Grab, Charge+ to build EV charging network in Vietnam

[HO CHI MINH CITY] Grab Vietnam has entered a partnership with Singapore-based electric-vehicle (EV) charging solutions provider Charge+, aiming to accelerate the development of a nationwide EV charging network amid Vietnam’s stronger pushes toward green mobility.

Announced on Thursday (Dec 11), the agreement will see the two companies collaborate on deploying both charging and battery-swapping stations for electric cars, electric motorcycles and e-scooters, as part of Charge+’s goal to develop 5,000 charging points in Vietnam by 2030.

Under the partnership, Grab will integrate Charge+’s charging and battery-swap station information directly into its platform via Application Programming Interface connections. They will also use Grab’s operational data and user-demand patterns to determine optimal station locations.

Grab driver-partners in Vietnam will receive special charging discounts at Charge+ facilities, similar to existing incentives they are enjoying in Singapore and Cambodia under the two companies’ partnerships in these markets.

Ma Tuan Trong, managing director of Grab Vietnam, noted that pairing Grab’s local market insights and technology with Charge+’s regional experience in building charging infrastructure will help “solve the charging-station puzzle in Vietnam” and support a sustainable EV ecosystem for both drivers and consumers.

The ride-hailing giant, which operates across eight South-east Asian markets and serves millions of users daily, has been facing brutal competition in Vietnam against local ride-hailing firm Be and all-electric taxi company Xanh SM.

These players are all seeking ways to convert more rider-partners to use EVs amid the looming restrictions on internal combustion engine motorcycles in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in the coming year.

They have a growing slate of vehicle options, including those from local manufacturers VinFast, Dat Bike and Selex Motors, as well as Chinese brands such as Yadea.

However, charging availability remains uneven, particularly for gig-economy drivers who rely on tight turnaround times. These workers need a dense network of fast chargers to keep working without long delays and ensure daily income.

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Charge+, which raised US$8 million in a Series A funding round in 2024, operates around 5,000 charging points across six South-east Asian markets: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam. It aims to deploy 30,000 charging points globally for all EV types by the end of this decade.

In Vietnam, the startup is expanding its presence in residential complexes, commercial buildings, hotels, industrial parks and highway rest stops through partnerships with companies such as Porsche, BMW and CapitaLand.

Facing VinFast’s dominance

Grab rival Xanh SM already has an upper hand in the shift to green mobility in Vietnam, given that it runs a full electric fleet of cars and scooters made by its sister company VinFast. Both are founded by the country’s richest man, Pham Nhat Vuong.

VinFast is leading the EV boom in Vietnam, which is one of South-east Asia’s fastest-growing EV markets. In the first nine months of 2025, VinFast sold more than 100,000 electric cars, which accounted for about 27 per cent of Vietnam’s total four-wheeler sales during that period.

The Vietnamese EV maker also leads in the electric two-wheeler space, with its sales of e-scooters and e-bikes making up about 10 per cent of the 2.4 million units in total motorbike sales in the first three quarters.

Meanwhile, V-Green, also set up by Vuong, has installed 150,000 charging ports nationwide. These are exclusive to VinFast vehicles and provide free battery charging until mid-2027. Its goal is to scale up to 500,000 ports in the next three years, and add another 150,000 battery-swapping cabinets.