From December 1st, road fees on National Highway 5 will increase.

The road usage fee at two toll stations on National Highway 5 to recoup capital for the Hanoi - Hai Phong Expressway Project will be adjusted from December 1, 2015.

Illustrative photo. (Source: VNA)

According to Circular No. 143/2015/TT-BTC recently issued by the Ministry of Finance regulating the collection rates, collection, payment, management and use of road use fees at 2 toll stations on National Highway 5, the National Highway 5 road toll collection rates at the 2 stations will be adjusted in 2 phases. In which, phase I (from December 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016), phase II (from January 1, 2016) onwards.

Specifically, from December 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016, the one-way fee for vehicles under 12 seats and trucks under 2 tons is 30,000 VND, the highest fee for vehicles over 18 tons is 160,000 VND. After March 31, 2016, the fee will increase to 45,000 VND and 200,000 VND, respectively.

In an interview with Mr. Dao Van Chien, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Infrastructure Development and Financial Investment Corporation (VIDIFI), he said that the request to adjust the toll collection rate on National Highway 5 is to ensure financial feasibility for the Hanoi - Hai Phong Expressway Project and create resources to maintain the quality of the above parallel national highway.

Also according to the representative of VIDIFI's leadership, in Decision No. 1621/QD - TTg dated November 29, 2007, the Prime Minister allowed VIDIFI to collect road usage fees on National Highway 5 until the end of the BOT business period, in addition to a number of other sources of revenue to repay the capital for the Hanoi - Hai Phong Expressway Project.

According to the new financial plan of the Hanoi - Hai Phong Expressway Project approved by the Prime Minister last May, VIDIFI's fees are allowed to increase over time like other toll stations (currently, the fee on National Highway 5 has been maintained for 10 years and is the lowest fee nationwide).

Meanwhile, the road usage fee on national highways has been adjusted to increase according to the framework prescribed in Circular No. 159, 2-3 times higher than the current fee on National Highway 5.

“If VIDIFI is not allowed to increase the toll fee on National Highway 5, the financial plan for the Hanoi - Hai Phong Expressway that has just been approved could go bankrupt,” said Mr. Dao Van Chien.

Besides, with the current low revenue, the investor will have difficulty in allocating funds for road maintenance in the next 3 years, when the time to overhaul the entire road is approaching.

As planned, starting from January 1, 2016, the Ministry of Transport will transfer National Highway 5 to VIDIFI for management, at which time the investor will be responsible for repairing and maintaining this route using funds collected from toll stations.

Previously, in 2012, VIDIFI allocated funds from National Highway 5 toll revenue with nearly 400 billion VND to repay 50% of the loan capital for the National Highway 5 road surface renovation and restoration project, ensuring traffic safety and maintaining operational capacity.

National Highway 5 is the main artery in the Northeast of Hanoi, with a traffic volume of more than 11,000 vehicles/day and night; of which, container trucks and heavy trucks account for about 50%. This national highway has been upgraded and repaired many times, but the road surface quality is still rapidly deteriorating./.

According to the Communist Party of Vietnam