VinFast to attempt two-wheel gambit in PHL
VINFAST HAS slowly come into its own in the Philippines after a few years since its entry here. In the first quarter of 2026, the Vietnamese automaker suddenly became the number-one-selling battery electric vehicle (BEV) in the country, overtaking erstwhile leader Tesla.
It must be pointed out though that a huge contributing factor to the increased sales has been the sudden breakout of war in the Middle East, which saw fuel prices jump overnight. The much higher prices have forced motorists to look at alternative forms of powertrains like hybrids and EVs.
Another emerging aspect of the VinFast business is its electrified scooters, which we know will make a debut here sometime this year. Prior to the launch, we were invited by the brand to sample and get to know the e-scooters all the way in Vietnam.
On our first day, we were brought to a VinFast e-scooter dealership in Hanoi. This showroom was a full-service type, including sales, service, and spare parts all under one roof. One unique part of the dealership is the battery-swapping cabinets. The one we saw had a total of six slots. We were also able to see it in action, with normal users coming up to the swapping station and, within minutes, leaving with a fully charged battery. It鈥檚 amazing how fast the process is 鈥 definitely much quicker than charging up the spent battery.
Day 2 saw us make our way to Hai Phong, where a lot of the region鈥檚 industrial might comes from. Within the many factories lies VinFast鈥檚 manufacturing complex, where both the cars and the scooters are built. After a brief introduction to the scooter manufacturing side, we took a tour around the facility. What immediately piqued my curiosity was that the scooter side of the business uses fewer manufacturing robots compared to the cars. While there are quite a few automated workers along the line, most of the scooter assembly work is still done by hand, based on what I could tell.
That is made more incredible by the fact that the Hai Phong factory can produce 1.2 million scooters per year, or an average of 4,000 to 5,000 per day across three production shifts. That鈥檚 an impressive number for a production line that still relies on a lot of human input. Yet, when we did get to actually test the scooters, I felt like the build quality was more than okay considering the price point. Though it must be said that I鈥檓 no expert; in fact, I鈥檝e never ridden a scooter in my life up to that point.
I did seek the opinions of the more experienced members of the media among the group, who did agree with me that the e-scooters were indeed impressive enough. I have to say that even as a novice, I enjoyed the experience. I liked how smooth and easy the acceleration is due to the electric motor, and the lack of noise made it more relaxing and approachable.
For the Philippines, VinFast will be bringing in three models, the Evo, Feliz, and Viper. Each scooter can be used with one or two batteries; two will give you more torque and range. The differences in range are small, but all e-scooters are generally able to do 145 to 150 kilometers with two batteries, and 80 to 85 kilometers when using one.
The next day was spent getting down to business about VinFast鈥檚 specific plans for its e-scooter entry into the Philippines. They were very keen to point out that they prioritize establishing the ecosystem. This translates to a planned 30,000 battery swapping stations across the Philippines. Each swapping station, according to the brand, will not be more than five kilometers away from one another. VinFast executives also mentioned that they are already in talks with not just dealer partners but also malls, gasoline stations, and even convenience stores as locations for these battery stations.
Price point is a main consideration for buyers, especially for an emerging segment. No price was declared to us yet, but in Vietnam, the entry-level Evo starts at around P50,000 (converted from their local currency). If they can keep it close to that price in the Philippines, it should be competitive. Part of the experience will be a battery subscription service, the same idea VinFast pioneered with its four-wheel offerings. For the scooters, they are targeting a monthly rate of P500 or less.
This brings me to the crucial part: market potential. Vietnam is one of the biggest markets for two-wheel mobility in the world. VinFast sold 450,000 scooters in 2025, which catapulted the brand to second place in terms of market share when compared to all moto brands, whether gasoline- or EV-powered. Currently, VinFast sits above established legacy scooter brands like Yamaha and Suzuki, which means the market has responded to it there.
Comparing both markets isn鈥檛 difficult. Like in Vietnam, Honda dominates the motorcycle market with a 55% share of total sales in the Philippines. While we do sell fewer motorcycles compared to them, the cost for personal mobility and lack of proper public transportation options have grown our two-wheeler market. Add to this the fact that VinFast also plans to make battery swapping free for all users until 2029, and it suddenly makes their product more appealing to customers.
If VinFast wants to take the same 鈥渄isruptor鈥 role in the Philippines, it needs to make the ecosystem work, plain and simple. But I think most importantly, it needs to properly educate the market they want to reach. There鈥檚 still a lot of confusion and speculation when it comes to EV mobility. They should be prepared to quash misinformation.
