The Government’s new decree on automobile transportation is expected to help get the transportation market back on track, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Vietnam has legalised ride-hailing, opening up opportunities for ride-hailing firms and bringing more benefits to passengers and driver-partners.

Traditional taxi and ride-hailing firms can choose to place either a “TAXI” light box or a reflective logo onto their cabs, according to the Government’s latest decree, which will take effect on April 1.

Southeast Asias largest ride-hailing firm, Grab,has announced plans to invest an additional US$500 million in Vietnam over the next five years.

Such trend would help better meet transportation needs at more affordable prices, ensuring convenience, safety and improving service quality of both taxis and electronic-contract based vehicles, stated Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The Ministry of Transport of Vietnam has asked all kinds of taxis to have a lightbox sign on their roof, including tech-based ones.

Vietnam is one of the 10 countries with the cheapest taxi fares, just 2.8 USD for a 5km cab ride, according to a recent report from Taxi2airport, the global cab-hailing system.

Many motorbike taxi drivers have said it is not necessary for them to wear identification badges, or name tags, issued by grassroots government offices, as proposed by Hanoi City’s Department of Transport.

App-based ride-hailing vehicles may be managed by technology, instead of having to install a light box on top as proposed by the Ministry of Transport (MoT) earlier.

Bonus payments for ride-hailing drivers seem a lot less forthcoming now that the firms have gained a firmer foothold in Vietnam. Comparing Grab, Go-Viet, and newcomer Be, the Singaporean giant seems the most tight-fisted.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Ministry of Transport to scrap unnecessary business conditions for transport firms, including a proposal for making roof light boxes mandatory for ride-hailing vehicles with fewer than nine seats.

Vietnam’s proposal requesting all ride-hailing vehicles to put taxi signs on vehicles will weigh down disruptive businesses and dampen benefits to stakeholders.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport proposes temporarily putting ride-hailing firms such as Grab or Fastgo in the same category as traditional taxis until the revision of the Law on Road Traffic is completed.

Drivers and customers are confused about the proposal to require ride-hailing vehicles to put up ‘taxi signs’ on the top of their vehicles.

Drivers found to have severely breached company regulations, while more than 8,000 others rewarded for providing honest service.

VietNamNet Bridge – There are embryonic signs of the “sharing economy” taking off in Vietnam, with Uber leading the way.

 Vinasun's taxi driver Ho Minh Thuan took a two year old boy who has been abandoned in his cab to the People’s Committee of Ward 1, District 8, Ho Chi Minh City early December 2.

 VietNamNet Bridge – All taxis in HCM City will eventually have printers that will issue receipts to passengers, according to city authorities.  

 VietNamNet Bridge – All taxis will be required to install black boxes and printers connected to their meters to improve monitoring of the fares charged to passengers, according to a new regulation.