2 minutes waiting at a red light makes me want to give up on gasoline motorbikes

This morning, as usual, I was heading to work. When I reached a major intersection near my house, the red light was on for 120 seconds. I stopped, turned off my engine, and waited. In front of me was a man riding an old motorbike, patched up with a rusty exhaust pipe. He did not turn off the engine, letting it sputter. At first, there was just a faint burning smell, but within seconds, thick black smoke started pouring from the exhaust.

I held my breath and tilted my head away, but the smoke still seeped through the gaps in my mask, invading my nose and throat. After just 10 seconds, I felt short of breath and slightly dizzy. Beside me, a woman grimaced, pulling her mask tighter, while the girl behind me covered her mouth and coughed uncontrollably.

I glanced at the countdown board, 87 seconds left. That meant I had to endure inhaling the toxic mix of CO, PM2.5 dust, burning gasoline fumes, and countless unidentifiable chemicals for nearly another minute and a half. At that moment, I thought, if just two minutes made me suffocate like this, how much have my lungs suffered over the years?

Finally, the light turned green. The old motorbike sped off, leaving a trail of smoke behind. As I continued on my way, my mind kept replaying the scene. This was not the first time, and certainly won't be the last, that I've experienced something like this.

Vehicles stop at a red light in Hanoi, June 2, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

Every day, in major urban centers like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, millions of people breathe in this gasoline exhaust: students on their way to school, pregnant women, the elderly, the sick... No one gets to choose whether or not they inhale it. No one can avoid the polluted air.

Then, I recall the recent debate about banning gasoline-powered motorbikes. Some argue that "it's not practical," "it'll affect the economy," or "people aren't ready for it." But if millions of people are still forced to inhale these toxic fumes every day, the real mistake would be allowing the situation to continue.

Gasoline-powered motorbikes, especially the old ones, don't just pollute the environment—they silently erode our health. Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, cancer... all linked to the toxic air we breathe. No one factors this cost into their travel expenses, but it's paid for in health, medication, and sometimes even lives.

I support the early banning of gasoline motorbikes, along with policies to help people transition to cleaner vehicles. Not because of international trends, but because we deserve to breathe cleaner air. Those two minutes this morning did not just leave me breathless, they made me realize: some things can't wait. We can't wait to be "ready" to breathe, and we can't wait to be "qualified" to live a healthy life.