Road tolls are still being collected at Vietnamese airports although the Government Inspectorate has previously concluded that the fee is against the law.

In an announcement made three months ago, the Government Inspectorate stated that road tolls at airports across the country are not legal.

However, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters noticed that the fee is still being collected at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

All automobiles entering the airdrome are required to pay from VND10,000 (US$0.44) to VND40,000 ($1.76) regardless of how long they stay inside the venue.

Nguyen Quang Linh, an Uber car driver, recounted his trip with a foreign passenger who booked a ride from the airport to downtown areas.

Linh had to pay the VND10,000 toll despite only entering the facility for a few minutes to pick up his customer.

Many passengers refused to pay the additional charge, the driver stated, adding that it is difficult to explain it to them.

Four-wheeled vehicles are also subjected to extra charges if they stay inside the airport for extended periods of time.

According to T.M.T., director of a company providing transport services from Tan Son Nhat to the southern beach city of Vung Tau, the firm has to pay some VND13 million ($572.4) per month in terms of road tolls at the aerodrome.

About 10 of the company’s 16-seater tourist buses enter the facility on a daily basis, T. elaborated.

Each of the vehicles is required to pay VND40,000 upon entrance and an extra VND20,000 ($0.88) every two hours, he stated.

A tollgate at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A similar toll is also being collected at the Phu Quoc Airport, located in the namesake tourist island off the southern province of Kien Giang.

Four-seaters are charged VND15,000 ($0.66) each while seven-seaters are charged VND20,000 each.

Serious violation

A previous inspection by the Government Inspectorate showed that 21 out of 22 airports managed by the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) were carrying out the collection of such road tolls.

The rates ranged from VND7,000 ($0.31) to VND30,000 ($1.32) and could also be collected monthly at VND600,000 ($26.4) to VND1.65 million ($72.6).

This fee is applied to automobiles that do not use the airport parking service and only stop inside the venue for several minutes to pick up or drop off passengers.

From January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2015, ACV accumulated about VND551 billion ($24.26 million) from airport road tolls.

The Government Inspectorate admitted that the money had brought about benefits for the ACV.

It also contributed to the national budget before the ACV was partly privatized in 2016.

However, the toll policy is a serious violation of the current law, causing financial damage for airport commuters, the agency asserted.

Cars approach a tollgate at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

To be continued

According to Le Manh Hung, general director of the ACV, as the institution was put in charge of managing local airports, it is responsible for carrying out renovations and improvement of infrastructure within the facilities to provide passengers with better services.

The toll is used for the maintenance and operation of roads within the airdromes, as well as the installation of traffic signs, power and water systems, and recruitment of security units along the roads.

The expenditure for such activities is much higher than the toll collected, Hung stated.

The fee also acts as a tool to ensure traffic order inside the airports, he continued, explaining that congestion would emerge if vehicles were allowed to freely enter the facilities.

Hung said that the toll will continue to be collected, but the rates will be adjusted based on the present situation.

The central government has tasked the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance to have a close look into the case.

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