Self-drive car rental services are bustling during Tet holiday.
(Baonghean) - This year, the Lunar New Year holiday lasts 9 days, and with forecasts of cold and rainy weather, self-drive car rental services catering to the needs of returning home for the holidays and going on trips are quite popular. Many self-drive car rental companies and taxi companies have launched attractive promotional programs to attract customers...
Busy during Tet holiday
Convenient, comfortable, and with relatively simple procedures, self-drive car rental services are often chosen by families who cannot afford to buy their own car for returning to their hometowns or traveling during the Lunar New Year. This year's Lunar New Year holiday is quite long, so the demand for 5-7 seater cars for family use is high. Preparing for a trip back to her hometown in Tuong Duong, with two young children, Ms. Phan Hong Linh (Hung Binh ward, Vinh City) found it quite difficult to rent a self-drive car. She said: "The places with reasonable prices were all booked, while those with cars had excessively high rental prices or many requirements regarding procedures, paperwork, and large deposits. I had to rely on a friend's recommendation and guarantee to rent a Kia Morning for the trip back home at a cost of 800,000 VND per day." Ms. Le Thi Xuan (Quan Bau ward), after spending the whole day trying to rent a self-drive car but still failing to find one, said: "Some self-drive car rental companies don't accept deposits in advance, so I'm hoping to wait until the day I go home to call again. If there are still cars available, I'll have a self-drive car to get home. Otherwise, I'll have to take a bus like every year."
According to a survey in Vinh City, most self-drive car rental businesses have already received bookings. Mr. Phan Van Minh, Director of Hong Minh Co., Ltd., a company specializing in self-drive car rentals, said: “A week ago, the company finalized the list of customers who need to rent cars during the Tet holiday. Most customers rent self-drive cars for one week, from the 27th to the 5th day of Tet. Usually, the demand for car rentals increases during Tet, however, more and more families own their own cars, so the demand has decreased compared to previous years. A few years ago, to rent a car for Tet, customers had to book several months in advance. Affordable car models are still popular with customers because of their reasonable prices, budget-friendly options, and fuel efficiency, such as Kia, Hyundai Getz, Toyota Vios, and Gentra…” |
 |
| Customers inspect the vehicle before renting it. |
The demand for self-drive car rentals has surged, leading many small-scale rental businesses to hoard vehicles, waiting until closer to Tet (Lunar New Year) to accept bookings. Mr. Dung, owner of Kieu Anh self-drive car rental (Phung Chi Kien Street), said: “In previous years, we received bookings before Tet, but most customers within the province usually went back to their hometowns or went on short trips, only renting for 2-3 days. However, on Tet itself, customers from other provinces returning home for the holiday need to rent cars for a whole week, and we don't have enough cars to meet that demand. Our business has a limited fleet, only 7 cars with 5-7 seats. Learning from previous years, this year we are not accepting advance bookings. Those who need to rent a car should call on the day they need to rent to secure a longer contract.”
Generally, self-drive car rental prices during Tet (Lunar New Year) increase by about 20-30% compared to normal days. While the usual daily rental price ranges from 500,000 to 600,000 VND, during Tet, prices can reach 800,000 to 1,000,000 VND per day for budget-friendly 5-7 seater cars. However, to attract customers, some self-drive car rental companies launch promotional programs during Tet. According to our research, normally, self-drive car rental companies limit customers to 250 km, with an additional charge of 1,500 to 2,000 VND per kilometer. But during Tet, many companies increase the limit to 300 km, and some even offer no price increase compared to normal days.
Things to note when renting a self-drive car.
Normally, to attract customers, the car rental procedure is quite relaxed. Customers only need to leave their ID card, driver's license, and a motorbike with complete documents as collateral, and rental companies are ready to hand over the vehicle. However, during Tet (Lunar New Year), customers often rent cars for extended periods, so most rental companies have stricter requirements. Many companies require customers to provide additional documents and commit to using the vehicle for its intended purpose… Mr. Vuong Dinh Long – Director of Uy Tam Trading and Service Company Limited (Nghi Phong, Nghi Loc) said: “In reality, self-drive car rental services often face many risks such as customers taking advantage of the rental for purposes other than intended, pawning the vehicle, accidents on the road… During Tet, this risk increases even more, so we require customers to deposit additional assets or cash worth over 20 million VND to avoid such problems.”
Furthermore, choosing a reputable rental company to book your car in advance will save you a considerable amount of money. Currently, in Vinh City, large and well-known car rental companies such as Hong Minh Co., Ltd. (Nguyen Trai Street), Hiep Suong Trading Co., Ltd. (Nguyen Phong Sac Street), Mai Anh and Hai Thanh self-drive car rentals (Tran Hung Dao Street)... have already run out of cars for the Tet holiday. However, many smaller self-drive car rental companies that haven't received contracts yet still have cars available to serve customers needing long-distance or day trips during the Tet holiday.
 |
| To minimize potential risks, during the Tet holiday, Hai Thanh car rental company only signs contracts with customers whose driver's licenses have been issued for more than one year. |
| To ensure a safe family trip, customers should keep the following tips in mind: “Customers should choose to rent newer cars by checking the license plate to avoid renting overly old vehicles. The easiest thing, yet often overlooked, is checking the vehicle's registration and documents. If you are pulled over by the police and your vehicle documents and registration have expired, you may be fined and your car impounded,” shared the owner of Mạnh Hà self-drive car rental (Ngư Hải Street, Vinh City). |
To avoid unnecessary disputes later, the owner of Hai Thanh self-drive car rental (Tran Hung Dao Street) advises customers renting cars to carefully review the terms and conditions, such as price, rental period, daily mileage limit, excess mileage charges, and vehicle delivery and return times. During holidays, traffic volume will increase dramatically, and the risk of accidents on the road will also increase. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider the responsibilities of each party in case of technical problems with the vehicle during the rental period to avoid potential disputes. Experienced self-drive car renters advise that upon receiving the car, renters should thoroughly inspect the exterior (for scratches on the body, rims, mirrors, headlights, taillights, etc.). Customers should also check the current mileage and fuel level upon receiving the car, and ideally, take a short test drive to check the engine and avoid unnecessary repairs along the way. Before accepting the vehicle, a report must be drawn up to document its condition, with confirmation from both the customer and the owner of the rental company.
Nguyet Minh
| RELATED NEWS |
|---|
