On 21/8, VinFast announced the third phase of its nationwide "Strong Vietnamese Spirit – For a Green Future" campaign. The company unveiled three key initiatives: deploying 150,000 electric scooter battery swapping stations, launching swappable battery electric scooter models, and expanding its green transition support program to 34 provinces and cities.

50,000 swapping stations this year

After about two years of selling electric scooters with fixed batteries that require plug-in charging, VinFast will introduce swappable battery versions. The company will also develop a network of 150,000 battery swapping stations across the country. Starting in October, 1,000 stations will be installed, with the goal of reaching 50,000 by the end of the year. This planned swapping network is significantly larger than the current nationwide network of approximately 17,000 gas stations.

Design of a VinFast electric scooter battery swapping station. Photo: VinFast

Design of a VinFast electric scooter battery swapping station. Photo: VinFast

The swappable battery scooters will have similar features to existing models. The only difference is a two-compartment battery bay designed to hold two removable batteries that can be swapped at public stations. Each battery has a capacity of 1.5 kWh, providing a range of 85 km on a single charge. The swapping fee is 9,000 VND (including charging), considerably cheaper than gasoline for scooters. There's also a monthly battery rental fee of 200,000 VND.

VinFast has named its swappable battery scooter series "Max". The first model, the Evo, will launch in October, priced at 20 million VND. The Feliz, Verox, and Drift will follow, priced at 24.9 million, 33.9 million, and 39.9 million VND respectively, including VAT. VinFast will continue to sell its current fixed-battery models alongside the new swappable versions.

A VinFast event in Hanoi where customers trade in their old gasoline scooters for new electric ones. Photo: Tuan Vu

A VinFast event in Hanoi where customers trade in their old gasoline scooters for new electric ones. Photo: Tuan Vu

In the world's two largest electric scooter markets, China and India, battery swapping stations are quite common due to their speed and convenience. It takes only a few minutes to swap a depleted battery for a fully charged one. These stations eliminate concerns about charging times, finding charging locations, and potential risks of home charging.

Nationwide green transition program

Previously, VinFast's green transition incentives were limited to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and An Giang. This program expands the support nationwide.

In addition to a 4% discount on the listed price of each electric car, VinFast will offer a 3% annual interest rate subsidy for individual buyers, or 4% for ride-hailing drivers on the Xanh SM Platform. This subsidy will last for three years.

For electric scooters, buyers need to pay a 10% down payment, receive a 10% discount from VinFast, and can finance the remaining 80%. Xanh SM drivers can finance up to 90% of the purchase price, effectively receiving the scooter with zero upfront cost. GSM guarantees a fixed 90% revenue share for three years. All VinFast electric scooters are also exempt from registration fees until 31/12.

An electric SUV VF 9 at a "trade-in gasoline for electric" event. Photo: Tuan Vu

An electric SUV VF 9 at a "trade-in gasoline for electric" event. Photo: Tuan Vu

All VinFast electric cars and scooters can be charged for free at V-Green public charging stations nationwide until 30/6/2027 for cars and 31/5/2027 for scooters. VinFast also continues to hold "trade-in gasoline for electric" events nationwide, with discounts up to 100 million VND (for the VF 9) to encourage the switch to electric vehicles.

These support policies aim to make VinFast's electric scooters more practical for users, particularly with the added convenience of battery swapping at tens of thousands of stations nationwide.

In the first seven months of this year, VinFast sold nearly 80,000 cars of all types, maintaining its position as Vietnam's best-selling car brand for 10 consecutive months. While VinFast hasn't released official electric scooter sales figures, a source from VnExpress estimates sales of over 100,000 units. In the first half of 2025, Vietnam became the third-largest electric scooter market globally with over 209,000 units sold, trailing only China (over 3.2 million) and India (657,000), according to Motorcycles Data.

Quang Anh