European rules for motorbikes

17:31' 25/04/2008 (GMT+7)
Nation to impose strict new emission standards

All new motorbikes in the country will have to meet European emissions standard from July - despite the fact that there are currently no testing centres in the country, said Pham Quang Thanh from the Viet Nam Register.

Until suitable facilities become available here, Thanh said domestic manufacturers would have to send motorbikes assembled here abroad for emissions testing.

He said 10 verification foreign centres had so far been approved by the Government, including ones in China, Thailand and Japan.

The EURO 2 emissions' standard puts a limit on the amount of noxious fumes new motorbikes are permitted to release. The standard is currently applicable in the European Union.

In 2005, the Government published a decision to apply European standards to motorbikes in Vietnam from July 2008.

Enterprises are responsible for having their products verified according to the law, said To Duc Long from the Register.

However, he said officials would inspect motorbikes to ensure they met manufacturers' claims. Those who falsely claim that their vehicles meet EURO 2 standards will be punished, said Long.

Officers from the Viet Nam Register will inspect verification certificates, said department head Trinh Ngoc Giao.

Giao said a verification centre would open in Vietnam next year. He added that the department had spent five years trying to find a suitable site.

"At last, the department has been given the nod and the centre is now being built," said Giao, adding: "In the meantime, we will ensure that newly assembled motorbikes or bikes coming into Vietnam meet the EURO 2 standard."