Old cars still on sale despite recent ban

The Ministry of Transport’s Vietnam Register announced a list of more than 24,400 expired cars and trucks. Of those, roughly 2,640 were passenger buses and the rest were trucks. All vehicles were produced between 1997 and 2000.

However, such cars have been marked for sale publicly both on many websites and forums and in car shops. Most were imported, had between 12 and 29 seats and had been used for between 18 and 21 years.

Noticeably, many were small vehicles used for transporting passengers or goods in rural areas. The most popular brands were Hyundai, Toyota, Daewoo, Mercedes and Ford Transit for passenger buses and Hyundai, Kamaz, Zin and Mitsubishi for trucks. All were sold at prices of between VND20-100 million (US$800-4,400) each.

On the website banxehoi.com, a Hyundai County passenger bus, produced in 1997, was posted for sale at a price of VND50 million (US$2,200). A Toyota Hiace produced in 1999 and a Toyota 16-seat-bus were advertised for sale at the same price each.

On website chotot.com, a 16-seat-bus made by Toyota was posted for sale at a price of VND55 million (US$2,420). Another Toyota Hiace bus was advertised for VND42 million (US$1,840). This vehicle was produced in 1998.

A seller named only as Trung said that most of these cars were still usable but in poor condition, and car owners would need to repair or upgrade them to extend their lifetimes. Usually, owners had to pay at least VND20 million (US$880) to bring the car to a safe and roadworthy standard.

Trung said the number of old cars advertised for sale at less than VND50 million (US$2,200) was high. The potential market for such cars was in rural areas where the average income of people remained low.

Ngo Hong He, head of the Vietnam Register’s motor vehicle inspection unit said that the agency has publicised the list of expired cars on its website.

He added that expired cars would pose dangers to drivers and passengers, as well as other road users.

Currently, under the traffic law, those who drive expired cars or trucks would face fines of between VND4-6 million (US$176-264), have their vehicle seized and their driving licence revoked for one to three months.

PhD Ngo Tri Long, an economic expert told online newspaper Dan Tri that the seizure of expired vehicles was necessary. It would help curb the use of such dangerous cars on the country’s roads.

In addition, measures on stopping the sale of such cars to rural and remote areas would also need to be carried out. This would prevent unexpected traffic dangers and protect the environment.

Many experts also said that it was necessary to regulate the expiry dates for four-seater cars as they were still allowed to operate after 20 years of use under the current law. It would help curbing emissions, safety risks and prevent the country from becoming a dumping ground for ancient vehicles.