Apartment complexes grapple with electric vehicle parking amid regulatory gaps

Refusing to accept EVs has owners complaining but other occupants raising concerns about battery fires and added liability.

At the HH Linh Dam apartment complex in Hoang Liet Ward, Hanoi, home to about 30,000 people, the management board announced in late November that it would stop allowing electric motorbikes and bicycles in the basement, citing insufficient space and a lack of firefighting equipment required for parking such vehicles.

Residents were advised to park at external lots until Feb. 1, 2026.

Electric vehicle parking area at the HH Linh Dam apartment complex in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Chieu

Hoang Linh, a resident, said she had to delay plans to buy an electric motorbike, but queried such a ban in light of the government’s push toward green transportation. The fact she has to find parking elsewhere causes her great inconvenience, she added. But another resident Bui Thien Phuoc seemed to be in favor of such a ban, saying he is concerned about fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, adding that basement fire systems are inadequate to handle them.

But Hoang Liet Ward chairman Nguyen Anh Tuan directed the management to scrap the ban and instead designate EV charging areas, install appropriate fire prevention equipment and strengthen monitoring.

Under the country’s housing laws, apartment parking lots must accommodate both gasoline and electric vehicles, with charging station design meeting certain technical standards. Fire safety laws do not prohibit parking or charging EVs indoors. But the lack of specific guidelines for implementation has led many apartments to create their own rules.

In HCMC, apartment managements have taken varying approaches: some prohibit EVs in basements, others allow two-wheel EVs but not electric cars and some restrict EV parking to open ground-level areas and do not allow them in enclosed basements.

The Hoa Sen apartment complex in Minh Phung Ward initially banned all EVs. But as demand increased, the building designated a separate ground-floor area for EVs instead of the underground parking space and installed 15 paid charging stations.

The Hoa Sen apartment complex marks separate areas for electric vehicle parking and charging stations, apart from gasoline-powered vehicles. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van

Pham Xuan Cau, head of its management board, said residents were consulted before the regulations were amended. He said existing fire systems are designed for gasoline and not battery-powered vehicles, and security staff have not been trained to handle lithium-ion fires. Moreover, without a clear legal framework, managements fear liability if any untoward incident occurs.

Construction Code No. 04 outlines apartment design standards but does not specify requirements for charging stations, safe distances between gasoline and EVs, basement ventilation, or wiring systems. So each building finds its own solution, leading to inconsistent practices.

Nguyen Kien Giang, deputy head of the HCMC Department of Construction’s facility maintenance and operation division, admitted the lack of specific fire-safety standards for charging stations or parking areas for lithium-ion vehicles in enclosed basements complicates both the approval of new buildings and the installation of charging systems in existing ones.

Cityland Park Hill apartment complex in Go Vap District, HCMC, does not allow electric cars in the basement and keeps electric motorbikes near the security post with a fire extinguisher made for EVs. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van

The department has proposed adding electric charging station regulations to the apartment management framework and amending the Construction Law to allow the installation of EV charging systems without requiring a construction permit, provided they meet safety, fire and environmental standards.

Nguyen Van Dat, deputy head of the HCMC People’s Council’s Legal Affairs Committee, said the city should quickly issue fire-safety standards for charging stations so that apartment buildings could adopt uniform rules. For older buildings that cannot be upgraded, local authorities should allocate nearby land plots for public charging points to meet immediate needs and address residents’ concerns, he said.

Hanoi and HCMC currently have the highest number of EVs in the country, with nearly 80,000 electric cars and 200,000 electric two-wheel vehicles. Their numbers are expected to continue rising with Vietnam’s pushes toward green energy and reduced emissions.