VinFast has rolled out a vehicle rental programme for commercial drivers in Indonesia and the Philippines, expanding beyond outright sales as it tries to deepen its position in two fast-developing Southeast Asian electric vehicle markets. The company said the scheme will let service drivers lease Green-series vehicles through authorised dealers in Greater Jakarta and Metro Manila, with daily rates starting at 312,500 rupiah in Indonesia and 1,000 pesos in the Philippines.

The move matters because it shifts VinFast’s regional pitch from selling cars to lowering entry costs for drivers and fleet operators, many of whom remain wary of the upfront price of battery-powered vehicles even when running costs are lower. VinFast said the rental option would sit alongside traditional purchases and tailored finance packages for transport operators, giving drivers a choice between long-term leasing and ownership based on cash flow and operating needs. The programme covers the Herio Green and Limo Green models, which the company says were developed for high-frequency transport use.

VinFast is launching the scheme at a moment when fuel-price volatility has sharpened the commercial case for electrification across the region. In its announcement, the company tied the offer directly to swings in global fuel prices and said the lower deposit requirement, long-term contracts and fixed rental rates were designed to help drivers begin operating without taking on the full burden of ownership. It also said drivers in both markets would be able to tap wider ecosystem support, including free charging at V-Green stations through to the end of March 2029.

That broader ecosystem push has become central to VinFast’s strategy in Asia. Reuters reported last year that the company had begun reorienting its overseas expansion towards Asian markets after facing delays and higher costs in the United States, with planned assembly operations in India and Indonesia forming part of that shift. In Indonesia, Reuters later reported, VinFast moved to expand investment to as much as $1 billion after inaugurating a plant in West Java with annual capacity of 50,000 vehicles. The company has also said it wants to build out charging infrastructure across the country, with Indonesia’s investment minister stating in March 2025 that VinFast planned up to 100,000 charging stations there.

Indonesia offers VinFast scale and policy support, but it is also a fiercely competitive market. Government incentives have helped make battery-powered cars more affordable, with Reuters reporting that Jakarta removed luxury tax on electric vehicles for the 2024 fiscal year, cut value-added tax to 1% from 11% for qualifying buyers and extended import-tax relief to the end of 2025. The International Energy Agency said electric car sales in Indonesia tripled in 2024 even as the conventional car market contracted, lifting the EV share of sales to more than 7%. Reuters also reported in March 2025 that electric models were a major factor behind the country’s first monthly car-sales growth since June 2023.

The Philippines is a smaller car market but one where policy and public transport needs are creating an opening for fleet-based electrification. Reuters reported in 2024 that Manila had extended zero tariffs on electric vehicles and parts until 2028, broadening the measure to include hybrids, electric motorcycles and bicycles as part of a wider effort to cut fossil-fuel dependence. VinFast had already signalled its ambitions there in early 2024, when Reuters reported plans to open an EV business network in the country. By June 2025, Green and Smart Mobility, the VinFast-linked transport company known as GSM, had launched what it described as the Philippines’ first all-electric taxi service. Since then, the platform has widened its footprint, including a partner-led deployment of up to 2,500 electric taxis in Rizal province announced in March.

For VinFast, the rental programme is also a way to reinforce demand inside an ecosystem where vehicle sales, charging, fleet operations and financing increasingly overlap. Reuters reported in December that sales to GSM accounted for 26% of VinFast’s total by the third quarter of 2025, down from 72% in 2023, showing both how important affiliated fleet demand has been and how the company is trying to broaden its customer base. Bringing a rental model into Indonesia and the Philippines may help VinFast place more vehicles on the road while giving drivers a less capital-intensive route into the EV economy.