The Department for Roads of Vietnam (DRVN) said it had taken note of comments on social media platforms and in the media regarding notifications from Vietnam Electronic Toll Collection Joint Stock Company (VETC) and Viettel Money about fees for e-wallets linked to traffic accounts. The fees are set at VND6,600 (US$0.25) per month for individual customers and VND66,000 (US$2.52) per month for corporate customers, with no fee charged in months when no transactions are made.
The department stressed that these are fees for the use of payment instruments, rather than road-use fees or fees for using traffic accounts.
Government Decree No. 119/2024 on electronic payment for road traffic, Decree No. 52/2024 on non-cash payments, State Bank of Vietnam Circular No. 40/2024, and the 2023 Law on Prices do not stipulate a specific advance-notice period for announcing or adjusting fees. However, any fee policy must be implemented publicly and transparently and in accordance with agreements between payment service providers and customers.
In practice, payment service providers have adopted different fee policies and calculation methods. Some have already charged fees for the use of their payment services. MoMo, for example, charges 1 percent of the transaction value, with a minimum fee of VND1,000; international credit cards are charged 1.902 percent of the transaction value, while payment orders made through BIDV, MB, and VietinBank accounts incur fees ranging from VND1,000 to VND3,000 per transaction. Meanwhile, some providers, including Vietnam Electronic Toll Collection Joint Stock Company (VETC), Viettel Money, and payment orders through Vietcombank accounts, have yet to charge usage fees.
In its capacity as the state management agency for electronic road-traffic payments, the Department for Roads of Vietnam (DRVN) has worked with Vietnam Electronic Toll Collection Joint Stock Company (VETC) and Vietnam Digital Traffic Joint Stock Company (VDTC), asking the companies to coordinate with payment service providers to temporarily suspend implementation while reviewing their fee policies.
The department also asked the companies to study additional fee options suited to customers’ different needs and usage frequencies while continuing to expand cashless payment methods and develop value-added utilities and services to deliver greater practical benefits to customers.
The Department for Roads of Vietnam (DRVN) said it would propose that the State Bank of Vietnam direct relevant agencies to strengthen inspection and supervision, ensuring convenient e-wallet services while balancing the interests of all parties.
