Hanoi Old Quarter bars cars and motorbikes on weekend nights—a low-emission zone begins

Around the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart of Hanoi tourism, the city's face has started to change on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. On July 1, 2026, Hanoi introduced a trial "low-emission zone (LEZ)" inside Ring Road 1 (Vành đai 1). The first phase covers the pedestrian area around Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter and the night market, and on weekend nights motorbikes and cars can no longer enter this stretch. The blocks where travelers walk almost nightly and residents live have become the very first target. Knowing the schedule and the details of the rules changes how you move on the ground.

From 7 p.m. on weekend nights, the heart of the Old Quarter becomes a pedestrian-only space

In Phase 1, from July 1 to December 31, the restrictions began split into two zones. The central "Zone 1" is bounded by the 12 streets surrounding the Hoan Kiem Lake pedestrian area, the Old Quarter and the night market (Trang Tien, Hang Khay, Le Thai To, Hang Dao, Hang Ngang, Hang Buom, Ma May, Hang Bac, Hang Mam, Nguyen Huu Huan, Ly Thai To, Ngo Quyen)-the area travelers walk most.

Here, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 7 p.m. to midnight, all motorbikes, mopeds, and private cars are stopped from passing (excluding defense and security vehicles). Not just gasoline vehicles but electric motorbikes and electric taxis are covered; during these hours, no vehicle can enter regardless of whether it has an engine. It's a formalized, expanded version of the pedestrian zone long held on weekends. In the outer "Zone 2" (the area bounded by streets such as Trang Thi, Tho Nhuom, and Hang Bong), fossil-fuel passenger vehicles seating more than 16 are shut out from 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7:30 p.m. (excluding route buses and school buses).

Why now: 6.9 million motorbikes and Directive No. 20

Hanoi depends heavily on two-wheelers. Motorbikes registered with the city alone top 6.9 million, and with vehicles flowing in from other provinces, downtown traffic has become a main driver of dry-season air pollution. Behind it is Directive 20, issued by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on July 12, 2025. It sets a policy of phasing out gasoline motorbikes inside Ring Road 1, and the LEZ trial that began in July is the entry point. Rather than a sudden blanket ban, the city started with time-based restrictions in a narrow pedestrian zone. The path to expansion is set as well.

From Phase 1's narrow pedestrian zone, it ultimately extends to the entire area inside Ring Road 1-26.07 square kilometers across nine districts. The city is advancing this together with a public-transit overhaul, including electrifying its buses (Hanoi's city buses go electric—17 routes and 281 vehicles reshape how residents get around). The order is to prepare an alternative means of getting around first, not just shut out the motorbikes.

Quick prep for travelers: walk on weekend nights, ride free buses by day

The real impact on travelers is greater the closer you stay to the Old Quarter. If you head into Zone 1 after 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, no vehicle—not a Grab bike, not an electric Xanh SM—can reach the center. The premise is that you get off before the zone and walk. Flip that around, and the Old Quarter in these hours becomes a pedestrian space free of exhaust and traffic jams, making a loop of the lakeside and night market rather pleasant. It also aligns with the city's push for nighttime strolling (Hanoi's nights grow longer as the city goes after what travelers spend after dark）。

Support for getting around has also been arranged. The 45 subsidized bus routes running inside Ring Road 1 will be fare-free from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The city has also set up 456 public rental bikes at 44 locations. If you base yourself in the Old Quarter, going on foot on weekend nights and using the free buses and rental bikes by day makes for cheap travel. When choosing lodging, checking on a map whether it's inside Zone 1 will keep you from getting lost with your luggage on arrival and departure.

Trade-in support for residents; the market moves to EVs

For residents who live by motorbike, a subsidy to switch is provided. Under Resolution 68/2026/NQ-HDND, passed in June 2026, residents who have lived in Hanoi for two years or more and own a gasoline motorbike receive a 20% subsidy when buying an electric motorbike (those with a body price of 10 million VND or more qualify), capped at 5 million VND per case. Poor households with monthly income under 2.5 million VND get more generous support of up to 20 million VND; each is limited to once per person. At a rough 170 VND to the yen, 5 million VND is about 29,000 yen and 20 million VND about 118,000 yen. With this subsidy overlapping the gasoline-motorbike restrictions of Directive 20, the two-wheelers on the streets will switch over to electric over several years. It's a tailwind for VinFast's electric motorbikes and Xanh SM's electric mobility, and charging infrastructure is being built out in parallel.

The restricted area and practical transport details

Summary: If you're heading to Hanoi from summer 2026, plan the Old Quarter on foot on weekend nights

From July 2026, Hanoi's Old Quarter turns into a pedestrian-first space on weekend nights, and by 2028–2029 the rules will extend across all nine districts inside Ring Road 1. Travelers can prepare in three ways. First, if you're staying in the Old Quarter, ride-hailing and cars can't enter the center after 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so plan those hours on foot. Second, use the now-free 45 bus routes and rental bicycles for daytime travel, and check on a map beforehand whether your lodging sits inside Zone 1. Third, since the covered area expands in stages, check the latest restricted zone before your next visit. Walking the Old Quarter on a weekend, with less traffic and fewer exhaust fumes, will get more pleasant bit by bit.

Sources:Vietnam Government Portal（baochinhphu.vn）／VietnamNet／Việt Nam News