissions is insufficient to meet the testing needs as stipulated by the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety.

Anticipating this situation, the Vietnam Register Department has put forward a series of solutions. The issuance of Decree 166 is also one of the solutions aimed at addressing this issue.

According to Mr. An, in addition to using existing vehicle inspection facilities to conduct motorcycle emission testing, the Vietnam Registering and Inspection Department is proposing to utilize motorcycle and scooter maintenance and repair facilities of dealerships belonging to the Vietnam Motorcycle Manufacturers Association, as well as socialized facilities, to participate in motorcycle emission testing.

By mobilizing motorcycle dealerships and socialized facilities, the cost of investing in infrastructure for motorcycle emissions testing can be saved. This will help keep emissions testing services as low as possible.

Currently, there are nearly 3,000 facilities nationwide that ensure the implementation of motorcycle emission testing. Therefore, the Vietnam Register believes that this will minimize congestion and prevent traffic jams.