The Ministry of Construction said that a fee for an e-wallet linked to a transport account is not a transport-account maintenance fee, and users can choose another payment method. The ministry reported to Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc on its review of such fees after reports that VETC and Viettel Money planned to charge individual customers VND 6,600 per month and organizations and businesses VND 66,000.
After public complaints, the ministry instructed the Vietnam Road Administration to clarify the fee policy, the basis for setting the fee and the groups covered. The companies suspended the rollout days after announcing it in early August. The ministry determined that the planned fee is a charge for using a payment instrument under banking regulations, not a road-use fee or a transport-account maintenance fee.
Users can choose a payment method
VETC supports five payment methods: the VETC e-wallet, TPBank and BIDV deferred-payment wallets, and TPBank and BIDV credit cards. VDTC supports 11 methods: the MoMo and Viettel Money e-wallets, eight banks and the FPT Pay gateway for international card payments. VETC and Viettel Money e-wallets and automatic debits from Vietcombank were recorded as free; other methods may charge by transaction value or a fixed fee.
Customers can cancel their current payment link and choose another without affecting the transport account. The ministry said public reaction was also related to how companies provided information and explained the terms. It recommended monitoring the situation, resolving issues and communicating about electronic toll collection.
The ministry considered per-transaction fees, a percentage of transaction value and free service for infrequently used methods. Companies should provide complete pricing information before introducing fees. The ministry also called for more links between transport accounts, banks and payment intermediaries.
Sources: Thanh Niên
