Every automatic scooter sold by Honda and Yamaha in Vietnam carries one of four engine-family badges: eSP, eSP+, Blue Core or Blue Core Hybrid. They are marketing names for real engineering families, and knowing which is which makes spec sheets much easier to read. Everything below is from manufacturer product pages (retrieved 23 September 2026).

Honda eSP

The base family: four-stroke, single-cylinder engines with PGM-FI electronic fuel injection, designed around efficiency and durability. Current Vietnamese applications include the Vision 110 (air-cooled, 109.5 cc, 6.59 kW) and the Vario 125 (liquid-cooled, 125 cc, 8.48 kW, with idling stop). Cooling type is a separate question from engine family - see our air-cooled vs liquid-cooled explainer.

Honda eSP+

The premium family: four valves per cylinder instead of two, delivering more power at the same displacement. Current applications and verified outputs: Sh mode 125 (124.8 cc, 8.2 kW, 11.7 Nm), Lead 125 (124.8 cc, 8.22 kW, 11.7 Nm), SH160i (156.9 cc, 12.4 kW, 14.8 Nm), Vario 160 (156.9 cc, 11.3 kW, 14.1 Nm), Air Blade 160 (156.9 cc, 11.2 kW, 14.8 Nm). If a Honda scooter is quick in Vietnam, it is almost certainly an eSP+.

Yamaha Blue Core

Yamaha’s efficiency-first family, applied across capacities. Verified current examples: Janus 125 (1.98 litres/100 km published), Latte 125 (124.9 cc air-cooled, 6.05 kW, 1.80 litres/100 km - best in class) and the NVX 155’s 155.1 cc liquid-cooled version with VVA (11.3 kW, 13.9 Nm), the most performance-oriented Blue Core engine in the country.

Blue Core Hybrid

A Blue Core engine plus a small electric motor that assists when pulling away from a stop - improving acceleration feel and economy in exactly the conditions Vietnamese cities create. Current application: the Grande. Yamaha does not publish the Grande’s output figures, so we do not quote them.

Which is better?

There is no single answer. On published numbers, Honda’s eSP+ leads the performance classes and Yamaha’s Blue Core leads the economy classes - 1.80 litres/100 km for the Latte is the best published figure we have verified in the 125 class, while eSP+ engines dominate the 155-160 cc output table. Family badges tell you engineering intent, not quality: both manufacturers back their engines with long warranties in Vietnam (Yamaha publishes three years or 30,000 km on the NVX and Latte, whichever comes first).

For the cross-brand comparison at model level, see Honda vs Yamaha scooters in Vietnam, and the fuel economy comparison for the verified consumption table.