Nghe An: Chaos in parking ticket prices at temples at the beginning of the new year

At the motorbike and car parking lot atHoang Muoi Temple(Hung Nguyen), is the place where we recorded the highest parking fee for motorbikes and cars, among the relic sites in the area. On the morning of the first day of Tet, the motorbike parking fee at this relic site was 10,000 VND, and the car parking fee was 35,000 VND.

Although the motorbike parking ticket at the Hoang Muoi Temple's parking lot states that one parking lot costs 5,000 VND, in reality, this parking lot charges customers 10,000 VND. Photo: PV

The car parking lot has a sign that reads "Temple parking lot", although the price list clearly states that cars with less than 5 seats have a parking fee of 15,000 VND and the highest price is for cars with 24 seats or more at 25,000 VND/turn. In reality, this parking lot has charged many times higher fares. Although the price list posted by this location is based onDecision 80/2016/QD-UBNDof the Provincial People's Committee on the regulation of vehicle parking service prices in Nghe An, but the information on the price list is also higher than the actual level recorded in Decision 80.

The car parking lot of Ong Hoang Muoi Temple is always crowded with cars coming and going during Tet. Photo: PV

At Hong Son Temple (Vinh City), ticket prices do not fluctuate much, only motorbike tickets are charged 5,000 VND compared to 3,000 VND on normal days.Bach Ma Temple(Thanh Chuong) orQua Son Temple(Do Luong), parking fees do not increase, in which the car parking fee is kept at 10,000 VND. Particularly at Con Temple (Hoang Mai Town), the car parking fee on the 3rd day of Tet is 20,000 VND, while the regulation is 10,000 VND.

Collecting parking fees for cars entering and exiting a relic site. Photo: PV

According to Decision 80/2016/QD-UBND, dated December 20, 2016 of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, the fee for cars with 7 seats or less in Vinh city or town is 10,000 VND/trip; in the plain and lowland districts it is 9,000 VND/trip. For cars with more than 7 seats, trucks, and passenger cars, the fee in Vinh city or town is from 12,000 VND to 15,000 VND/trip; in the plain and lowland districts it is from 10,000 VND to 14,000 VND/trip. However, in reality, at parking lots with large traffic flows such as temples and pagodas at the beginning of the year, Decision 80 of the Provincial People's Committee is very unclear and almost ignores.

Car parking lots at temples and pagodas are always crowded during the New Year. Photo: PV

When we reported that the parking fee at Ong Hoang Muoi Temple was higher than the regulations of the Provincial People's Committee, Ms. Hoang Thi Hoai Thanh, head of the Department of Culture, Hung Nguyen District People's Committee, said she would re-examine it.