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SCMP Reporter

Construction company manager Tran Van Tinh, 47, parked his shiny black Mercedes close to the five-star hotel in central Hanoi.

'I bought it last year to use for travelling between my offices in Hanoi and Haiphong and other areas,' he explained.

It took him six months to pay the instalments on the US$47,000 (HK$366,600) car, not a top-of-the-range model but still expensive in a country where the average worker takes home US$22 a month.

'It's steady and it's comfortable and my customers seem to respect its owner,' he added. 'I use it when I have to go to sign a contract.'

Mercedes' share of the new-vehicle market last year was 10 per cent. Mr Tinh was one of the 2,622 buyers of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

The marque's sales grew by 40 per cent over 2001 - in line with the overall growth of the market. New-vehicle sales were a record 26,873. Toyota, Vietnam Daewoo and Ford together had more than half the market.

The growth rate was the best the industry has seen for a decade, according to the Vietnam Auto Makers Association. But  more than 22,000 of the new cars sold were imported, according to the Trade Ministry. The government is keen to increase local production.

In December it clashed with foreign manufacturers when it attempted to increase the tariff on imported parts to protect local producers. That clash prompted a backdown, but Vietnam is still hoping to increase local production to meet at least 60 per cent of demand by 2010.

While the four-wheel market is growing fast, there are still only 600,000 vehicles in Vietnam compared to the 10.3 million motorbikes whose riders have brought mayhem to the roads and contributed to a soaring accident death toll.



Imported cars rule the roads in Vietnam