VietNamNet Bridge - Despite the issuance of the decision on the new parking rates in early August, parking lots in Ho Chi Minh City apply different rates and the people suffer.

In the morning of September 26, at the parking lot of the New World Hotel (District 1), employees said the rate is VND10,000 ($0.5)/motorcycle/turn. The rate will be multiplied over time. "We only accept some more vehicles because this parking lot is for the hotel staff and monthly parking tickets. If you do not want to place your vehicle here, let’s seek another!", the staff said when we complained that the parking fee was expensive.

At the parking lot of the Diamond Plaza Trade Center on Le Duan Street (District 1), even if the face value of tickets is VND3000, but the staff here said it is VND5,000  and pointed to the price list in front of the parking lot (VND2,000 for the first two hours and VND3,000 for the first two hours after 6pm, every next hour the charge increases by 50 percent).

According to the charge fixed by the HCM City People's Committee, the parking lots at schools and hospitals are classified in group 1, with the lowest charge for motorcycles of VND2000-3000. However, very few hospitals apply these charges. The parking rate at the HCM City Oncology Hospital is VND5,000 and VND4,000 at the Gia Dinh People's Hospital.



Not just collecting higher prices than regulations, some agencies violate the provisions of the local government. Many state agencies still collect parking fees though State agencies are not allowed to collect parking fees of citizens.

From August 1, the parking rates at the parks of Tao Dan Park, Gia Dinh, 23/9, which are managed by the Voluntary Youth Co., Ltd., have doubled. Parking lots at these parks charge VND4,000/motorbike  and VND5,000/scooter. Vehicle keepers explained that the charges increased under the new regulation.

However, in the new parking rate regulations of the HCM City People's Committee, parking fees are divided into three groups, and there is no provisions for parking lots at parks. Parking lots at parks have put themselves in the "entertainment" category to apply the highest rates
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Most recently, on September 20, HCM City’s Vice Chair Nguyen Thi Hong asked districts to deal with parking lots that break the rule.

According to an officer of the Department of Finance, the HCM City People’s Council adopted the new parking fees, related agencies have to abide by. However, the rules are not really close to reality. The Finance Department will issue specific guidelines.

Lam Thieu Quan, a People’s Council deputy said that the current "chaos" in parking fees is inevitable. "I was one of two delegates who did not agree to adopt the new parking rate because it does not match the reality, not in accordance with the laws of supply and demand," Quan said.

According to Quan, the State only manages the parking fees at state-funded parking lots. As for private parking lots, it is difficult to manage and the city should not manage it because the price is due to the agreement between the keepers and vehicle owners.

The new parking fees took effect in HCM City on August 1. The new fees increase 2-5 fold compared to the old levels.

Accordingly, the parking fee is divided into 3 groups: group 1 includes the parking lots at schools and hospitals; Group 2 is the parking lots at markets, supermarkets, apartment buildings of grades 3-4, stores and the offices of agencies or organizations (except for state administrative agencies); Group 3 includes parking lots at apartment building of grades 1-2, amusement parks, restaurants, hotels, dance halls, theaters, and commercial centers.

Specifically, the rates for bicycles, electric bicycles during the day are VND500-2000 per turn, VND1000-4000 at night. Motorcycles and electric cars have the daytime fees of VND2000-5000/turn, VND150,000-250,000/month. The charge on scooters is VND1,000 dong higher than normal motorcycles. The parking free on cars in Districts 1, 3, 5 will be higher than the other districts.

M. Lan