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Green Transport Movement in Hanoi

As Vietnam's economy booms, motorcycles have also grown and have become a symbol of economic freedom for its population. In Hanoi alone, there are around 2 million motorbikes, about half of the capital's population. Together with cars and old trucks, these millions of motorbikes exhaust toxic fumes that eventually contribute to air quality degradation.

It is no wonder that air pollution is fast becoming an issue in Hanoi. Although the government has implemented laws on curbing vehicle emissions, action towards cleaner air must also come from the residents themselves.

With this realization, the Green Transport campaign was born. The campaign started with a Green Transport Day in May 2008 where nearly 3,600 individuals pledged to use green transport for a day. To build on this success, the Green Transport Week in September 2008 was developed which got the attention of youth and student groups to reflect on their traveling habits by recording their daily commuter logs on a website.

This year, from September 28 – October 2, the Green Transport Week campaign targeted employees of workplaces in Hanoi to use environmentally sustainable forms of transportation. Daily trips to work are a part of daily activities for Hanoi residents. With the theme “Get to work differently,” the campaign encouraged employees to get to work using green transport such as cycling, walking and taking the bus.

A friendly competition among workplaces was also held to find out the Travel-Wise office or the office that cuts the most CO2 within the week. By registering participation online, participants were able to see the results of their healthier commutes through a calculation of the greenhouse gas emissions they have reduced by traveling to work with a green transport.

Almost 300 employees from various organizations participated in the campaign. Participating organizations, such as Care International and the Worldbank office in Hanoi, held a Green Transport Day in their offices to support the campaign as well as to motivate their staff to use green transport. The campaign carries on until green transport becomes a sustainable pattern for Hanoians.

Tran Thi Hai,
Action for the City

This page was last updated 2 November 2009