The cost for interprovincial shipping services of passenger bus lines in Ho Chi Minh City has gone through the roof due to spiking demand ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, while authorities have yet to take any action against the situation.

The Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station in Binh Thanh District, which houses buses and coaches traveling between the southern metropolis and localities in central Vietnam and the Central Highlands, is being overcrowded as Tet is only a week away.

A large number of passengers have been heading to the venue to catch a ride back to their hometowns for the tradition holiday, bringing along countless goods and belongings.

Many people even have their motorcycles shipped to another locality, making goods transportation services offered by passenger bus lines at the bus station more necessary than ever.

But passengers are upset that the cost for these services also surges along with the rising demand.

An employee loads motorbikes into the luggage compartment of a passenger bus in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Hien / Tuoi Tre

According to an employee of Hoang Long Bus Line, it currently costs more than VND600,000 (US$26), three times higher than the usual rate, to transport a parcel weighing 50 kilograms from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi.

A passenger said she was charged VND400,000 ($17) by another bus operator to have a six-kilogram shipment transported to the central province of Quang Nam.

As for the service of shipping motorbikes to central localities, many transport firms ask for VND900,000 ($39) to VND1 million ($43) per unit, nearly double the normal cost.

Futa, one of the prominent bus lines, charges up to VND1.6 million ($69) to transport a motorbike to the central city of Da Nang.

A Futa employee advised his customers to book the service as soon as possible, as the price could surge on a daily basis.

Parcels are pictured at Mien Dong Bus Station in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

Some leaving Ho Chi Minh City on passenger buses also reported being forced to pay a surcharge for carrying additional belongings with them, which they normally did not have to.

Nguyen Trong Hien, who hails from Quang Nam, said he was previously allowed to bring a parcel weighing up to eight kilograms along with his luggage when traveling to his hometown by coach.

Hien, however, was asked to pay an extra VND600,000 ($26) this time.

‘It’s Tet!’

A representative of a passenger bus line told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that they usually allow passengers to carry a maximum of three suitcases.

As the number of passengers and their luggage increase at this time of the year, there is insufficient space on the buses, forcing operators to ask for extra payment.

“There is no official listing for this kind of surcharge,” the representative stated.

“It’s Tet, anyway!”

Passengers wait for their coaches to depart at a bus station in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

Commenting on the abnormal rise in interprovincial shipping fees, Nguyen Hoang Huy, deputy director of the Mien Dong Bus Station, said they are unable to control the situation.

The management of the venue, as well as the municipal Department of Transport, only supervise fares, while shipping cost-related issues are overseen by the Department of Finance, Huy elaborated.

An official from the transport department said the agency will coordinate with inspectors from the financial department to monitor the situation at Mien Dong Bus Station.

According to Nguyen Nam Anh, director of a major shipping firm in the southern city, it is appropriate for bus operators to charge passengers for extra luggage.

“The fee, however, needs to be calculated reasonably,” Anh remarked.

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