The Ministry of Construction has proposed requiring all newly built apartment buildings to include dedicated parking and charging areas for electric vehicles (EVs), aiming to address mounting safety and infrastructure challenges as EV use rises rapidly in major cities.
A designated electric vehicle parking area in the basement of an apartment complex in Hà Nội. New apartment buildings may be required to include dedicated EV parking areas under a proposal by the Ministry of Construction. — VNA/VNS Photo
Under a draft amendment to the national technical regulation on apartment buildings, developers of new projects would be required to designate separate areas for EV parking, charging and related facilities.
These areas must be at least two metres away from parking spaces for petrol-powered vehicles and should be located near entrances or ramps to facilitate access and emergency response.
The draft requires EV parking areas to be well ventilated, equipped with early fire-detection cameras and accessible to firefighting forces. Where the minimum two-metre separation cannot be ensured, developers would have to install fire-resistant walls or partitions at least two metres high.
For new projects, EV parking would be mandatory and counted within a building’s total parking capacity. Existing apartment complexes would be encouraged to retrofit EV parking where space and technical conditions permit, while meeting the same safety standards.
The proposal also sets out detailed requirements for EV charging infrastructure. Charging areas would be allowed only within approved project boundaries and limited to the first basement or semi-basement levels. Charging facilities deeper underground would require additional technical solutions and approval from competent authorities.
Charging zones must be separated from other functional areas and placed near entrances. Charging areas for electric cars and electric motorbikes must be separate and at least two metres apart.
For electric cars, each charging zone would be limited to a maximum of 20 parking bays, with fire compartments capped at 1,500 sq m above ground or 1,000 sq m underground.
For electric motorbikes, charging areas could include up to 150 parking spaces, with smaller fire compartment limits. Charging equipment installed in basements would be restricted to a maximum capacity of 22 kilowatts.
Battery-swapping stations would not be permitted inside apartment buildings. Instead, they must be located in safe areas at least three metres from emergency exits, or one metre if separated by a non-combustible barrier, and equipped with cameras, 24/7 monitoring and appropriate fire extinguishers.
The ministry also proposes banning residents from charging EVs in common areas such as lobbies, corridors or emergency exits, bringing batteries or electric vehicles into elevators or apartments, or running power cables from private units to charge vehicles.
According to the ministry, the proposals draw on domestic experience and international standards, including regulations from Russia and China.
Việt Nam currently has about 6.7 million cars, roughly 3 per cent of which are electric, and around 70 million motorbikes, with EVs accounting for about 4.3 per cent. Most EVs are concentrated in large cities, a figure expected to rise quickly.
Officials said existing regulations only provide general requirements for parking petrol and diesel vehicles, with no specific technical standards for EV parking and charging in apartment buildings, creating safety risks, particularly fire hazards.
In the absence of clear national rules, apartment buildings have adopted varying approaches. In HCM City, some ban EVs in basements altogether, others allow only electric motorbikes, while some relocate EV parking to ground floors rather than enclosed underground spaces.
The ministry said the draft regulation aims to keep pace with the rapid growth of EVs in urban areas, while noting that additional management measures may be needed to ensure consistent nationwide implementation.