VietNamNet Bridge – The Transport Ministry’s plan to install electronic toll collection (ETC) systems on national highways by July 1 has failed to meet the deadline due to several difficulties.

A toll plaza on Hac Tri Bridge connecting northern provinces of Vinh Phuc and Phu Tho has six lanes. An electronic toll collection system will be applied at the station. – Photo: VNA/VNS

Early this year, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hong Truong ordered the installation of ETCs on National Highway No. 1, Highway No. 14 and other expressways by July 1 in order to reduce travelling time for drivers and employment costs for the State.

To use the system, vehicle owners will be issued an e-tag. Drivers can then transfer the toll by internet banking or at payment points.

Nguyen Huu Tri, deputy director of the Viet Nam Register, said only 2,000 e-tags have been issued so far.

"Many vehicle owners think they don’t need the e-tags as ETC systems have not been installed at many toll stations," Tri said.

Deputy Minister Truong blamed slow implementation of ETCs on legal difficulties stemming from the fact that ETC investors and operators are still waiting for investment certificates to be issued by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The Ministry is expected to issue the certificates for the VETC Viet Nam Joint Stock Company and TASCO Joint Stock Company no later than July 10. After that, the Transport Ministry will order the implementation of other procedures to put into operation ETC systems at 28 toll booths nationwide.

Under instructions from the Transport Ministry, each toll booth in Viet Nam must have at least one ETC gate within this year. By 2020, all toll booths nationwide must apply ETC systems.

The total investment and capital of the ETC project is VND1.524 trillion (US$67.7 million) under a build-own-operate (BOO) format.

ETC systems use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, a wireless system comprising two components of e-tags and readers.

When a vehicle passes a toll collection lane, the RFID system activates a camera that snaps the vehicle’s number plate.

ETCs can save a lot of time for drivers and curb congestion as drivers will no longer have to stop and pay fees manually.

Experts estimated that ETCs at 100 stations will replace workers and save about VND70 billion ($3.1 million), as well as VND233 billion ($10.3 million) in fuel consumption.

VNS