Hundreds Of VinFast EVs Are Hitting U.S. Streets For A New Ride-Hailing Service

The VinFast VF8 is not exactly a common occurrence on American streets. That’s about to change in Los Angeles.

Photo by: Green SM

By: Iulian Dnistran

Oct 19, at 3:36am ET

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VinFast is getting a boost in the U.S., thanks to its corporate daddy.
Vietnam’s Green SM launched a new ride-hailing service in Los Angeles, and all of the cars in its fleet are VinFast VF8 EVs.
Green SM is owned by Vingroup, the same conglomerate that operates VinFast.

VinFast’s electric crossovers are not exactly on every American street corner. The company sold fewer than 400 cars in the United States in the first half of 2026, but now those numbers are about to get significantly better, thanks in no small part to the huge Vietnamese conglomerate that owns the struggling automaker.

Green SM launched a new ride-hailing service in Los Angeles that uses VinFast VF8 EVs exclusively, with an initial rollout of 500 vehicles, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Vietnamese mobility company is owned by Vingroup, the same entity that owns VinFast, and only uses electric vehicles in its global fleet.

Green SM VinFast VF8 EV In Los Angeles

Photo by: Green SM

The cyan-colored cabs will go up against industry heavyweights like Uber, Lyft, and Waymo on LA’s busy streets, but the newcomer’s biggest advantage comes in the form of trained drivers. While Uber and Lyft rely on gig workers, some of whom drive customers in their spare time, Green SM trains its drivers and employs them full-time.

To get a VinFast cab in LA, customers can use the Green SM smartphone app or call the company’s hotline. Pricing depends on the time and distance driven, but new customers can get 50% off their first five rides, plus a free Green Pass membership that comes with 10 30% discount vouchers each month.

VinFast’s American journey has been rocky from the beginning. It sold very few cars here, and its dealership network consists of a handful of locations. When we drove the VF8, we found it to be incomplete, annoying, and rough around the edges. Nevertheless, the Vietnamese automaker is not giving up, as it recently launched the 2027 VF8, which comes with an updated driver assistance suite and a $40,400 starting price.

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With Green SM’s American debut, VinFast can showcase its electric crossover to people who might have never walked into a dealership. And if the ride is good, maybe—just maybe—it will lead to a couple more sales for the automaker.

The electric mobility company was founded in Vietnam in 2023 and currently operates in its home country, Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Kazakhstan, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The company claims it has completed roughly 850 million rides, helping reduce nearly a million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.