Green SM brings 500 VinFast EVs and salaried drivers to Los Angeles
Vietnam's Green SM has launched ride-hailing in LA with 500 company-owned VinFast VF 8 SUVs and full-time drivers. Why the model is different from Uber and Lyft.
LandGadget Newsroom · · 2 min read
Every one of the 500 drivers is an employee, not a gig contractor. That's the real experiment here, more than the cars.
A new ride-hailing service is on the streets of Los Angeles, and it works very differently from Uber and Lyft. Green SM, a Vietnamese company owned by Vingroup, the same conglomerate behind carmaker VinFast, launched in LA on October 13 with 500 VinFast VF 8 electric SUVs, Motor1 and InsideEVs report.
The cars and the drivers belong to the company. Green SM owns every vehicle outright, and all 500 drivers are full-time employees who go through the same selection and training. The company provides the car, maintenance and training; drivers work shifts instead of logging in whenever they like. US chief executive Hoang Thanh Hang describes the goal as building trust with riders, drivers and local communities "one journey at a time."
How riding works. You can book through the Green SM app, call a hotline or hail a car on the street. Fares depend on time and distance. New riders get 50% off (up to $12) on their first five trips, plus a Green Pass membership with 10 monthly vouchers for 30% off (up to $10). Coverage spans Los Angeles County and reaches into Orange County. Airport runs are on the wish list, but no permit for LAX has been announced.
Why it matters for VinFast. VinFast sold fewer than 400 cars in the US in the first half of 2026, according to InsideEVs. Putting 500 VF 8s on LA streets shows the SUV to people who'd never visit one of its few dealerships. Green SM started in Vietnam in 2023 and now runs in Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Kazakhstan, Denmark and the Netherlands; it claims around 850 million rides worldwide.
My take: the EV angle is the least surprising part; Waymo's driverless service has been open to all riders in LA since November 2024, and Uber has its own EV deals. Salaried drivers in company cars cost more than gig work, so the question is whether steadier service wins enough riders once the launch discounts end. It's also a bet on human drivers just as carmakers like Rivian push further into hands-free driving.
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