You can buy toll tickets from the comfort of your home.

The General Department of Roads has launched a campaign to promote the installation of road tags.automatic toll collectionNo stopping for transport businesses at Giap Bat bus station (Hanoi).

According to Ms. Phan Thi Thu Hien, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Road Administration, all toll stations must implement automated non-stop toll collection by the end of 2018. However, to date, awareness among transport businesses regarding this issue remains limited, and many businesses are still hesitant about attaching the automated non-stop toll collection tags. "Attaching the tags is free; vehicle owners only need to top up their accounts when they wish to use them," Ms. Hien stated.

According to Ms. Hien, electronic toll collection will ensure transparency in BOT toll collection. The current use of paper tickets does not allow for the transfer of toll collection data to the General Department of Roads for control, transparency, and accountability of BOT investors' revenue. Electronic toll collection will overcome this drawback.

Non-stop toll collection will ensure transparency in BOT toll collection.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Ha, General Director of VETC (Vietnam Toll Collection Company Limited), said that VETC will transfer all the functions of paper tickets to electronic tickets, including single-trip, monthly, and quarterly tickets. While paper tickets must be purchased at toll stations, electronic tickets can be purchased (topped up) nationwide via electronic devices and through channels such as Momo and Viettel. Currently, VETC is offering a 3% discount to vehicle owners at the Dong Nai toll station and will study the possibility of implementing this at other stations if there is agreement from BOT investors.

“Instead of businesses having to ‘send people’ to buy monthly or quarterly passes at the beginning of the month, with the implementation of non-stop toll collection, businesses can buy passes from home, without having to spend time monitoring and counting paper tickets for tax settlement documents. Over 2 million vehicles will receive free initial Etag stickers,” Mr. Ha said, adding that each vehicle will be fitted with an Etag, ensuring that vehicles can pass through toll stations at a speed of about 80 km/hour without stopping, helping businesses save time, fuel costs, and avoid vehicle wear and tear.

Many transport companies have affixed Etag tags right at the bus station.

From a business perspective, Mr. Trinh Anh Bao, Director of Dai Phat Tourism Company, said that his company specializes in the Hanoi - Da Nang route and has been using electronic toll collection since the beginning. According to Mr. Bao, electronic toll collection has many benefits such as reducing driving time for drivers and eliminating the problem of vehicle clutch failures that occurred previously. However, Mr. Bao said that his company currently has many vehicles sharing a single traffic account but cannot distinguish between vehicles with monthly passes and those with quarterly passes.

"Instead of selling monthly or quarterly passes, we could introduce a system where businesses that top up their accounts for a month with a certain limit will receive a discount of a certain percentage," Mr. Bao suggested.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Pham Minh Hoang, Deputy General Director of the Southern Passenger Transport Enterprise, said he fully supports the idea, stating that incorporating technology into management is always convenient and transparent. "The management agency needs to provide information on toll stations that have implemented the electronic toll collection system and publish the roadmap for stations that must implement it, making it easier for businesses to monitor and plan their business accordingly. In addition, VETC needs to provide complete and timely information about the card service to the public and businesses," Mr. Hoang suggested.